Orlando Furioso

Love is central to the chivalric romance genre. Poets writing about Arthurian knights and magicians have been inspired by the love songs of troubadours, which, in turn, take inspiration from Sufi love poetry. Patron Marie de Champagne’s court of love in medieval France helped create a kind of secular religion that promoted worshiping a beloved. Orlando Furioso explores the power of love: its ability to instill madness and its relationship to violence, as well as how romantic love affects the love of family, the love of a king, and the love of God.

Orlando’s orgy of bloodshed is due to loving Angelica, who is herself a slave to love. For initially rejecting Orlando, Rinaldo, and other suitors, Love punishes Angelica by causing her to fall for a young Moor named Medor. Angelica carves their names in every available surface, especially trees, and the sight of these love-inscriptions causes Orlando to lose his wits. However, Love also has the power to stop violence; it is more powerful than vices. For instance, Doralice steps in between Rodomont and Mandricard, who have been manipulated into fighting by Discord and Pride.