Marfisa (also translated as "Marphisa") is a character in the Italian romantic
epics
The Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System (EPICS) is a set of software tools and applications used to develop and implement distributed control systems to operate devices such as particle accelerators, telescopes and other large sci ...
''
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 roman ...
'' by
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, and ''
Orlando Furioso
''Orlando furioso'' (; ''The Frenzy of Orlando'', more loosely ''Raging Roland'') is an Italian epic poem by Ludovico Ariosto which has exerted a wide influence on later culture. The earliest version appeared in 1516, although the poem was no ...
'' by
Ludovico Ariosto
Ludovico Ariosto (; 8 September 1474 – 6 July 1533) was an Italian poet. He is best known as the author of the romance epic ''Orlando Furioso'' (1516). The poem, a continuation of Matteo Maria Boiardo's ''Orlando Innamorato'', describes the ...
. She is the sister of
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 ...
but was separated from him in early childhood. She becomes queen of India and fights as a
warrior
A warrior is a person specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior aristocracies, class, or caste.
History
Warriors seem to have been p ...
for 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 ...
s, taking part in the siege of the fortress Albracca until her sword is stolen by
Brunello. She falls in love with Ruggiero, unaware who he is until
Atlantes reveals their background. Learning that her parents were Christian, she converts to the faith and joins the
Emperor 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 Emp ...
's army against the Saracens.
Quotation
Marphisa raised her face with haughty cheer,
And answered him: "Thy judgment wanders far;
I will concede thy sentence would be clear,
Concluding I am thine by right of war,
If either were my lord or cavalier
Of those, by thee unhorsed in bloody jar:
Nor theirs am I, nor other's, but my own,
Who wins me, wins me from myself alone.
Orlando Furioso
''Orlando furioso'' (; ''The Frenzy of Orlando'', more loosely ''Raging Roland'') is an Italian epic poem by Ludovico Ariosto which has exerted a wide influence on later culture. The earliest version appeared in 1516, although the poem was no ...
(tr. by
William Stewart Rose
William Stewart Rose (1775–1843) was a British poet, translator and Member of Parliament, who held Government offices. From a Tory background, he was well-connected in the political and literary world, and made a mark by his championing of Itali ...
br>
, 26, 79
Legacy and influence
Italian playwright
Carlo Gozzi
__NOTOC__
Carlo, Count Gozzi (; 13 December 1720 – 4 April 1806) was an Italian ( Venetian) playwright and champion of Commedia dell'arte.
Early life
Gozzi was born and died in Venice; he came from a family of minor Venetian aristocracy, the T ...
composed his work ''La Marfisa Bizzara'' based on the homonymous character from ''Orlando furioso''.
References
Sources
*Boiardo: ''Orlando innamorato'' ed. Giuseppe Anceschi (Garzanti,1978)
*Ariosto:''Orlando Furioso'', verse translation by
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 ...
in two volumes (Penguin Classics, 1975). Part one (cantos 1–23) ; part two (cantos 24–46)
*Ariosto: ''Orlando Furioso'' ed. Marcello Turchi (Garzanti, 1974)
Further reading
*
*
*
*
*
See also
*
List of woman warriors in legend and mythology
This is a list of women who engaged in war, found throughout mythology and folklore, studied in fields such as literature, sociology, psychology, anthropology, film studies, cultural studies, and women's studies. A ''mythological'' figure d ...
*
{{Orlando Furioso
Fictional characters introduced in the 15th century
Characters in Orlando Innamorato and Orlando Furioso
Fictional queens
Fictional women soldiers and warriors
Legendary Arab people