Orlando furioso
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''Orlando furioso'' (; ''The Frenzy of Orlando'', more loosely ''Raging Roland'') is an
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...
epic poem An epic poem, or simply an epic, is a lengthy narrative poem typically about the extraordinary deeds of extraordinary characters who, in dealings with gods or other superhuman forces, gave shape to the mortal universe for their descendants. ...
by Ludovico Ariosto which has exerted a wide influence on later culture. The earliest version appeared in 1516, although the poem was not published in its complete form until 1532. ''Orlando furioso'' is a continuation of
Matteo Maria Boiardo Matteo Maria Boiardo (, ; 144019/20 December 1494) was an Italian Renaissance poet, best known for his epic poem ''Orlando innamorato''. Early life Boiardo was born in 1440,
's unfinished romance ''
Orlando innamorato ''Orlando Innamorato'' (; known in English as "''Orlando in Love''"; in Italian titled "''Orlando innamorato''" as the " I" is never capitalized) is an epic poem written by the Italian Renaissance author Matteo Maria Boiardo. The poem is a rom ...
'' (''Orlando in Love'', published posthumously in 1495). In its historical setting and characters, it shares some features with the
Old French Old French (, , ; Modern French: ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France from approximately the 8th to the 14th centuries. Rather than a unified language, Old French was a linkage of Romance dialects, mutually intelligib ...
''
Chanson de Roland ''The Song of Roland'' (french: La Chanson de Roland) is an 11th-century ''chanson de geste'' based on the Frankish military leader Roland at the Battle of Roncevaux Pass in 778 AD, during the reign of the Carolingian king Charlemagne. It is ...
'' of the eleventh century, which tells of the death of Roland. The story is also a
chivalric romance As a literary genre, the chivalric romance is a type of prose and verse narrative that was popular in the noble courts of High Medieval and Early Modern Europe. They were fantastic stories about marvel-filled adventures, often of a chivalri ...
which stemmed from a tradition beginning in the late
Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
and continuing in popularity in the 16th century and well into the 17th. Orlando is the Christian knight known in French (and subsequently English) as Roland. The story takes place against the background of the war between
Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first Holy ...
's Christian
paladin The Paladins, also called the Twelve Peers, are twelve legendary knights, the foremost members of Charlemagne's court in the 8th century. They first appear in the medieval (12th century) ''chanson de geste'' cycle of the Matter of France, where ...
s and the
Saracen upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek and Latin writings, to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Romans as Arabia Pe ...
army that has invaded Europe and is attempting to overthrow the Christian empire. The poem is about war and love and the romantic ideal of chivalry. It mixes realism and fantasy, humor and tragedy. The stage is the entire world, plus a trip to the Moon. The large cast of characters features Christians and Saracens, soldiers and sorcerers, and fantastic creatures including a gigantic sea monster called the Orc and a flying horse called the
hippogriff The hippogriff, or sometimes spelled hippogryph ( el, Ἱππόγρυπας), is a legendary creature with the front half of an eagle and the hind half of a horse. It was invented by Ludovico Ariosto in his ''Orlando Furioso'', at the beginning o ...
. Many themes are interwoven in its complicated episodic structure, but the most important are the paladin Orlando's unrequited love for the pagan princess
Angelica ''Angelica'' is a genus of about 60 species of tall biennial and perennial herbs in the family Apiaceae, native to temperate and subarctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere, reaching as far north as Iceland, Lapland, and Greenland. They gr ...
, which drives him mad; the love between the female Christian warrior
Bradamante Bradamante (occasionally spelled Bradamant) is a fictional knight heroine in two epic poems of the Renaissance: ''Orlando Innamorato'' by Matteo Maria Boiardo and ''Orlando Furioso'' by Ludovico Ariosto. Since the poems exerted a wide influence ...
and the Saracen
Ruggiero Ruggiero () is an Italian spelling variant of the name Ruggero, a version of the Germanic name Roger, and may refer to: As a surname *Adamo Ruggiero (born 1986), Canadian actor *Angela Ruggiero (born 1980), American hockey player *Angelo Ruggiero ...
, who are supposed to be the ancestors of Ariosto's patrons, the
House of Este The House of Este ( , , ) is a European dynasty of North Italian origin whose members ruled parts of Italy and Germany for many centuries. The original House of Este's elder branch, which is known as the House of Welf, included dukes of Bavaria ...
of
Ferrara Ferrara (, ; egl, Fràra ) is a city and ''comune'' in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital of the Province of Ferrara. it had 132,009 inhabitants. It is situated northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream ...
; and the war between Christian and Infidel. The poem is divided into forty-six
canto The canto () is a principal form of division in medieval and modern long poetry. Etymology and equivalent terms The word ''canto'' is derived from the Italian word for "song" or "singing", which comes from the Latin ''cantus'', "song", from the ...
s, each containing a variable number of eight-line
stanza In poetry, a stanza (; from Italian language, Italian ''stanza'' , "room") is a group of lines within a poem, usually set off from others by a blank line or Indentation (typesetting), indentation. Stanzas can have regular rhyme scheme, rhyme and ...
s in ''
ottava rima Ottava rima is a rhyming stanza form of Italian origin. Originally used for long poems on heroic themes, it later came to be popular in the writing of mock-heroic works. Its earliest known use is in the writings of Giovanni Boccaccio. The otta ...
'' (a
rhyme scheme A rhyme scheme is the pattern of rhymes at the end of each line of a poem or song. It is usually referred to by using letters to indicate which lines rhyme; lines designated with the same letter all rhyme with each other. An example of the ABAB r ...
of abababcc). ''Ottava rima'' had been used in previous Italian romantic epics, including
Luigi Pulci Luigi Pulci (; 15 August 1432 – 11 November 1484) was an Italian diplomat and poet best known for his ''Morgante'', an epic and parodistic poem about a giant who is converted to Christianity by Orlando and follows the knight in many adventure ...
's ''
Morgante ''Morgante'' (sometimes also called , the name given to the complete 28-canto, 30,080-line edition published in 1483See Lèbano's introduction to the Tusiani translation, p. xxii.) is an Italian romantic epic by Luigi Pulci which appeared in ...
'' and Boiardo's ''Orlando Innamorato''. Ariosto's work is 38,736 lines long in total, making it one of the longest poems in European literature.


Composition and publication

Ariosto began working on the poem around 1506, when he was 32. The first edition of the poem, in 40 cantos, was published in
Ferrara Ferrara (, ; egl, Fràra ) is a city and ''comune'' in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital of the Province of Ferrara. it had 132,009 inhabitants. It is situated northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream ...
in April 1516 and dedicated to the poet's patron
Ippolito d'Este Ippolito (I) d'Este ( hu, Estei Hippolit; 20 March 1479 – 3 September 1520) was an Italian Roman Catholic cardinal, and Archbishop of Esztergom. He was a member of the ducal House of Este of Ferrara, and was usually referred to as the Car ...
. A second edition appeared in 1521 with minor revisions. Ariosto continued to write more material for the poem and in the 1520s he produced five more cantos, marking a further development of his poetry, which he decided not to include in the final edition. They were published after his death by his illegitimate son Virginio under the title ''Cinque canti'' and are highly regarded by some modern critics.Ludovico Ariosto,"Cinque Canti/Five Cantos"
Translated by Alexander Sheers and David Quint, 1996, California Press (). The page also contains excerpts from various reviews.
The third and final version of ''Orlando Furioso'', containing 46 cantos, appeared in 1532. Ariosto had sought stylistic advice from the
humanist Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "human ...
Pietro Bembo to give his verse the last degree of polish and this is the version known to posterity. The first English translation by John Harington was published in 1591 at the behest of
Queen Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". El ...
, who reportedly banned Harington from court until the translation was complete.


Ariosto and Boiardo

Ariosto's poem is a sequel to
Matteo Maria Boiardo Matteo Maria Boiardo (, ; 144019/20 December 1494) was an Italian Renaissance poet, best known for his epic poem ''Orlando innamorato''. Early life Boiardo was born in 1440,
's ''
Orlando Innamorato ''Orlando Innamorato'' (; known in English as "''Orlando in Love''"; in Italian titled "''Orlando innamorato''" as the " I" is never capitalized) is an epic poem written by the Italian Renaissance author Matteo Maria Boiardo. The poem is a rom ...
'' (''Orlando in Love''). One of Boiardo's main achievements was his fusion of the Matter of France (the tradition of stories about
Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first Holy ...
and paladins such as Roland) with the
Matter of Britain The Matter of Britain is the body of medieval literature and legendary material associated with Great Britain and Brittany and the legendary kings and heroes associated with it, particularly King Arthur. It was one of the three great Wester ...
(the legends about
King Arthur King Arthur ( cy, Brenin Arthur, kw, Arthur Gernow, br, Roue Arzhur) is a legendary king of Britain, and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In the earliest traditions, Arthur appears as a ...
and his knights). The latter contained the magical elements and love interest that were generally lacking in the more austere and warlike poems about Carolingian heroes. Ariosto continued to mix these elements in his poem as well as adding material derived from Classical sources. However, Ariosto has an ironic tone rarely present in Boiardo, who treated the ideals of chivalry much more seriously. In ''Orlando Furioso'', instead of the chivalric ideals which were no longer current in the 16th century, a humanistic conception of man and life is vividly celebrated under the appearance of a fantastical world.


Plot

The action of ''Orlando Furioso'' takes place against the background of the war between the Christian emperor Charlemagne and the Saracen king of Africa, , who has invaded Europe to avenge the death of his father Troiano. Agramante and his allies – who include Marsilio, the King of Spain, and the boastful warrior
Rodomonte Rodomonte (or Rodamonte) is a major character in the Italian romantic epic poems ''Orlando innamorato'' by Matteo Maria Boiardo and ''Orlando furioso'' by Ludovico Ariosto. He is the King of Sarza and Algiers and the leader of the Saracen army whic ...
– besiege Charlemagne in Paris. Meanwhile, Orlando, Charlemagne's most famous paladin, has been tempted to forget his duty to protect the emperor because of his love for the pagan princess
Angelica ''Angelica'' is a genus of about 60 species of tall biennial and perennial herbs in the family Apiaceae, native to temperate and subarctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere, reaching as far north as Iceland, Lapland, and Greenland. They gr ...
. At the beginning of the poem, Angelica escapes from the castle of the Bavarian Duke Namo, and Orlando sets off in pursuit. The two meet with various adventures until Angelica saves a wounded Saracen infantryman, Medoro, falls in love, and elopes with him to Cathay. When Orlando learns the truth, he goes mad with despair and rampages through Europe and Africa destroying everything in his path. The English knight
Astolfo Astolfo (also Astolpho, Estous, and Estouls) is a fictional character in the Matter of France where he is one of Charlemagne's paladins. He is the son of Otto, the King of England (possibly referring to Charles' contemporary Offa of Mercia), ...
journeys to Ethiopia on the
hippogriff The hippogriff, or sometimes spelled hippogryph ( el, Ἱππόγρυπας), is a legendary creature with the front half of an eagle and the hind half of a horse. It was invented by Ludovico Ariosto in his ''Orlando Furioso'', at the beginning o ...
to find a cure for Orlando's madness. He flies up in
Elijah Elijah ( ; he, אֵלִיָּהוּ, ʾĒlīyyāhū, meaning "My El (deity), God is Yahweh/YHWH"; Greek form: Elias, ''Elías''; syr, ܐܸܠܝܼܵܐ, ''Elyāe''; Arabic language, Arabic: إلياس or إليا, ''Ilyās'' or ''Ilyā''. ) w ...
's flaming chariot to
the Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...
, where everything lost on Earth is to be found, including Orlando's wits. He brings them back in a bottle and makes Orlando sniff them, thus restoring him to sanity. (At the same time Orlando falls out of love with Angelica, as the author explains that love is itself a form of insanity.) Orlando joins with Brandimarte and Oliver to fight Agramante, Sobrino and Gradasso on the island of
Lampedusa Lampedusa ( , , ; scn, Lampidusa ; grc, Λοπαδοῦσσα and Λοπαδοῦσα and Λοπαδυῦσσα, Lopadoûssa; mt, Lampeduża) is the largest island of the Italian Pelagie Islands in the Mediterranean Sea. The ''comune'' of L ...
. There Orlando kills King Agramante. Another important plotline involves the love between the female Christian warrior Bradamante and the Saracen
Ruggiero Ruggiero () is an Italian spelling variant of the name Ruggero, a version of the Germanic name Roger, and may refer to: As a surname *Adamo Ruggiero (born 1986), Canadian actor *Angela Ruggiero (born 1980), American hockey player *Angelo Ruggiero ...
. They too have to endure many vicissitudes. Ruggiero is taken captive by the sorceress
Alcina ''Alcina'' (Händel-Werke-Verzeichnis, HWV 34) is a 1735 opera seria by George Frideric Handel. Handel used the libretto of ''L'isola di Alcina'', an opera that was set in 1728 in Rome by Riccardo Broschi, which he acquired the year after during ...
and has to be freed from her magic island. He then rescues Angelica from the orc. He also has to avoid the enchantments of his foster father, the wizard Atlante, who does not want him to fight or see the world outside of his iron castle, because looking into the stars it is revealed that if Ruggiero converts himself to Christianity, he will die. He doesn't know this, so when he finally gets the chance to marry Bradamante, as they had been looking for each other through the entire poem although something always separated them, he converts to Christianity and marries Bradamante. Rodomonte appears at the wedding feast, nine days after the wedding, and accuses him of being a traitor to the Saracen cause, and the poem ends with a duel between Rodomonte and Ruggiero. Ruggiero kills Rodomonte (Canto XLVI, stanza 140) and the final lines of the poem describe Rodomonte's spirit leaving the world. Ruggiero and Bradamante are the ancestors of the
House of Este The House of Este ( , , ) is a European dynasty of North Italian origin whose members ruled parts of Italy and Germany for many centuries. The original House of Este's elder branch, which is known as the House of Welf, included dukes of Bavaria ...
, Ariosto's patrons, whose genealogy he gives at length in canto 3 of the poem. The epic contains many other characters, including Orlando's cousin, the paladin
Rinaldo Rinaldo may refer to: *Renaud de Montauban (also spelled Renaut, Renault, Italian: Rinaldo di Montalbano, Dutch: Reinout van Montalbaen, German: Reinhold von Montalban), a legendary knight in the medieval Matter of France * Rinaldo (''Jerusalem Lib ...
, who is also in love with Angelica; the thief Brunello; the Saracen Ferraù; Sacripante, King of Circassia and a leading Saracen knight; and the tragic heroine Isabella.


Influence


Later literature

''Orlando Furioso'' is "one of the most influential works in the whole of European literature" and it remains an inspiration for writers to this day. A few years before Ariosto's death, the poet
Teofilo Folengo Teofilo Folengo () (8 November 14919 December 1544), who wrote under the pseudonym of Merlino Coccajo or Merlinus Cocaius in Latin, was one of the principal Italian macaronic poets. Biography Folengo was born of noble parentage at Cipada near M ...
published his ''Orlandino'', a caricaturization of the stories found in both ''Orlando Furioso'' and its precursor, ''
Orlando Innamorato ''Orlando Innamorato'' (; known in English as "''Orlando in Love''"; in Italian titled "''Orlando innamorato''" as the " I" is never capitalized) is an epic poem written by the Italian Renaissance author Matteo Maria Boiardo. The poem is a rom ...
''. In 1554,
Laura Terracina Laura Terracina (1519-c. 1577) was an Italian poet from Naples during the Renaissance. She was the most published Italian poet of the sixteenth century. Life Terracina was born in Chiaia, a suburb of Naples. Her mother, Diana Anfora of Sorrento ...
wrote the ''Discorso sopra il Principio di tutti i canti d'Orlando furioso'' which was linked to ''Orlando Furioso'' and in which several of the characters appeared. ''Orlando Furioso'' was a major influence on Edmund Spenser's epic ''
The Faerie Queene ''The Faerie Queene'' is an English epic poem by Edmund Spenser. Books IIII were first published in 1590, then republished in 1596 together with books IVVI. ''The Faerie Queene'' is notable for its form: at over 36,000 lines and over 4,000 sta ...
''.
William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
's ''
Much Ado About Nothing ''Much Ado About Nothing'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare thought to have been written in 1598 and 1599.See textual notes to ''Much Ado About Nothing'' in ''The Norton Shakespeare'' ( W. W. Norton & Company, 1997 ) p. 1387 The play ...
'' takes one of its plots (Hero/Claudio/Don John) from ''Orlando Furioso'' (probably via Spenser or
Bandello Matteo Bandello ( 1480 – 1562) was an Italian writer, soldier, monk, and, later, a Bishop mostly known for his novellas. His collection of 214 novellas made him the most popular short-story writer of his day. Biography Matteo Bandello wa ...
). In 1592, Robert Greene published a play called ''The Historie of Orlando Furioso''. According to
Barbara Reynolds Eva Mary Barbara Reynolds (13 June 1914 – 29 April 2015) was an English scholar of Italian Studies, lexicographer and translator. She wrote and edited several books concerning Dorothy Sayers and was president of the Dorothy L. Sayers Soci ...
, the English poet closest in spirit to Ariosto is
Lord Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824), known simply as Lord Byron, was an English romantic poet and Peerage of the United Kingdom, peer. He was one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and h ...
. In Spain, Lope de Vega wrote a continuation of the epic (''La hermosura de Angélica'', 1602) as did Luis Barahona de Soto (''Las lágrimas de Angélica'', 1586). Góngora wrote a famous poem describing the idyllic honeymoon of Angelica and Medoro (''En un pastoral albergue''). ''Orlando Furioso'' is mentioned among the romances in ''
Don Quixote is a Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, its full title is ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'' or, in Spanish, (changing in Part 2 to ). A founding work of Wester ...
''. Among the interpolated stories within ''Don Quixote'' is a retelling of a tale from canto 43 regarding a man who tests the fidelity of his wife. Additionally, various literary critics have noted the poem's likely influence on Garcilaso de la Vega's second eclogue. In France,
Jean de la Fontaine Jean de La Fontaine (, , ; 8 July 162113 April 1695) was a French fabulist and one of the most widely read French poets of the 17th century. He is known above all for his ''Fables'', which provided a model for subsequent fabulists across Euro ...
used the plots of some of the bawdier episodes for three of his ''Contes et Nouvelles en vers'' (1665–66). In chapter 11 of Sir Walter Scott's novel '' Rob Roy'' published in 1817, but set circa 1715, Mr. Francis Osbaldistone talks of completing “my unfinished version of Orlando Furioso, a poem which I longed to render into English verse…” The modern Russian poet
Osip Mandelstam Osip Emilyevich Mandelstam ( rus, Осип Эмильевич Мандельштам, p=ˈosʲɪp ɨˈmʲilʲjɪvʲɪtɕ mənʲdʲɪlʲˈʂtam; – 27 December 1938) was a Russian and Soviet poet. He was one of the foremost members of the A ...
paid tribute to ''Orlando Furioso'' in his poem ''Ariosto'' (1933). The Italian novelist
Italo Calvino Italo Calvino (, also , ;. RAI (circa 1970), retrieved 25 October 2012. 15 October 1923 – 19 September 1985) was an Italian writer and journalist. His best known works include the '' Our Ancestors'' trilogy (1952–1959), the ''Cosmicomi ...
drew on Ariosto for several of his works of fiction including ''Il cavaliere inesistente'' ("
The Nonexistent Knight ''The Nonexistent Knight'' (Italian: ''Il cavaliere inesistente'') is an allegorical fantasy novel by Italian writer Italo Calvino, first published in Italian in 1959 and in English translation in 1962. The tale explores questions of identity, in ...
", 1959) and '' Il castello dei destini incrociati'' ("The Castle of Crossed Destinies", 1973). In 1970 Calvino brought out his own selection of extracts from the poem. The Argentine writer
Jorge Luis Borges Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo (; ; 24 August 1899 – 14 June 1986) was an Argentine short-story writer, essayist, poet and translator, as well as a key figure in Spanish-language and international literature. His best-known bo ...
was an admirer of ''Orlando'' and included a poem, ''Ariosto y los árabes'' (''Ariosto and the Arabs''), exploring the relationship between the epic and the '' Arabian Nights'', in his 1960 collection, ''El hacedor''. Borges also chose
Attilio Momigliano Saint Attilio, one of the legendary martyrs of the Theban Legion, is venerated as a saint in the area of Trino Vercellese, in Piedmont, north-west Italy and commemorated on 28 June. However his cult is no longer officially recognized by the Roma ...
's critical study of the work as one of the hundred volumes that were to make up his ''Personal Library''. The English novelist
Anthony Powell Anthony Dymoke Powell ( ; 21 December 1905 – 28 March 2000) was an English novelist best known for his 12-volume work ''A Dance to the Music of Time'', published between 1951 and 1975. It is on the list of longest novels in English. Powell' ...
's ''
Hearing Secret Harmonies ''Hearing Secret Harmonies'' is the final novel in Anthony Powell's twelve-volume series, ''A Dance to the Music of Time''. It was published in 1975, twenty-four years after the first book, ''A Question of Upbringing ''A Question of Upbringin ...
'' includes images from ''Orlando Furioso'' to open chapter two. ''Hearing Secret Harmonies.'' is the final book in Powell's twelve-volume series, ''
A Dance to the Music of Time ''A Dance to the Music of Time'' is a 12-volume ''roman-fleuve'' by English writer Anthony Powell, published between 1951 and 1975 to critical acclaim. The story is an often comic examination of movements and manners, power and passivity in Eng ...
.'' British writer
Salman Rushdie Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie (; born 19 June 1947) is an Indian-born British-American novelist. His work often combines magic realism with historical fiction and primarily deals with connections, disruptions, and migrations between Eastern and We ...
's 2008 novel ''
The Enchantress of Florence ''The Enchantress of Florence'' is the ninth novel by Salman Rushdie, published in 2008. According to Rushdie this is his "most researched book" which required "years and years of reading". The novel was published on 11 April 2008 by Jonathan ...
'' was partly inspired by ''Orlando Furioso''.


Popular fiction

Bradamante is one of the main characters in several novels, including Linda C. McCabe's ''Quest of the Warrior Maiden'', Ron Miller's ''Bradamant: The Iron Tempest'' and Ruth Berman's ''Bradamant's Quest''. Science fiction writer
Theodore Sturgeon Theodore Sturgeon (; born Edward Hamilton Waldo, February 26, 1918 – May 8, 1985) was an American fiction author of primarily fantasy, science fiction and horror, as well as a critic. He wrote approximately 400 reviews and more than 120 sh ...
's 1954 short story "To Here and the Easel" is an assembly of portions of the Orlando story intermixed with a current-day recasting of the story into the lives of a painter suffering from artist's block (Ruggiero/Rogero and his analog Giles), a mysterious faithful supporter (Bradamante and her analog Miss Brandt) and her jaded, fabulously wealthy employer (Angelica appearing as an echo more than an analog) and Giles' redemption (breaking his blockage) at the hands of Miss Brandt. The story first appeared in 1954 in "Star Short Novels" (a Ballantine collection which was not reprinted), and was republished as the first story in the collection ''Sturgeon Is Alive And Well...'' in 1971. ''
The Castle of Iron ''The Castle of Iron'' is the title of a fantasy novella by American authors L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt, and of the novel into which it was later expanded by the same authors. It was the third story (and afterwards the second volume) i ...
'', a
fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...
novel by
L. Sprague de Camp Lyon Sprague de Camp (; November 27, 1907 – November 6, 2000) was an American writer of science fiction, fantasy and non-fiction. In a career spanning 60 years, he wrote over 100 books, including novels and works of non-fiction, including biog ...
and
Fletcher Pratt Murray Fletcher Pratt (25 April 1897 – 10 June 1956) was an American writer of history, science fiction, and fantasy. He is best known for his works on naval history and the American Civil War and for fiction written with L. Sprague de Camp. ...
, takes place in the "universe" of ''Orlando Furioso''. It was the third story (and afterwards the second volume) in their
Harold Shea The "Harold Shea" Stories is a name given to a series of five science fantasy stories by the collaborative team of L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt and to its later continuation by de Camp alone, Christopher Stasheff, Holly Lisle, John Mad ...
series.


Music

In the Baroque era, the poem was the basis of many operas. Among the earliest were Francesca Caccini's '' La liberazione di Ruggiero dall'isola d'Alcina'' ("The Liberation of Ruggiero from Alcina's Island", 1625),
Luigi Rossi Luigi Rossi (c. 1597 – 20 February 1653) was an Italian Baroque composer. Born in Torremaggiore, a small town near Foggia, in the ancient kingdom of Naples, at an early age he went to Naples where he studied music with the Franco-Flemish comp ...
's ''
Il palazzo incantato ''Il Palazzo incantato'' (''The Enchanted Palace'') or ''Il Palagio d’Atlante, overo La Guerriera Amante'' (''The Palace of Atlantes, or The Warrior Woman in Love''), or also ''Lealtà con valore'' (''Loyalty with Bravery'') is an opera in a pro ...
'' (1642) and Agostino Steffani's '' Orlando generoso'' (1691). Antonio Vivaldi, as an
impresario An impresario (from the Italian ''impresa'', "an enterprise or undertaking") is a person who organizes and often finances concerts, plays, or operas, performing a role in stage arts that is similar to that of a film or television producer. His ...
as well as a composer, staged three
opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...
s on themes from Ariosto: ''Orlando furioso'' (1713) by
Giovanni Alberto Ristori Giovanni Alberto Ristori (1692 - 7 February 1753) was an Italian opera composer and conductor. He was the son of Tommaso Ristori, the leader of an opera troupe belonging to the King of Poland and Elector of Saxony August II the Strong (based in ...
, '' Orlando Furioso'' (1714), with music by Ristori and by himself, and ''
Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures re ...
'' (1727). Perhaps the most famous operas inspired by the poem are those by Handel: ''
Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures re ...
'' (1733), ''
Ariodante ''Ariodante'' ( HWV 33) is an opera seria in three acts by George Frideric Handel. The anonymous Italian libretto was based on a work by Antonio Salvi, which in turn was adapted from Canti 4, 5 and 6 of Ludovico Ariosto's ''Orlando Furioso''. E ...
'' and ''
Alcina ''Alcina'' (Händel-Werke-Verzeichnis, HWV 34) is a 1735 opera seria by George Frideric Handel. Handel used the libretto of ''L'isola di Alcina'', an opera that was set in 1728 in Rome by Riccardo Broschi, which he acquired the year after during ...
'' (1735). In France,
Jean-Baptiste Lully Jean-Baptiste Lully ( , , ; born Giovanni Battista Lulli, ; – 22 March 1687) was an Italian-born French composer, guitarist, violinist, and dancer who is considered a master of the French Baroque music style. Best known for his operas, he ...
turned to Ariosto for his ''tragédie en musique Roland'' (1685).
Rameau Jean-Philippe Rameau (; – ) was a French composer and music theorist. Regarded as one of the most important French composers and music theorists of the 18th century, he replaced Jean-Baptiste Lully as the dominant composer of French opera and ...
's comic opera ''
Les Paladins ''Les Paladins'' is an opera by Jean-Philippe Rameau first performed on 12 February 1760 at the Paris Opera. The author of the libretto is not known for sure but was probably one of the Duplat de Monticourt brothers. Rameau called ''Les Paladins'' ...
'' (1760) is based on a story in canto 18 of ''Orlando'' (though Rameau's librettist derived the plot indirectly via La Fontaine's ''Contes''). The enthusiasm for operas based on Ariosto continued into the Classical era and beyond with such examples as
Johann Adolph Hasse Johann Adolph Hasse (baptised 25 March 1699 – 16 December 1783) was an 18th-century German composer, singer and teacher of music. Immensely popular in his time, Hasse was best known for his prolific operatic output, though he also composed a co ...
’s ''
Il Ruggiero ''Il Ruggiero'' (full name: Il Ruggiero ovvero L'eroica gratitudine) is an opera in three acts composed by Johann Adolph Hasse to a libretto by Pietro Metastasio. It was first staged on 16 October 1771 for the wedding of Archduke Ferdinand Ka ...
'' (1771),
Niccolò Piccinni Niccolò Piccinni (; 16 January 1728 – 7 May 1800) was an Italian composer of symphonies, sacred music, chamber music, and opera. Although he is somewhat obscure today, Piccinni was one of the most popular composers of opera—particularly th ...
's '' Roland'' (1778),
Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( , ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions to musical form have led ...
's ''
Orlando paladino ''Orlando paladino'' (English: ''The Paladin Orlando''), Hob. 28/11, is an opera in three acts by Joseph Haydn which was first performed at Eszterháza on 6 December 1782. The libretto by is based on another libretto, ''Le pazzie d'Orlando'', ...
'' (1782), Méhul's ''
Ariodant ''Ariodant'' is an '' opéra comique'' (''drame mêlé de musique'') in three acts by the French composer Étienne Méhul first performed at the Théâtre Favart in Paris on 11 October 1799. The libretto, by François-Benoît Hoffman is based on ...
'' (1799) and
Simon Mayr Johann(es) Simon Mayr (also spelled Majer, Mayer, Maier), also known in Italian as Giovanni Simone Mayr or Simone Mayr (14 June 1763 – 2 December 1845), was a German composer. His music reflects the transition from the Classical to the ...
's ''
Ginevra di Scozia ''Ginevra di Scozia'' is an opera in two acts by Simon Mayr set to an Italian libretto by Gaetano Rossi based on Antonio Salvi's ''Ginevra, principessa di Scozia'', which in turn was adapted from cantos 5 and 6 of Ludovico Ariosto's ''Orlando F ...
'' (1801).
Ambroise Thomas Charles Louis Ambroise Thomas (; 5 August 1811 – 12 February 1896) was a French composer and teacher, best known for his operas '' Mignon'' (1866) and ''Hamlet'' (1868). Born into a musical family, Thomas was a student at the Conservatoire de ...
wrote a comedic one act '' Angélique et Médor'' in 1843.


Art

''Orlando Furioso'' has been the inspiration for many works of art, including paintings by
Eugène Delacroix Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix ( , ; 26 April 1798 – 13 August 1863) was a French Romantic artist regarded from the outset of his career as the leader of the French Romantic school.Noon, Patrick, et al., ''Crossing the Channel: Britis ...
, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, Tiepolo, Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, Ingres, Odilon Redon, Redon, and a series of illustrations by Gustave Doré. In his poem Ludovico Ariosto relates how Marphise, the women warriors in literature and culture, woman warrior, knocks the knight Pinabello off his horse after his lady had mocked Marphise's companion, the old woman Gabrina. In ''Marphise'' by
Eugène Delacroix Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix ( , ; 26 April 1798 – 13 August 1863) was a French Romantic artist regarded from the outset of his career as the leader of the French Romantic school.Noon, Patrick, et al., ''Crossing the Channel: Britis ...
, Pinabello lies on the ground, and his horse gallops off in the distance. The knight's lady, meanwhile, is forced to disrobe and give her fancy clothing to Gabrina. Marphise's horse, undisturbed by the drama, nonchalantly munches on the leaves overhead.


Other

In 1975, Luca Ronconi directed an Italian television mini-series based on ''Orlando Furioso'', starring Massimo Foschi (:it:Massimo Foschi, it) as Orlando, and Silvia Dionisio as Isabella. In the late 1960s / early 1970s, the Bob and Ray comedy parody radio show ''Mary Backstayge, Noble Wife'' centered around the Backstayge's stage production of the fictional play "Westchester Furioso", an updating of ''Orlando Furioso'' that somehow involved musical numbers, tap dancing and ping pong. In 1966, Italian Disney comics artist Luciano Bottaro wrote a parody of ''Orlando Furioso'' starring Donald Duck, ''Paperin Furioso''. In the film ''Moonstruck'' there is a reference to one of the character's rejuvenation as a lover as feeling like "Orlando Furioso". Emanuelle Luzzati's animated short film, ''I paladini di Francia'', together with Giulio Gianini, in 1960, was turned into the children's picture-story book, with verse narrative, ''I Paladini de Francia ovvero il tradimento di Gano di Maganz'', which translates literally as “The Paladins of France or the treachery of Gano of Maganz” (Ugo Mursia Editore, 1962). This was then republished, in English, as ''Ronald and the Wizard Calico'' (1969). The Picture Lion paperback edition (William Collins, London, 1973) is a paperback imprint of the Hutchinson Junior Books edition (1969), which credits the English translation to Hutchinson Junior Books. Luzatti's original verse story in Italian is about the plight of a beautiful maiden called Biancofiore – White Flower, or Blanchefleur – and her brave hero, Captain Rinaldo, and Ricardo and his paladins – the term used for Christian knights engaged in Crusades against the Saracens and Moore. Battling with these good people are the wicked Moors – North African Muslims and Arabs – and their Sultan, in Jerusalem. With the assistance of the wicked and treacherous magician, Gano of Maganz, Biancofiore is stolen from her fortress castle, and taken to become the reluctant wife of the Sultan. The catalyst for victory is the good magician, Urlubulu, who lives in a lake, and flies through the air on the back of his magic blue bird. The English translators, using the original illustrations, and the basic rhyme patterns, slightly simplify the plot, changing the Christians-versus-Muslim-Moors conflict into a battle between good and bad magicians and between golden knights and green knights. The French traitor in ''The Song of Roland'', who is actually Roland's cowardly step-father, is Ganelon – very likely the inspiration for Luzzati's traitor and wicked magician, Gano. Orlando Furioso (literally, Furious or Enraged Orlando, or Roland), includes Orlando's cousin, the paladin Rinaldo, who, like Orlando, is also in love with Angelica, a pagan princess. Rinaldo is, of course, the Italian equivalent of Ronald. Flying through the air on the back of a magic bird is equivalent to flying on a magic hippogriff. In 2014, Enrico Maria Giglioli created ''Orlando's Wars: lotta tra cavalieri'', a trading card game with characters and situations of the poem, divided in four categories: Knight, Maiden, Wizard and Fantastic Creature. The poem appears as a Great Work of Literature in the video game ''Sid Meier's Civilization 5''. In the South Korean video game ''Library of Ruina'', several characters are named after characters from the poem and Innamorato-Roland is a protagonist, his deceased wife is named Angelica, and his brother-in-law and a major antagonist is named Argalia.


Critical reception

''Orlando Furioso'' won immediate fame. Around the middle of the 16th century, some Italian critics such as Gian Giorgio Trissino complained that the poem failed to observe the unity of action as defined by Aristotle, by having multiple plots rather than a single main story. The French poet Pierre de Ronsard and the Italian poet Torquato Tasso both felt that ''Orlando Furioso'' lacked structural unity.Reynolds, vol. 2 p. 7 Ariosto's defenders, such as Giovanni Battista Giraldi, replied that it was not a Classical epic but a ''romanzo'', a genre unknown to Aristotle; therefore his standards were irrelevant. Nevertheless, the strictures of the Classical critics influenced the next great Italian epic, Torquato Tasso's ''Gerusalemme Liberata'' (1581). Tasso tried to combine Ariosto's freedom of invention with a more unified plot structure. In the following decades, Italian critics argued over the respective merits of the two epics. Partisans of ''Orlando'' praised its psychological realism and the naturalness of its language. In the 19th century, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Hegel considered that the work's many allegories and metaphors did not serve merely to refute the ideal of chivalry, but also to demonstrate the fallacy of human senses and judgment. Francesco de Sanctis and
Attilio Momigliano Saint Attilio, one of the legendary martyrs of the Theban Legion, is venerated as a saint in the area of Trino Vercellese, in Piedmont, north-west Italy and commemorated on 28 June. However his cult is no longer officially recognized by the Roma ...
(:it:Attilio Momigliano, it) also wrote about ''Orlando Furioso''.


Translations

There have been several verse translations of ''Orlando Furioso'' into English, most using the 8-line stanzas (octaves) of the original (abababcc). The first one was by John Harington, published in 1591 and slightly revised in 1634. Temple Henry Croker's translation, misattributed to William Huggins' and Henry Boyd's translation were published in 1757 and 1784, respectively.Reynolds, vol. 1 p. 92 John Hoole's 1783 translation used rhyme scheme, rhyming couplets (AABBCC...). William Stewart Rose produced an eight-volume translation beginning publication in 1823 and ending in 1831.Reynolds, vol. 1 p. 88
Barbara Reynolds Eva Mary Barbara Reynolds (13 June 1914 – 29 April 2015) was an English scholar of Italian Studies, lexicographer and translator. She wrote and edited several books concerning Dorothy Sayers and was president of the Dorothy L. Sayers Soci ...
published a verse translation in 1975, and an abridged verse translation by David R. Slavitt, David Slavitt was published in 2009, which was then made complete by a second volume containing the lacunae missing from the abridgement, in 2012. A few translations have also been made into prose. A.H. Gilbert's translation was published by Duke University Press in 1954. Richard Hodgens planned a multivolume translation, whose first volume, subtitled ''The Ring of Angelica'', was published by Ballantine Books as the fifty-fourth volume of its Ballantine Adult Fantasy series in October, 1973. The remaining volumes do not appear to have seen print. Guido Waldman's complete prose translation was first published by Oxford University Press in 1973.Reynolds, vol. 1 p. 89 A comparison of the original text of Book 1, Canto 1 with various translations into English is given in the following table


References


Sources


External links

* * * *
English translation
by William Stewart Rose *
''Orlando Furioso'': Italian text''Orlando Furioso''
- Michel de Montaigne, Montaigne's copy, fully digitised in Cambridge Digital Library * Massimo Colella, ''«Sol d’Orlandin i’ canto, e nondimeno…». Lettura dell’'Orlandino' di Teofilo Folengo'', in «Rivista di Letteratura Italiana», XXXVII, 3, 2019, pp. 9-29. {{Authority control Epic poems in Italian 1516 books 1516 poems Italian poems Works based on The Song of Roland Matter of France Romance (genre) Cultural depictions of Charlemagne Fiction set on the Moon