What is a chivalric epic?
A chivalric epic is a long story-poem about knights (cavalieri). They fight, fall in love, meet wizards and travel to strange places. The tales came from medieval French stories about the emperor Charlemagne and his knights, such as Roland (in Italian, Orlando).
In the Renaissance, Italian poets at noble courts, especially the court of Ferrara, turned these tales into polished art. The first big step was Boiardo, who wrote Orlando Innamorato ("Orlando in love") and left it unfinished. Ariosto then continued the story, and Tasso later changed the form again.
Ariosto: Orlando Furioso
Ludovico Ariosto (1474–1533) worked for the Este family in Ferrara. His poem Orlando Furioso ("Mad Roland") first came out in 1516 and reached its final form in 1532, with 46 cantos (chapters).
- Many plots at once. Orlando loves the princess Angelica, but she loves another man. The love story of Ruggiero and Bradamante is another thread. The poet breaks off one scene at a key moment and picks up another. This weaving is called interlace.
- Madness. Orlando goes mad when he learns that Angelica has chosen someone else. His wits are lost.
- The moon. The knight Astolfo rides a hippogriff (a flying horse-eagle) to the moon, where lost things are kept in jars. He brings back Orlando’s wits in a jar.
- Irony. Ariosto smiles at his heroes. Love, honour and magic are all a little foolish. The tone is light, clever and human.
Tasso: Gerusalemme Liberata
Torquato Tasso (1544–1595) also served the Este court. His poem Gerusalemme Liberata ("Jerusalem Delivered"), printed in 1581, has 20 cantos. It tells of the First Crusade, a medieval war, and the siege of Jerusalem.
- One plot, one goal. The commander Goffredo leads the army to take the city. Everything points to that end. This follows the ideas of classical epic: unity of action.
- Love and temptation. The sorceress Armida lures the knight Rinaldo away. The tragic duel between Tancredi and Clorinda is a famous scene. These are side paths that test the heroes, then the story returns to the main road.
- Serious tone. Tasso was worried about religion and morals, in a time of strict Church control (the Counter-Reformation). He rewrote the poem later in a stricter form, Gerusalemme Conquistata (1593).
- Inner feeling. His heroes feel doubt, guilt and sadness. Many readers see a more modern, troubled mind than in Ariosto.
Form and style: ottava rima
Both poets use the ottava rima: a stanza of eight lines, each of eleven syllables (hendecasyllables), with the rhyme pattern ABABABCC. The last two lines (CC) close the stanza like a neat ending.
Each canto opens with a short proem in which the poet speaks to the reader, praises patrons and sets the mood. Ariosto’s style flows and changes mood quickly; Tasso’s style is grander and more musical.
Ariosto and Tasso compared
| Ariosto | Tasso | |
|---|---|---|
| Poem | Orlando Furioso (1516–32) | Gerusalemme Liberata (1581) |
| Plot | Many threads, interlaced | One main plot, one goal |
| Tone | Ironic, playful, light | Serious, religious, solemn |
| Magic | Funny wonders (moon, hippogriff) | Dark magic that tempts heroes |
| Age feel | Confident High Renaissance | Late Renaissance, anxious |
Try it: your own interlace
On paper, draw three coloured lines from left to right: three heroes. Where two lines cross, write one event (they meet). Now tell the story aloud, but stop each hero’s tale at an exciting moment and switch to another. You just used Ariosto’s trick. Then draw ONE straight line to a star and make every side path come back: that is Tasso’s way. In the 3D, use the slider to do the same.
Key formulas and definitions
- Ottava rima = 8 lines × 11 syllables, rhyme ABABABCC
- Boiardo → Orlando Innamorato (unfinished)
- Ariosto → Orlando Furioso: 46 cantos, 1516 / 1521 / 1532
- Tasso → Gerusalemme Liberata: 20 cantos, 1581
- Interlace (Ariosto) = many threads woven; Unity (Tasso) = one goal
Worked examples
1. Name the poet and poem that tell of Orlando’s madness.
Ludovico Ariosto, in Orlando Furioso. Orlando loses his wits when he learns that Angelica loves someone else.
2. What does the moon represent in Orlando Furioso?
A store where lost things are kept in jars: time, fame and wits. Astolfo goes there on a hippogriff to bring back Orlando’s lost wits. It shows Ariosto’s playful, imaginative irony.
3. Explain in two lines how Tasso’s plot differs from Ariosto’s.
Ariosto weaves many stories and keeps switching between them. Tasso keeps one main plot, the siege of Jerusalem, and every episode points to that goal.
4. Write the rhyme scheme of an ottava rima and say how many lines it has.
Eight lines, rhyme ABABABCC. The last two lines rhyme together and close the stanza.
5. Why did Tasso later rewrite his poem?
The Church of his time was strict about religion and morals (Counter-Reformation). Tasso worried about it and wrote a more serious version, Gerusalemme Conquistata (1593).
6. Give one scene from Tasso where love tests a hero.
Armida, a sorceress, charms the knight Rinaldo and keeps him away from the army. Another is the duel of Tancredi and Clorinda, where love ends in sorrow.
Common mistakes
- Mixing up the poems: Furioso is Ariosto, Liberata is Tasso.
- Saying Tasso came first. Ariosto (1516) is earlier; Tasso (1581) is later.
- Thinking the whole poem is only about war. Love, magic and irony matter as much as battles.
- Forgetting Boiardo. Ariosto continues Boiardo’s unfinished Orlando Innamorato.