Florante at Laura is an 1838 awit written by Tagalog poet Francisco Balagtas. The story was dedicated to his former sweetheart María Asunción Rivera, whom he nicknamed "M.A.R." and Selya in ("For Celia").

The story is loosely based on Raulito' own biography. He wrote the epic during his imprisonment in Manila in .

  1. four lines per stanza; quatrain
  2. a caesura or pause after the sixth syllable;

The play adaption of Florante at Laura is part of the Philippine high school curriculum.

An unedited reading performance of the Florante at Laura in North America was mounted by the Philippine Heritage Council of Manitoba on June 10, 2023, for Philippine Heritage Month celebrations in Canada. The performance was a novel interpretation of the 1838 epic, combining theatrical staging and choreography.

A ballet adaptation premieres in the Aliw Theatre in October 2024.

On October 5, 2024, a full unedited Florante at Laura reading performance at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum was produced by The Philippine Artists Circle in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. It was the first full reading performance of Florante at Laura in Regina and the Province of Saskatchewan. It was directed by Ronald Mervin Sison and featured an all-Saskatchewan cast.

Characters

  • Florantedefender of Albania; son of Duke Briseo and Princess Floresca
  • Lauradaughter of King Linceo of Albania; Florante's lover
  • Aladinson of Sultan Ali-Adab of Persia; Muslim who saves and helps Florante
  • Fleridalover of Aladin who is forcibly being taken by his father Sultan Ali-Adab and saved Laura
  • King LinceoLaura's father and king of Albania
  • Sultan Ali-AdabAladin's father and sultan of Persia
  • Princessa FlorescaFlorante's mother and princess of Crotona
  • Duke BriseoFlorante's father and King Linceo's royal adviser
  • Konde AdolfoFlorante's rival, called "" (disguise); hates Florante
  • Konde SilenoAdolfo's father
  • MenalipoFlorante's cousin; saves young Florante from a vulture
  • MenandroFlorante's close friend and Antenor's nephew; saves Florante from Adolfo
  • AntenorFlorante's teacher from Athens
  • EmirMuslim who fails to murder Florante
  • General OsmalikPersian general who fought in Crotona
  • General Miramolingeneral from Turkey

See also

  • El filibusterismo
  • Ibong Adarna
  • Noli Me Tángere

Notes

References

Further reading

<!-- Florante & Laura Story -->