Orlando

Melissa lives in Merlin’s cave in Ludovico Ariosto’s Italian Renaissance poem Orlando Furioso. Based on the Arthurian legends and set against a backdrop of Christian/Muslim wars, it is an epic and complex piece involving hundres of characters and scores of subplots. The lovely enchantress, Melissa, is responsible for giving the magic ring to Ruggiero, the ring which enables its wearer to distinguish between magic spells and reality.

Orlando is the protagonist of Virginia Woolf’s 1928 fantastical novel, Orlando: A Biography, which was also made into a 1992 movie starring Tilda Swinton in the title role. Orlando is a young man in Elizabethan times who is able to change his sexual identity and who lives over a period of 400 years – no small accomplishments, these! As a young nobleman, Orlando is a dilettante poet who plays about the royal court, but after a disastrous love affair, he begins a long period of wandering and searching for immortality. As s/he matures and experiences life in many times and aspects, Orlando grows into, finally, a grounded and complex woman who realizes the extent to which all beings are interconnected, and how we are all, in turn, an inextricable part of our natural surroundings. Orlando finally becomes a renowned poet and finds true happiness with a sea captain who is as complex and indefinable as is Orlando. We should all be so lucky!

Orlando is the love-smitten protagonist in Matteo Maria Boiardo’s “Orlando Inamorato” first published in 1495. In case you’re wondering “’innamorato” means ‘in love’ in Italian which is exactly Orlando’s problem (in fact, the object of his affection, Angelica, ends up driving him mad but you’ll have to wait for Orlando furioso for that part of the story). In his epic poem, Boiardo breathed new life into ideals of chivalry by borrowing from both Arthurian legend as well as early medieval Frankish (French) traditions (Orlando is the Italian form of Roland, i.e., from “The Song of Roland”). The action centers on the 8th century, at the time of Charlemagne (King of the Franks and Emperor of the Romans). Angelica is the beautiful pagan princess, daughter of the King of Cathay (referring to the Far East). She comes to Charlemagne’s court offering herself as a prize to whoever can defeat her brother. Her brother is eventually killed but Angelica wastes no time hightailing it out of court with no intention of giving herself over as promised. Hot on her trail are Charlemagne’s chief warriors, Orlando and Rinaldo (both smitten with her). Enter medieval magical love potion (every legend has to have one of those!). Angelica drinks from the Stream of Love, causing her to fall head-over-heels for Rinaldo. Just to jazz up the story some, Rinaldo drinks from the Fountain of Hate and develops a deep revulsion for Angelica. So while Angelica is chasing Rinaldo, Orlando is chasing Angelica. Enter love potion #2. Angelica and Rinaldo end up drinking from opposite fountains, and then Rinaldo and Orlando duel for her. In the meantime, France is besieged and Charlemagne takes Angelica into custody, offering her to the one who fights most valiantly against the infidels. The poem is never finished. Italy herself was amidst a war, and Boiardo’s final two lines are: “Mentre ch'io canto, Iddio Redentore / vedo l'Italia tutta a fiamma e foco.” (Translation: “While I sing, God the Redeemer / I see all Italy in flame and fire.” If you’re on the edge of your seat, don’t worry – the Italian poet Ludovico Ariosto will pick up where Boiardo left off a couple decades later (see below).

Orlando furioso is an epic poem written by the Italian Ludovico Ariosto (1516); the title translates to “Mad Orlando” (mad meaning crazy-mad in love). It is a continuation of Boiardo’s unfinished work Orlando Immamorato (Orlando in Love). In “furioso”, the action picks up during the war taking place with Charlemagne and his Christian warriors against the Saracens (basically Arab Muslims) attempting to invade Europe. Ariosto’s poem is a lot more fantastical than his predecessors, but the story’s central focus is still on Christian Orlando’s unrequited love for the pagan princess Angelica. This is one of the most “epic” (i.e., long) poems in European literature, so we’ll have to water it down some and get to the good stuff. The poem begins with Angelica escaping from the custody of Charlemagne with Orlando in quick in pursuit (neglecting his duty to Charlemagne). Orlando and Angelica meet, have some adventures of their own, and then Angelica tends to a wounded Arab knight, falls in love and elopes with him back to the Far East. When Orlando learns of this latest development, he is in a frenzy of despair and runs amok throughout Europe and Africa. His good sense is finally restored when a fellow knight finds Orlando’s “sanity” on the moon (yes, a little sci-fi action for you), bottles it up and brings it back to Orlando. Orlando goes onto kill the King of the Saracen Army and redeems his heroic warrior status. Nevertheless, Angelica certainly gave him a run for his money!

Orlando is a central character in William Shakespeare’s comedy “As You Like It” written around 1600. In typical Shakespearean fashion, As You Like It has all the elements of a comedy – mistaken identities, cross-dressing, tensions within families, struggles of young lovers, and multiple plots lines. Orlando is a lot like Romeo (from “Romeo and Juliet”). He’s a love-sick young man desperately in love with the beautiful Rosalind. Neglected and harshly treated by his older brother Oliver, Orlando flees to the Forest of Arden. Joining and befriending him in the forest is the usurped Duke Senior (from the same unnamed duchy of France from whence they both came). The Duke’s daughter Rosalind and her cousin Celia also flee to the forest with the court jester, Touchstone, in tow. Rosalind disguises herself as a man (“Ganymede”), while Celia wears the costume of an old lady (“Aliena”). Orlando, unaware that Rosalind also is now dwelling in the forest, sets about tagging trees throughout the forest with his gushing love poetry about Rosalind. Eventually he meets up with Ganymede (i.e., Rosalind) who attempts to cure Orlando of his love-sickness all the while other love triangles play themselves out in the comedy's subplots (Phebe loves Silvius who loves Ganymede. Touchstone loves Audrey and so does William. Oliver, who comes to the forest and is bravely saved by his brother Orlando from a lioness, falls in love with Aliena/Celia). And typical of a Shakespearean comedy, there is a happy ending – Orlando and Rosalind marry. In fact, it is this Shakespearean play that gave us the famous monologue: “All the world's a stage, / And all the men and women merely players”.

Sasha is an important character in Virginia Woolf’s 1928 fantasy-historical novel, Orlando: A Biography. The title character, Orlando, lives over a period of 400 years, never aging beyond thirty-six years and changes from male to female halfway through, switching genders at will. Princess Sasha is the Russian noblewoman with whom the young (male) Orlando has a passionate affair; it is she who awakens in him a deep sexuality and a true appreciation of the nature of the female. Dressing as she does in an Elizabethan version of “unisex” clothing, Sasha’s own gender is unclear at first to Orlando, and hence does not play a conventionally traditional role in her initial attraction for him. Sasha also is his introduction to the concept of despair in his formerly ordered life, when she abruptly leaves him and returns to Russia. It is this that prompts him to begin his search for immortality (which turns out to be love), and it is Sasha who is responsible for his/her growing ability to see beyond the constraints of socially influenced sexual identity.

Angelica is the object of desire for love-smitten Orlando in Matteo Maria Boiardo’s “Orlando Inamorato” first published in 1495. In case you’re wondering "innamorato” means ‘in love’ in Italian which is exactly Orlando’s problem (in fact, Angelica ends up driving him mad but you’ll have to wait for Orlando furioso for that part of the story). In his epic poem, Boiardo breathed new life into ideals of chivalry by borrowing from both Arthurian legend as well as early medieval Frankish (French) traditions (Orlando is the Italian form of Roland, i.e., from “The Song of Roland”). The action centers on the 8th century, at the time of Charlemagne (King of the Franks and Emperor of the Romans). Angelica is the beautiful pagan princess, daughter of the King of Cathay (referring to present day India/China). She comes to Charlemagne’s court offering herself as a prize to whoever can defeat her brother. Her brother is eventually killed but Angelica wastes no time hightailing it out of there. Hot on her trail are Charlemagne’s chief warriors, Orlando and Rinaldo (both smitten with her). Enter medieval magical love potion (every legend has to have one of those!). Angelica drinks from the Stream of Love, causing her to fall head-over-heels for Rinaldo. Just to jazz up the story some, Rinaldo drinks from the Fountain of Hate and develops a deep revulsion for Angelica. So while Angelica is chasing Rinaldo, Orlando is chasing Angelica. Enter love potion #2. Angelica and Rinaldo end up drinking from opposite fountains, and then Rinaldo and Orlando duel for her. In the meantime, France is besieged and Charlemagne takes Angelica into custody, offering her to the one who fights most valiantly against the infidels. The poem is never finished. Italy herself was amidst a war, and Boiardo’s final two lines are: “Mentre ch'io canto, Iddio Redentore / vedo l'Italia tutta a fiamma e foco.” (Translation: “While I sing, God the Redeemer / I see all Italy in flame and fire.” If you’re on the edge of your seat, don’t worry – the Italian poet Ludovico Ariosto will pick up where Boiardo left off a couple decades later (see below).

Orlando furioso is an epic poem written by the Italian Ludovico Ariosto (1516) and basically translates to “Mad Orlando” (mad meaning crazy-mad about Angelica). It is a continuation of Boiardo’s unfinished work Orlando Immamorato (Orlando in Love). In “furioso”, the action picks up during the war taking place with Charlemagne and his Christian warriors against the Saracens (basically Arab Muslims) attempting to invade Europe. Ariosto’s poem is a lot more fantastical than his predecessor's, but the story’s central focus is still on Christian Orlando’s unrequited love for the pagan princess Angelica. This is one of the most “epic” (i.e., long) poems in European literature, so we’ll have to water it down some and get to the good stuff. The poem begins with Angelica escaping from the custody of Charlemagne and Orlando is quickly in pursuit (neglecting his duty to Charlemagne). Orlando and Angelica meet, have some adventures of their own, and then Angelica tends to a wounded Arab knight, falls in love and elopes with him back to the Far East. When Orlando learns of this latest development, he is in a frenzy of despair and runs amok throughout Europe and Africa. His good sense is finally restored when a fellow knight finds Orlando’s “sanity” on the moon (yes, a little sci-fi action for you), bottles it up and brings it back to Orlando. Orlando goes on to kill the King of the Saracen Army and redeems his heroic warrior status. Nevertheless, Angelica certainly gave him a run for his money!