Vol. 19 No. 1 (2016)
Essays

Orlando and adventure in the Inamoramento de Orlando by Boiardo

Roberto Galbiati
Università di Basilea
Bio

Published 2016-05-18

Keywords

  • Matteo Maria Boiardo,
  • Inamoramento de Orlando,
  • Orlando,
  • adventure,
  • love

Abstract

The adventures of Orlando in Inamoramento de Orlando have a clear allegorical meaning: they should teach the knight about the misleading nature of reality, and in particular of women and of Love. However, this does not take place, because Orlando does not progress at all throughout the romance. This article studies Orlando’s principle trials (the episodes of Dragontina, Falerina and the Naiadi) and seeks to explain the reasons for this contradiction.