![]() ![]() She lures him away from his duty defending Europe. The Italian poem, first printed in 1532, recounts the adventures of a knight named Orlando and a beautiful woman, Angelica. ![]() He loses all the markers of humanity, going around unclothed and impossibly violent-“a man so ferocious that, though naked and alone, he was ravaging the whole army” (469). This is the first full English translation of Ludovico Ariosto’s vast epic poem, Orlando Furioso, a source for Much Ado About Nothing. Orlando is considered the wisest knight (when he is in possession of his wits) as well as the mightiest in battle, so his absence palpably sets the forces of Charlemagne back in their struggle against the Moors: “And Fate, to gnaw you to the bone, has depraved at one time of both the lights you had beside you-radiant with strength and wisdom-and you, left in darkness, are blind” (324).Īfter Orlando is driven to madness by the discovery of Angelica and Medor’s relationship, his characterization changes dramatically. Orlando, also known as Roland in the French and English canons, defines the work by his presence, absence, and madness. Described in the annotated index as “Principal hero of the Carolingian legends nephew and chief support and paladin of Charlemagne in his war against the Saracens betrothed to Alda, but in love with Angelica” (614). ![]()
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