Orland szalony jako poemat o kobietach. Analiza postaci na tle tradycji epickiej: Angelika, Marfiza i Bradamanta
Orlando furioso by Ludovico Ariosto as a Poem on Women. Angelica, Marfisa, Bradamante and their heroic epic representation

Summary/Abstract: The article concerns Ludovico Ariosto’s Orlando Furioso, and its interpretation according to which it may be read as a poem about women who break the traditional male monopoly on heroism in the epic literature. The author aims to prove Ariosto’s innovative approach by analyzing Orlando Furioso’s protagonists. Hence the paper is mainly dedicated to three of Ariosto’s characters – Angelica, Marfisa and Bradamante. Those women are presented in a comparative perspective against their traditional prototypes with particular reference to those moments in the poem that render visible Ariosto’s novelty in creating his protagonists. Angelica, Marfisa and Bradamante, especially in contrast with the poem’s male cavalieri seem to be more in line with the canonical representations of heroism. In the first part of the study, the author presents Ariosto’s Angelica, often interpreted as a mere capricious object of man’s desire. Nevertheless, the character appears as self-aware and confident, striving to make her own decision when it comes to choosing the partner for life. The second part of the article is dedicated to Ariosto’s most canonical virago – Marfisa. Undefeated in the battlefield till the end of the poem, she often breaks her stereotypical comical image and consciously resigns from love. The last part of the study concentrates on Bradamante, who combines both amori and armi: the Christian knight, future founder of the Este noble family despite being in constant pursuit of her lover Ruggero, not sacrificing her passion for chivalry. According to the author of the article, Bradamante should be perceived as the central character of Orlando Furioso, as she carries the main idea of Ariosto’s masterpiece.

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