"Orlando Furioso" deals with the exploits of Charlemagne's Paladins (knights) in their attempts to repulse the "Saracen" (Moorish) invasion of France. Against this rich backdrop all sorts of adventures take place, ranging from knightly combat, to amorous dalliance, to dragons, nymphs and other magic.
Ariosto wrote "Orlando Furioso" around 1516, some 750 years after the events it purports to describe. Thus, it is not surprising that the work contains many anachronisms. His warriors - both Christian and Saracen - fight in full body armor with stirrups and lance. But this mode of fighting did not develop until well after the year 1000. He makes reference to Tartars and Prester John. But "Tartars" is another name for Mongols, who were not known in Europe until the 13th century. The legend of Prester John has a similarly late origin.
Our age is greatly concerned with violence, especially the "gratuitous" kind. The violence in Orlando thus comes as something of a shock. There are frequent references to heads being lopped off and bodies cloven in twain. Also surprising are the great powers attributed to women. But it is unlikely that Ariosto was an early woman's libber. More likely he reflected prevailing views, and these gave women more due than we customarily attribute to past ages. Perhaps the status of women (and men) is governed by cyclical events, such as population pressures.
Is there a dominant message in "Orlando Furioso?" I found it hard to clearly identify one. Possibly the title contains a clue: "Orlando" is the name of the principal protagonist, and "Furioso" means "mad" or "rabid." What drove Orlando mad? Why, a faithless woman, of course! Yet one gets the impression that Ariosto intends most of the blame to go to Orlando himself. In pursuing this woman (an enemy, to boot) he betrays many of the ideals of courtly love. He turns the great powers of sublimated love to selfish interests. For this he is punished.
For some reason amazon.com links this review to both the Reynolds and the Waldman translations, but they are different books. Although the previous part of my review is valid for any translation, this part is only relevant for the Waldman version. I have not read the one by Reynolds. This translation is in prose, meaning it loses some of the original spirit of Ariosto. However, by doing this Waldman makes the stories much easier to read and more accessible for the average person, who usually does not read poetry. I really enjoy the prose rendering; it has been done beautifully. If you love poetry and/or want a translation closer to the original Italian, then perhaps you should buy another version. One benefit though, is that this edition is complete in one volume and unabridged. Also, there is an introduction and an index of characters and their adventures. Unfortunately, there are no annotations. Overall, this is an excellent book that I think everyone should read at least once. It is a classic!
In Waldman's translation are to be found both the idealised virtues of chivalry and sometimes startlingly lowbrow humor, all wrapped up in an epic tale of adventure, romance and magic. By providing an unabridged translation (another shortcoming of more traditional editions), and by attempting to capture the true flavor of the work rather than slavishly abiding by the dictates of classical poetic rules, he has presented to English readers for the first time a tale that rivals the epics of Homer in its scope and aspiration. And for sheer entertainment value (coupled with the elitism of Ariosto's sly jabs at the very people for whom the work was composed), this work is all but impossible to beat-- his original audience, after all, was not the literati, but the idle rich.
