Ludovico Ariosto (, ; ; 8 September 1474 – 6 July 1533) was an Italian poet. He is best known as the author of the romance epic Orlando Furioso (1516-1532). The poem, a continuation of Matteo Maria Boiardo's Orlando Innamorato, describes the adventures of Charlemagne, Orlando, and the Franks as they battle against the Saracens with diversions into many sideplots. The poem is transformed into a satire of the chivalric tradition. Ariosto composed the poem in the ottava rima rhyme scheme and introduced narrative commentary throughout the work.

Ariosto also coined the term "humanism" (in Italian, umanesimo) for choosing to focus upon the strengths and potential of humanity, rather than only upon its role as subordinate to God. This led to Renaissance humanism.

Birth and early life

thumb|left|Entrance to the villa where Ariosto was born

Ariosto was born in Reggio nell'Emilia, where his father Niccolò Ariosto was commander of the citadel. He was the oldest of 10 children and was seen as the successor to the patriarchal position of his family. From his earliest years, Ludovico was very interested in poetry, but he was obliged by his father to study law.

After five years of law, Ariosto was allowed to read classics under Gregorio da Spoleto. Ariosto's studies of Greek and Latin literature were cut short by Spoleto's move to France to tutor Francesco Sforza. Shortly after this, Ariosto's father died.

Education and patronage

thumb|Memorial statue and park, [[Ferrara]]

After the death of his father, Ludovico Ariosto was compelled to forgo his literary occupations and take care of his family, whose affairs were in disarray. Despite his family obligations, Ariosto managed to write some comedies in prose as well as lyrical pieces. Some of these attracted the notice of Cardinal Ippolito d'Este, who took the young poet under his patronage and appointed him one of the gentlemen of his household. Este compensated Ariosto poorly for his efforts; the only reward he gave the poet for Orlando Furioso, dedicated to him, was the question, "Where did you find so many stories, Master Ludovico?" Ariosto later said that the cardinal was ungrateful, that he deplored the time which he spent under his yoke, and that if he received some small pension, it was not to reward him for his poetry – which the prelate despised – but for acting as a messenger.

Ludovico Ariosto and Leonardo da Vinci shared a patron in Cardinal Ippolito d'Este's older sister the Marchioness Isabella d'Este, the "First Lady of the Renaissance." Isabella d'Este appears in Ludovico's masterpiece, Orlando Furioso. She also appears in Leonardo's Sketch for a Portrait of Isabella d'Este at the Louvre.

right|thumb|Portrait of Isabella d'Este, [[Leonardo da Vinci, 1499–1500]]

The cardinal went to Hungary in 1518, and wished Ariosto to accompany him. The poet excused himself, pleading ill health, his love of study, and the need to care for his elderly mother. His excuses were not well-received, and he was denied even an interview. Ariosto and d'Este got into a heated argument, and Ariosto was promptly dismissed from service.

New patronage and diplomatic career

thumb|left|[[Titian, A Man with a Quilted Sleeve, long believed to be Ludovico Ariosto]]

thumb|Ariosto's play ', first published in verse form in 1551

The cardinal's brother, Alfonso, duke of Ferrara, now took Ariosto under his patronage. By then, Ariosto had already distinguished himself as a diplomat, chiefly on the occasion of two visits to Rome as ambassador to Pope Julius II. The fatigue of one of these journeys brought on an illness from which he never recovered, and on his second mission he was nearly killed by order of the Pope, who happened at the time to be in conflict with Alfonso. The third edition of the book is quite distinct in terms of diction and structure.

For example, in Canto II, stanza 30, of Orlando Furioso, the narrator says:

right|thumb|Portrait of Ludovico Ariosto by [[Cristofano dell'Altissimo]]

Some have attributed this piece of metafiction as one component of the "Sorriso ariostesco" or Ariosto's smile, the wry sense of humor that Ariosto adds to the text.

In explaining this humor, Thomas Greene, in Descent from Heaven, says:

Letitia Elizabeth Landon's poem (1836) is supposed to be his address to some unknown beauty on presenting her with his completed Orlando Furioso.

In his poem Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, Canto the Fourth (1818), Lord Byron described poet and novelist Walter Scott as "The Ariosto of the North", and Ariosto as "The southern Scott". In doing so, Byron connected Ariosto and the Italian Renaissance with early-nineteenth century Scottish and British Romantic writing, emphasising an enduring European literary tradition. Scott, in turn, was influenced by Ariosto and expressed his admiration for the Orlando Furioso.

The paperback edition of Orlando Furioso can be briefly glimpsed on table in the dinner scene of the episode "A Ghost" in Jim Jarmusch's film Mystery Train (1989).

Lodovico Ariosto is mentioned in the novelization of the video game Assassin's Creed: Revelations (2011) as a member of the fictional Italian Brotherhood of Assassins. When the protagonist Ezio Auditore retires from the Brotherhood following the events of the game in 1512, he appoints Lodovico to succeed him as Mentor.

References

Further reading

  • Ludovico Ariosto's works, translations and chronology
  • Ludovico Ariosto's works: text, concordances and frequency lists
  • LitWeb: Ludovico Ariosto
  • The Medieval & Classical Literature Library: Orlando Furioso: Canto 1 & Canto 2