Orlando Furioso is an epic poem written by Ludovico Ariosto in 1516.

It was a "gionta", a continuation of Orlando Innamorato, by Matteo Maria Boiardo, but it remains quite distant from the other work, of which it does not preserve the humanistic concepts of knight errantry. Entering the Cinquecento, the 16th century, it contains instead only an appearance of those themes, at an only superficial level. Of its time, the Orlando shows more clearly the so-called "culture of the contradiction", which was also in Erasmus and in Rabelais.

Hegel would have later considered that the many allegories and metaphors contained, are intended to demonstrate the fallacy of human senses and judgement, rather than simply to put aside the myth of chivalry.

It begins with an account of the defeat of Duke Namo in Charlemagne's war. Angelica escapes to meet Rinaldo searching for his horse, Bayardo . Angelica evades Rinaldo, and meets Ferrau. Rinaldo and Ferrau fight, then make a truce and share a horse to seek Angelica. Ferrau seeks his helmet and encounters the ghost of Angelica. Angelica flees, and falls asleep in a grove until awakened by a lamenting knight, Sacripante . Angelica manipulates Sacripante and Sacripante plans to deflower her. Angelica and the embarassed Sacripante share her horse and encounter Bayardo.

The work was written in Ferrarese, the dialect used in Ferrara, then it was translated into literary Tuscan to be better readable in the rest of Italy. It was one of the first works of literature to be written with attention to a possible wide distribution by means of Johann Gutenberg's brand-new invention, the printing press.

External links

• E-text
• Project Gutenberg E-text
• "Orlando Furioso for Dummies"