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"Clorinda Rescues Olindo and Sophronia" by Eugène Delacroix
"Clorinda Rescues Olindo and Sophronia" by Eugène Delacroix

Jerusalem Delivered (La Gerusalemme liberata) (first published 1581) is an epic poem by the Italian poet Torquato Tasso which tells a largely fictionalized version of the First Crusade in which Christian knights, led by Godfrey of Bouillon, battle Muslims in order to raise the siege of Jerusalem. Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix (26 April 1798 &ndash 13 August 1863 was a French Romantic artist regarded from the outset of his career as the leader of An epic is a lengthy Narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation Torquato Tasso ( 11 March 1544 &ndash 25 April 1595) was an Italian Poet of the 16th century best known for his poem The First Crusade was launched in 1095 by Pope Urban II with the dual goals of conquering the sacred city of Jerusalem and the Holy Land and freeing Godfrey of Bouillon (c 1060 Boulogne-sur-Mer &ndash 18 July 1100, Jerusalem) was a medieval knight who was a leader of the First A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion The Siege of Jerusalem took place from June 7 to July 15, 1099 during the First Crusade. The poem is composed of eight line stanzas grouped into 20 cantos of varying length. In Poetry, a stanza is a unit within a larger Poem. In modern poetry the term is often equivalent with Strophe; in popular vocal music a stanza is

The work belongs to the Renaissance tradition of the Italian romantic epic poem, and Tasso frequently borrows plot elements and character types directly from Ariosto's Orlando furioso. The Renaissance (from French Renaissance, meaning "rebirth" Italian: Rinascimento, from re- "again" and nascere Orlando Furioso ("The Frenzy of Orlando" more literally "Mad Orlando" in Italian furioso is seldom capitalized is an Italian Tasso's poem also has elements inspired by the classical epics of Homer and Virgil (especially in those sections of their works that tell of sieges and warfare). Homer ( Ancient Greek:, Homēros) is a legendary ancient Greek epic Poet, traditionally said to be the author of the epic poems the Publius Vergilius Maro ( October 15, 70 BCE &ndash September 21, 19 BCE later called Virgilius, and known in English as Virgil or

Tasso's choice of subject matter, an actual historic conflict between Christians and Muslims (albeit with fantastical elements added), had an historical grounding and created compositional implications (the narrative subject matter had a fixed endpoint and could not be endlessly spun out in multiple volumes) that are lacking in other Renaissance epics. But like other works of the period which portray conflicts between Christians and Muslims, this subject matter had a topical resonance to readers of the period, as the Ottoman Empire was advancing through Eastern Europe. The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923 ( Old Ottoman Turkish: دولتْ علیّه عثمانیّه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish

One of the most characteristic literary devices in Tasso's poem is the emotional conundrum endured by characters torn between their heart and their duty, and this depiction of love at odds with martial valour or honor is a source of great lyrical passion in the poem.

Contents

Composition and publication

Tasso began work on the poem in the mid-1560s. Originally, it bore the title Il Goffredo. It was completed in April, 1575 and that summer the poet read his work to Duke Alfonso of Ferrara and Lucrezia, Duchess of Urbino. Alfonso II d'Este ( November 22, 1533 - October 27 1597) was Duke of Ferrara from 1559 to 1597 A pirate edition of 14 cantos from the poem appeared in Venice in 1580. The first complete editions of Gerusalemme liberata were published in Parma and Ferrara in 1581. Parma is a City in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna near Modena famous for its Architecture and the fine countryside around it Ferrara is a city in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital city of the Province of Ferrara. [1]

Plot summary

Rinaldo and Armida, by Francois Boucher
Rinaldo and Armida, by Francois Boucher

The poem tells of the initial disunity and setbacks of the Christians and their ultimate success. François Boucher ( September 29 1703 – May 30 1770) was a French painter, a proponent of Rococo taste The most famous sequences include the following:

Sofronia (in English: Sophronia), a Christian maiden of Jerusalem, accuses herself of a crime in order to avert a general massacre of the Christians by the Muslim king. In an attempt to save her, her lover Olindo accuses himself in turn, and each lover pleads with the authorities in order to save the other.

Clorinda, a female warrior-maiden, joins the Muslims, but the Christian knight Tancredi (in English: Tancred) falls in love with her. Tancred ( 1072 - December 5 or December 12, 1112) was a Norman leader of the First Crusade who later became Prince During a night battle in which she sets the Christian siege tower on fire, she is mistakenly killed by her lover, but she converts to Christianity before dying. The character of Clorinda is inspired in part by Virgil's Camilla and by Bradamante in Ariosto; the circumstances of her birth (a Caucasian girl born to African parents) are modeled on the lead character (Chariclea) from the ancient Greek novel by Heliodorus of Emesa. Publius Vergilius Maro ( October 15, 70 BCE &ndash September 21, 19 BCE later called Virgilius, and known in English as Virgil or Bradamante (also spelled Bradamant) is the sister of Rinaldo, and one of the heroines of Orlando Furioso, Ludovico Ariosto 's handling Heliodorus of Emesa, from Emesa, Syria, was a Greek writer generally dated to the third century AD who is known for the ancient Greek romance

Erminia discovers the wounded Tancred, in a painting by Guercino, 1619 (Galleria Doria Pamphilj, Rome)
Erminia discovers the wounded Tancred, in a painting by Guercino, 1619 (Galleria Doria Pamphilj, Rome)

Another maiden of the region, the Princess Erminia (or "Hermine") of Antioch, also falls in love with Tancred and betrays her people to help him, but she grows jealous when she learns that Tancred loves Clorinda. Giovanni Francesco Barbieri ( February 8, 1591 — December 9, 1666) best known as Guercino or Il Guercino, was an Princess Erminia was a character in the epic Poem La Gerusalemme liberata by Torquato Tasso. Antioch on the Orontes (Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Δάφνῃ Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου or Ἀντιόχεια ἡ Μεγάλη Antiochia ad Orontem also She returns to the Muslims, then steals Clorinde's armor and joins a group of shepherds.

The witch Armida (modeled on Circe in Homer and the witch Alcina in Ariosto's epic) enters the Christian camp asking for their aid; her seductions divide the knights against each other and a group leaves with her, only to be transformed into animals by her magic. Armida is a beautiful enchantress in Torquato Tasso 's Jerusalem Delivered, who bewitched Rinaldo one of the Crusaders by her charms as Circe In Greek mythology, Circe ( sərsē; Greek Κίρκη Kírkē, falcon is a Queen Goddess (or sometimes a Nymph Homer ( Ancient Greek:, Homēros) is a legendary ancient Greek epic Poet, traditionally said to be the author of the epic poems the Alcina (HWV 34 is an Opera seria by George Frideric Handel. The Libretto 's author is unknown but the plot is taken (like those of the Handel

Armida tries to kill the greatest Christian knight Rinaldo (his name appears in Ariosto's Orlando furioso (III, 30); he is the son of Bertoldo and was the reputed founder of the house of Este) but she falls in love with him instead and takes him away to a magical island where he becomes infatuated with her caresses and grows idle. Renaud de Montauban, (also spelled Renaut, Renault, Italian: Rinaldo di Montalbano, Dutch: Reinout van Montalba(en) was Orlando Furioso ("The Frenzy of Orlando" more literally "Mad Orlando" in Italian furioso is seldom capitalized is an Italian "Este" redirects here For the city see Este Italy. For Tolkien's fictional character see Estë. Two Christian knights seek out the hidden fortress, brave the dangers that guard it and, by giving Rinaldo a mirror of diamond, force him to see himself in his effeminated and amorous state and to return to the war, leaving Armida heartbroken. Armida grieves at this loss and desires death, but being a sorceress, she cannot die. (This sequence echoes a similar storyline in Ariosto: the witch Alcina ensnares the knight Ruggiero, but the spell is broken by a magic ring that the good sorceress Melissa brings him; earlier antecedents include Circe's attempt to keep Odysseus on her island, and Morgan le Fay taking Ogier the Dane off to a faraway island). Ruggiero (often translated Rogero in English) is a leading character in the Italian romantic epics Orlando innamorato by Matteo In Greek mythology, Circe ( sərsē; Greek Κίρκη Kírkē, falcon is a Queen Goddess (or sometimes a Nymph grc-Latn Odysseus or la Ulysses ( Greek grc-Latn Odysseus; Latin: la Ulixes or more commonly Ulysses) oʊˈdɪsiəs Morgan le Fay, alternatively known as Morgane, Morgain, Morgana and other variants is a powerful sorceress and Antagonist of Ogier the Dane ( Danish: Holger Danske, French: Ogier de Danemarche) is a Legendary Danish Hero who

Reception

The poem was immensely successful throughout Europe and over the next two centuries various sections were frequently adapted as individual storylines for operas, plays, ballets and masquerades; scenes from the poem were also depicted in paintings and frescoes (for example, at Fontainebleau in France). Fresco (plural either frescos or frescoes) is any of several related Painting types done on Plaster on walls or The Ecole de Fontainebleau refers to two periods of artistic production in France during the late Renaissance centered around the royal Château de Fontainebleau

Certain critics of the period however were less enthusiastic, and Tasso came under much criticism for the magical extravagance and narrative confusion of his poem. Before his death, he drastically rewrote the poem, giving this new version the title La Gerusalemme Conquistata, or "Jerusalem Conquered. " This revised version is much maligned by modern critics however.

Gerusalemme liberata and English literature

The fame of Tasso's poem quickly spread to England. Edmund Spenser described Tasso as an "excellente poete" and made use of elements from Gerusalemme liberata in The Faerie Queene. Edmund Spenser (c 1552 &ndash 13 January, 1599) was an important English Poet and Poet Laureate best known for The The Faerie Queene is an English epic poem by Edmund Spenser, published first in three books in 1590 and later in six books in 1596 In the twelfth canto of Book Two, Spenser's enchantress Acrasia is partly modelled on Tasso's Armida and the English poet directly imitated two stanzas from the Italian [2] The first attempt to translate Gerusalemme liberata was made by Richard Carew, who published his version of the first five cantos as Godfrey of Bulloigne or the recoverie of Hierusalem in 1594. Richard Carew may refer to Richard Carew (antiquary, English translator and antiquary (1555-1620 Sir Richard Carew Pole 13th Baronet More significant was the complete rendering by Edward Fairfax which appeared in 1600 and has been acclaimed as one of the finest English verse translations. Edward Fairfax (1580? - 1635 was a translator the natural son of Sir Thomas Fairfax and thus a half-brother of Ferdinando Fairfax 2nd Lord Fairfax of Cameron Tasso's poem remained popular among educated English readers until the 19th century. [3]

Works based on Jerusalem Delivered

Poussin's illustration to Jerusalem Delivered (1630s).
Poussin's illustration to Jerusalem Delivered (1630s). Nicolas Poussin (15 June 1594 – 19 November 1665 was a French painter in the classical style

Music and Operas

Plays

Max Turiel. Armide is an Opera by Jean-Baptiste Lully. The Libretto was written by Philippe Quinault, based on Torquato Tasso 's Jean-Baptiste de Lully ( Giovanni Battista di Lulli) (ʒɑ̃batist də lyˈli in French (November 28 1632 &ndash March 22 1687 was a French Composer of Italian Rinaldo ( HWV 7 is an Italian Opera by George Frideric Handel, now a part of the standard operatic repertoire Year 1711 ( MDCCXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Francesco Geminiani ( December 5, 1687 &ndash September 17, 1762) was an Italian Violinist, composer and music theorist Niccolò Jommelli ( September 10, 1714 &ndash August 25, 1774) was an Italian Composer. Year 1770 ( MDCCLXX) was a Common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting on Friday Armida is an Opera by Antonio Salieri in three acts set to a Libretto by Marco Coltellini. Antonio Salieri ( 18 August 1750 &ndash 7 May 1825) was an Italian Composer and conductor. Year 1771 ( MDCCLXXI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Armide is an Opera by Christoph Willibald Gluck, his fourth for the Parisian stage and the composer's own favourite among his works Year 1777 ( MDCCLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Armida, Hob 28/12 is an opera in three acts by Joseph Haydn, set to a libretto based upon Torquato Tasso 's poem Gerusalemme liberata ( Year 1784 ( MDCCLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year Armida is an Opera (dramma per musica in two acts by Gioacchino Rossini to an Italian Libretto by Giovanni Schmidt, based Year 1817 ( MDCCCXVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Johannes Brahms ( pronounced ˈbʁaːms (May 7 1833 &ndash April 3 1897 was a German Composer Year 1858 ( MDCCCLVIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Armida is an Opera by Antonin Dvorak in four acts set to a libretto by Jaroslav Vrchlický that was originally based on Torquato Tasso 's epic Antonín Leopold Dvořák ( (often pronounced in English as; DVOR-zhahk; September 8 1841 – May 1 1904 was a Czech composer of Romantic music, who employed Year 1904 ( MCMIV) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year starting on Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda ( SV 153 is an operatic scena for three voices by Claudio Monteverdi. Clorinda Deleste, El Camino del Sol. Play and Script, partially adapted from " Gerusalemme Liberata ". ISBN 84-934710-8-9. Ediciones La Sirena 2006.

Paintings


References

  1. ^ Caretti pp. Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix (26 April 1798 &ndash 13 August 1863 was a French Romantic artist regarded from the outset of his career as the leader of François Boucher ( September 29 1703 – May 30 1770) was a French painter, a proponent of Rococo taste Francesco Hayez ( February 10, 1791 - December 21, 1882) was an Italian painter the leading artist of Romanticism lxv and lxix
  2. ^ Compare the "Song of the Rose" in The Faerie Queene, Book 2, Canto 12, Stanzas 74-5 and Gerusalemme liberata Canto 16, Stanzas 14-15
  3. ^ This section: Roberto Weiss, introduction to the Fairfax translation of Jerusalem Delivered (Centaur Classics, 1962)

Sources

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