Ludovico Ariosto

Ludovico Ariosto (September 8, 1474, Reggio Emilia - July 6, 1533, Ferrara) was an Italian poet, author of the epic poem Orlando furioso (1516). In addition to his personality as a renowned poet, he wrote works for the stage such as: Arquilla, Los supuestos, El necromancer, La pimp and Los estudiantes, among others.

Biography

A member of an aristocratic family, from a young age he received the support of the House of Este, a family of Renaissance patrons at whose court he remained from 1503 to 1517. Ariosto stood out for a style that astonished people for the subtle descriptions he made of the happiness, nature and love. He also wrote about the loss of hope and faith. He is considered the most notable epic poet of his century.

His epic poem Orlando furioso is a continuation of the unfinished epic poem Orlando in love, by the Italian poet Matteo Maria Boiardo, and deals with the love of the champion Orlando for Angelica in the framework of the legends of Charlemagne and the war of the Christian knights against the Saracens. A masterpiece of the Renaissance, it is structured in 46 songs composed in octaves. In it, Ariosto displays a deep lyricism, extraordinary imagination and narrative skills, and a fine sense of humor. The poem was written between 1506 and 1516, the year of its publication; although the definitive correction was not completed until 1532.

Considered by many critics as one of the best epic poems of all time for its vigor and technical mastery of style, the entire work intends to pay tribute to the Este family, protector of the poet, embodied in the figure of his illustrious founder Ruggero, whose life appears transmuted and exalted in the figure of the hero, Orlando. Immediately popular throughout Europe upon its publication in 1516, the poem had a decisive influence on Renaissance poets.

The Italian Renaissance reached its zenith in literature with the figure of Ariosto. Also famous, with justice, are his Satires (1574). Ariosto died of tuberculosis in the Italian city of Ferrara on July 6, 1533.