Ariosto and the “Fier Pastor”: Form and History in Orlando Furioso

Abstract

This essay explores the formal means (a variant of the medieval romance technique ofentrelacement) by which Ludovico Ariosto'sOrlando Furiosorepresents and comments on contemporary events, particularly the threats posed by French and Spanish invasions and by the interventionist politics of Popes Julius II and Leo X. Ariosto's treatment of the latter figure exemplifies both the specificity of the interplay between form and history in theFurioso Innamoratoand its innovative character with respect to precursors, notably Boiardo'sOrlando Innamorato. A final section considers the changing significance of such topical material between the first edition of 1516 (when Leo was alive) and the final edition of 1532 (long after Leo's death, and under very different historical circumstances).