War

The theme of war, together with that of heroism, traverses all of Ariosto’s romance and is the centre of attraction for the whole of that part of his work. The centre from which action commences in Paris, Charlemagne’s capital under attack from the Saracens. At the heart of the narrative there is indeed bellicose encounter, already present in the Orlando innamorato, between Agramante and Charlemagne and which sees Christian cavaliers pitted against Saracen knights. After a long series of ups and downs one gets to the final battle of  Lipadusa, with the death of the valorous Brandimarte and the final duel between Ruggiero and Rodomonte, which seals the victory of the Christian champions over the Saracens. The epic aspect of this romance is used by Ariosto to introduce the theme of the encomiastic by means of the proud Ruggiero, forefather of the House of Este and a descendant of Hector of Troy. An implicit parallelism is thus constituted between the Trojan origin of the Gens Julia celebrated by Virgil and the origin of the Este family from Ferrara. The theme of war deals with a range of values in which triumph military ’virtue’, religious fidelity and devotion to one’s prince. The epos develops according to the principles of the court with a shading of classical and humanistic themes and residual aspects of courtly ideology. The network of values linked to war that emerges out of the Furioso is based upon honour, fidelity and gratitude; the knight acts in search of  fame to be reached upon the basis of his faith. Particular attention to the military theme is also present in the Cinque canti where, in canto II, we find octaves dedicated to the conscripting and arming of soldiers, and where, in canto V, there are parts dedicated to preparation for battle.  

Florentine armour sec. XVI, Metropolitan Museum of Arts, New York