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Ruggiero rescuing Angelica, by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres [1819] (Public Domain Image)

Orlando Furioso

[1516, revised 1521 and 1532]

by Ludovico Ariosto [1474-1533]

translated by William Stewart Rose [1775 - 1843]

[translation published 1823-1831]


Orlando Furioso, Ludovico Ariosto's 16th century epic Italian poem, is a sequel to Orlando Innamorato, an earlier work by Matteo Maria Boiardo. The titular Orlando is very loosely based on Roland, a heroic knight in Charlemagne's court, with admixtures from Arthurian and other sources. Orlando is driven insane with love for the beautful Angelica, and must be restored to sanity in time to save Paris from the Moslem armies. There are numerous subplots, minor characters, and twists, along with many fantasy elements. Orlando Furioso was one of several European epic poems written during this era, including the Lusiad, and Tasso's Jerusalem Delivered, typically in the Ottava Rima rhyming scheme. Vivaldi and Handel wrote operas about Orlando, and Milton and Cervantes also referenced Ariosto's epic.

This electronic text was originally created for the Online Medieval and Classical Library by Douglas B. Killings. It was prepared for sacred-texts, with additional proofing and formatting, by the volunteer known as 'Simon Magus'.


Canto 1
Canto 2
Canto 3
Canto 4
Canto 5
Canto 6
Canto 7
Canto 8
Canto 9
Canto 10
Canto 11
Canto 12
Canto 13
Canto 14
Canto 15
Canto 16
Canto 17
Canto 18
Canto 19
Canto 20
Canto 21
Canto 22
Canto 23
Canto 24
Canto 25
Canto 26
Canto 27
Canto 28
Canto 29
Canto 30
Canto 31
Canto 32
Canto 33
Canto 34
Canto 35
Canto 36
Canto 37
Canto 38
Canto 39
Canto 40
Canto 41
Canto 42
Canto 43
Canto 44
Canto 45
Canto 46