![Orlando Enamorato](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7d/Orlando_Enamorato.jpg)
''Orlando Innamorato'' (; known in
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
as "''Orlando in Love''"; in
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 ...
titled "''Orlando innamorato''" as the "
I" is never capitalized) is an
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.
...
written by the Italian
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...
author
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, . The poem is a
romance
Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to:
Common meanings
* Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings
* Romance languages, ...
concerning the
hero
A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ...
ic
knight
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...
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 rele ...
(
Roland
Roland (; frk, *Hrōþiland; lat-med, Hruodlandus or ''Rotholandus''; it, Orlando or ''Rolando''; died 15 August 778) was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the ...
). It was published between 1483 (first two books) and 1495 (third book published separately, first complete edition).
Composition and publication
To material largely quarried from the
Carolingian
The Carolingian dynasty (; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charlemagne, grandson of mayor Charles Martel and a descendant of the Arnulfing and Pippin ...
and
Arthurian
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 ...
cycles, Boiardo added a superstructure of his own making. As the plot is not woven around a single pivotal action, the inextricable maze of most cunningly contrived episodes are seen to be linked, first, with the quest of beautiful
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 ...
by love-smitten Orlando and the other enamored knights, then with the defense of
Albracca Albracca (also spelled Albraca and Albrace) is a major city of Cathay in the Italian romantic epics ''Orlando innamorato'' by Matteo Maria Boiardo and ''Orlando furioso'' by Ludovico Ariosto. In the story it is the walled city and fortress where An ...
by Angelica's father, the King of
Cathay, against the beleaguering
Tartars
Tartary ( la, Tartaria, french: Tartarie, german: Tartarei, russian: Тартария, Tartariya) or Tatary (russian: Татария, Tatariya) was a blanket term used in Western European literature and cartography for a vast part of Asia bound ...
, and, finally, with the
Moors
The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages.
Moors are not a distinct or ...
' siege of
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
and their struggle with
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 army.
The poem, written in the ''
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 ...
'' stanza rhythm, consists of 68
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 and a half. Boiardo began the poem when he was about 38 years old, but interrupted it for a time because of the
Ottoman–Venetian War (1463–1479)
The First Ottoman–Venetian War was fought between the Republic of Venice and her allies and the Ottoman Empire from 1463 to 1479. Fought shortly after the capture of Constantinople and the remnants of the Byzantine Empire by the Ottomans, it ...
. He is believed to have continued till 1486, but then left the poem unfinished. The last verses say:
meaning
While I sing, Redemptor God
In monotheism, monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator deity, creator, and principal object of Faith#Religious views, faith.Richard Swinburne, Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Ted Honderich, Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Ox ...
, I see Italy covered in flame and fire.
The first two books were published sometime between 1482 and 1483, most likely by Pietro Giovanni di San Lorenzo in
Reggio; but all copies were lost. It most likely bore the title ''L'innamoramento de Orlando''. The third book first appeared in 1495 (Venice: Simone Bevilacqua) under the title ''El fin del inamoramento de' Orlando''. The first complete edition was published later in 1495 (Scandiano: Camillo Boiardo). Like the ''
editio princeps'' (first two books), the first complete edition of 1495 has been completely lost. The oldest copy which came down to us is the 1487 reedition of the first two books (Venice: Pietro de' Piasi); only one copy exists, kept at the
Biblioteca Marciana
The Marciana Library or Library of Saint Mark ( it, italic=no, Biblioteca Marciana, but in historical documents commonly referred to as ) is a public library in Venice, Italy. It is one of the earliest surviving public libraries and repositori ...
. There is also only one extant copy of the 1495 Venetian edition of the third book, located in
Monaco
Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...
. The oldest complete edition we have is dated 1506 (Venice: Giorgio de' Rusconi); there also remains only one copy, kept at the
Marciana
Marciana is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Livorno, Tuscany (Italy), located in the western Elba
Elba ( it, isola d'Elba, ; la, Ilva) is a Mediterranean island in Tuscany, Italy, from the coastal town of Piombino on the Italian ma ...
.
Plot
![Orlando innamorato](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/db/Orlando_innamorato.jpg)
The beautiful
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 ...
, daughter of the king of Cataio (
Cathay), comes to
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 court for a tournament in which both Christians and
Pagans Pagans may refer to:
* Paganism, a group of pre-Christian religions practiced in the Roman Empire
* Modern Paganism, a group of contemporary religious practices
* Order of the Vine, a druidic faction in the ''Thief'' video game series
* Pagan's ...
can participate. She offers herself as a prize to whoever will defeat her brother, Argalia, who in the consequent fighting competition imprisons one of the Christians. But the second knight to fight,
Ferragut
Ferragut (also known as Ferragus, Ferracutus, Ferracute, Ferrakut, Ferraguto, Ferraù, Fernagu) was a character—a Saracen paladin, sometimes depicted as a giant—in texts dealing with the Matter of France, including the '' Historia Caroli Mag ...
o (a.k.a. Ferraù), kills Argalia and Angelica flees, chased by leading
paladins
The Paladins, also called the Twelve Peers, are twelve legendary knights, the foremost members of Charlemagne's royal court, court in the 8th century. They first appear in the medieval (12th century) ''chanson de geste'' cycle of the Matter of F ...
, especially
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 rele ...
and
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 ...
. Stopping in the Ardenne forest, she drinks at the Stream of Love (making her fall in love with Rinaldo), while Rinaldo drinks at the fount of hate (making him conceive a passionate hatred of Angelica). She asks the magician
Malagigi to kidnap Rinaldo, and the magician brings him to an enchanted island, while she returns to Cataio where she is besieged by King
Agrican Agrican (or Agricane, Agri Khan) is a king of Mongolia and emperor of Tartary who is a major character in the Italian chivalric poem ''Orlando Innamorato'' by Matteo Maria Boiardo.
His primary appearance in the story is when he besieges Angelica i ...
, another of her admirers, in the fortress of
Albraccà. Orlando comes to kill
Agrican Agrican (or Agricane, Agri Khan) is a king of Mongolia and emperor of Tartary who is a major character in the Italian chivalric poem ''Orlando Innamorato'' by Matteo Maria Boiardo.
His primary appearance in the story is when he besieges Angelica i ...
and to free her, and he succeeds. Afterwards, Rinaldo, who has escaped from the enchanted island, tries to convince him to return to France to fight alongside Charlemagne: consequently, Orlando and Rinaldo duel furiously.
In the meantime 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 ...
king Agramante has invaded France with a massive army (along with
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 ...
, Ferraù, Gradasso, and many others), to avenge his father Troiano, previously killed by Orlando. Rinaldo rushes back to France, chased by Angelica in love with him, in turn chased by Orlando. Back in the Ardenne forest, this time Rinaldo and Angelica drink at the opposite founts. Orlando and Rinaldo duel again for Angelica, and Charlemagne decides to entrust her to the old and wise
duke Namo, offering her to the one who will fight most valorously against the infidels. In the meantime, the Saracen paladin
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 ...
and Rinaldo's sister,
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 ...
, fall in love. The poem stops there abruptly, with Boiardo's narrator explaining that he can write no more because Italy has been invaded by French troops headed by king
Charles VIII.
Influence
In spite of its unfinished state and some deficiencies in rhythm, Boiardo's ''Orlando'' is considered a notable work of art. The story of Angelica's struggles and Orlando's pursuit were continued in ''
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 ...
in 1516. The immediate success of the new poem easily surpassed the fame of ''Orlando Innamorato''. Furthermore, in 1531 a minor Tuscan poet,
Francesco Berni
Francesco Berni
Francesco Berni (1497/98 – 26 May 1535) was an Italian poet. He is credited for beginning what is now known as " Bernesque poetry", a serio-comedic type of poetry with elements of satire.
Biography
Life
Berni was born 1497 o ...
, re-wrote the poem in an elegant and regular Italian, since in the sixteenth century the vernacular traces found in Boiardo's work were no longer accepted. The original text, no longer read or published, was newly discovered by
Antonio Panizzi
Sir Antonio Genesio Maria Panizzi (16 September 1797 – 8 April 1879), better known as Anthony Panizzi, was a naturalised British citizen of Italian birth, and an Italian patriot. He was a librarian, becoming the Principal Librarian (i.e. head ...
in the
British Museum Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...
(1830).
Another Renaissance poet,
Torquato Tasso
Torquato Tasso ( , also , ; 11 March 154425 April 1595) was an Italian poet of the 16th century, known for his 1591 poem ''Gerusalemme liberata'' (Jerusalem Delivered), in which he depicts a highly imaginative version of the combats between ...
, borrowed many of Boiardo's epic conventions, although his ''
Jerusalem Delivered
''Jerusalem Delivered'', also known as ''The Liberation of Jerusalem'' ( it, La Gerusalemme liberata ; ), is an epic poem by the Italian poet Torquato Tasso, first published in 1581, that tells a largely mythified version of the First Crusade i ...
'' does not use the Orlando frame.
An unabridged English translation was performed by Charles Stanley Ross, published in 2004 by Parlor Press.
[ ]
See also
*
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 ...
*
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 ...
*
Sacripante
*
Brunello
*
Marfisa
Marfisa (also translated as "Marphisa") is a character in the Italian romantic epics ''Orlando innamorato'' by Matteo Maria Boiardo and ''Orlando Furioso'' by Ludovico Ariosto. She is the sister of Ruggiero but was separated from him in early chi ...
*
1490s in poetry
*
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 ...
*
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 ...
*''
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 ...
'', a continuation by Ludovico Ariosto published between 1516 and 1532.
References
External links
Francesco Berni's ''rifacimento'' of Boiardo's ''Orlando Innamorato'' (English translation)
{{Authority control
1483 books
1495 books
Epic poems in Italian
Italian poems
Works based on The Song of Roland
Matter of France
Romance (genre)
Cultural depictions of Charlemagne
Unfinished poems
Poems published posthumously