History Literature / OrlandoFurioso

* BerserkButton: Interrupting a single combat in which Marfisa is involved is ''not'' a good idea. In the prequel she attacks her boss (and his army) for attacking the guy she was already fighting. In this one, she tries to kill her best friend for trying to intervene in her fight with Bradamante.

* BreakTheCutie: Early on, Angelica gets a RageAgainstTheHeavens about how the prequel was this for her. Immediately afterwards, she gets a NearRapeExperience, is kidnapped by pirates, gets ChainedToARock, has another NearRapeExperience with her rescuer...

* CelibateHero: Orlando used to be one before Boiardo got his hands on him in the prequel.

* CharacterDevelopment: [[CharacterizationMarchesOn Compared to how she was in the prequel]], [[DefrostingIceQueen Marfisa is a lot less]] AxCrazy here.

* SoBeautifulItsACurse: With a side order of CursedWithAwesome in the prequel: [[WorldsMostBeautifulWoman Angelica]], a pagan, comes to Charlemagne's court specifically to cause havoc with her beauty, and succeeds quite entertainingly -- and all too well. By the time Ariosto takes up the story, she's lost her brother and been kidnapped for her beauty more times than you really want to think about -- all she wants to do is get home and be done with it all.

A massive [[ChivalricRomance chivalric]] [[NarrativePoem epic poem]] in 46 cantos by Ludovico Ariosto, first published in 1516 and revised and expanded a couple of times, with its final form appearing in 1532. ''Orlando Furioso'' ("Mad Orlando" or "The Fury of Orlando") [[FanSequel continues and completes]] the story begun in the [[DiedDuringProduction unfinished]] but equally epic poem, ''Literature/OrlandoInnamorato'' ("Orlando In Love") by Matteo Maria Boiardo, Conte di Scandiano (1441-1494). Charlemagne (Carlo) is at war with the Saracens, and his paladin Orlando (Roland), the world's greatest knight (and hero of the French ''[[Literature/TheSongOfRoland Chanson de Roland]]''), goes mad from UnrequitedLove for the pagan princess [[WorldsMostBeautifulWoman Angelica]] of Cathay. Has a BetaCouple, which also consists of a pagan and a Christian: Ruggiero (Roger) of Risa and [[ActionGirl Bradamante]], the mythical ancestors of Boiardo's and Ariosto's employers, the Este family, ducal house of Ferrara.

The poem is not so much a ChivalricRomance as a {{Deconstruction}} of same, casting an [[DeconstructorFleet ironic eye on all the tropes and conventions]] of the genre, with Orlando's devotional love turning to madness being only the most obvious treatment. But Ariosto is more interested in entertaining than anything else, and succeeds at his task at [[{{Doorstopper}} great length]]. It was enormously influential in the centuries after it was written, influencing Tasso, [[Literature/TheFaerieQueene Spencer]], and [[Literature/ParadiseLost Milton]] to name the most famous. Creator/GustaveDore illustrated the poem in a memorable style.

* GeneralRipper: Rodomonte combines this with BadassInCharge and BadBoss when he introduces himself in the story by leaving over 20,000 of his own men to burn to death so he can circumvent the walls of Charlemagne's fortress to challenge his rival king personally.

%%* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters

* CrystalSpiresAndTogas

* HistoricalHeroUpgrade

* KnightInShiningArmor

* KudzuPlot

* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters

* TheLowMiddleAges

sopra re Carlo imperator romano.

Had vowed due vengeance for Troyano dead.

--->'''Orlando Furioso''' (opening stanza, trans. by William Stewart Rose)

A massive [[ChivalricRomance chivalric]] [[NarrativePoem epic poem]] in 46 cantos by Ludovico Ariosto, first published in 1516 and revised and expanded a couple times, with its final form appearing in 1532. ''Orlando Furioso'' ("Mad Orlando" or "The Fury of Orlando") [[FanSequel continues and completes]] the story begun in the [[DiedDuringProduction unfinished]] but equally epic poem, ''Literature/OrlandoInnamorato'' ("Orlando In Love") by Matteo Maria Boiardo, Conte di Scandiano (1441-1494). Charlemagne (Carlo) is at war with the Saracens, and his paladin Orlando (Roland), the world's greatest knight (and hero of the French ''[[Literature/TheSongOfRoland Chanson de Roland]]''), goes mad from UnrequitedLove for the pagan princess [[WorldsMostBeautifulWoman Angelica]] of Cathay. Has a BetaCouple, which also consists of a pagan and a Christian: Ruggiero (Roger) of Risa and [[ActionGirl Bradamante]], the mythical ancestors of Boiardo's and Ariosto's employers, the Este family, ducal house of Ferrara.

* NotSoDifferent: Between Charlemagne's alliance and the saracens with the only big difference being that Charlemagne's men have slightly more honour than their enemies.

A massive [[ChivalricRomance chivalric]] [[NarrativePoem epic poem]] in 46 cantos by Ludovico Ariosto, first published in 1516 and revised and expanded a couple times, with its final form appearing in 1532. ''Orlando Furioso'' ("Mad Orlando" or "The Fury of Orlando") [[FanSequel continues and completes]] the story begun in the [[AuthorExistenceFailure unfinished]] but equally epic poem, ''Literature/OrlandoInnamorato'' ("Orlando In Love") by Matteo Maria Boiardo, Conte di Scandiano (1441-1494). Charlemagne (Carlo) is at war with the Saracens, and his paladin Orlando (Roland), the world's greatest knight (and hero of the French ''[[Literature/TheSongOfRoland Chanson de Roland]]''), goes mad from UnrequitedLove for the pagan princess [[WorldsMostBeautifulWoman Angelica]] of Cathay. Has a BetaCouple, which also consists of a pagan and a Christian: Ruggiero (Roger) of Risa and [[ActionGirl Bradamante]], the mythical ancestors of Boiardo's and Ariosto's employers, the Este family, ducal house of Ferrara.

A massive [[ChivalricRomance chivalric]] [[NarrativePoem epic poem]] in 46 cantos by Ludovico Ariosto, first published in 1516 and revised and expanded a couple times, with its final form appearing in 1532. ''Orlando Furioso'' ("Mad Orlando" or "The Fury of Orlando") [[FanSequel continues and completes]] the story begun in the [[AuthorExistenceFailure unfinished]] but equally epic poem, ''Orlando Innamorato'' ("Orlando In Love") by Matteo Maria Boiardo, Conte di Scandiano (1441-1494). Charlemagne (Carlo) is at war with the Saracens, and his paladin Orlando (Roland), the world's greatest knight (and hero of the French ''[[Literature/TheSongOfRoland Chanson de Roland]]''), goes mad from UnrequitedLove for the pagan princess [[WorldsMostBeautifulWoman Angelica]] of Cathay. Has a BetaCouple, which also consists of a pagan and a Christian: Ruggiero (Roger) of Risa and [[ActionGirl Bradamante]], the mythical ancestors of Boiardo's and Ariosto's employers, the Este family, ducal house of Ferrara.

* YourCheatingHeart: There's a particularly jarring case of ValuesDissonance when Rinaldo takes a break from chasing Angelica to go home and hug his wife and children. Orlando is also married (or at least engaged).

* BestHerToBedHer: Bradamante demands a husband who can hold his own against her in battle from dawn to dusk.
** Though she's doing it more so she gets some choice over who she marries than any other reason. If she'd knowingly fought Ruggiero, she would almost certainly have let him win.

* AxCrazy: Rodamont

* LikeABadassOutOfHell: Subverted. Astolfo accidentally winds up in the underworld while chasing away a gaggle of harpies, and it's the only misadventure of his in the book that seriously rattles him.

-->''Le donne, i cavallier, l'arme, gli amori,''
-->''le cortesie, l'audaci imprese io canto,''
-->''che furo al tempo che passaro i Mori''
-->''d'Africa il mare, e in Francia nocquer tanto,''
-->''seguendo l'ire e i giovenil furori''
-->''d'Agramante lor re, che si diè vanto''
-->''di vendicar la morte di Troiano''
-->''sopra re Carlo imperator romano.''

-->''Of loves and ladies, knights and arms, I sing''
-->''Of courtesies, and many a daring feat,''
-->''And from those ancient days my story bring''
-->''When Moors from Afric passed in hostile fleet,''
-->''And ravaged France, with Agramant their king''
-->''Flushed with his youthful rage and furious heat''
-->''Who on king Charles', the Roman emperor's head''
-->''Had vowed due vengeance for Troyano dead.''

* WomanInWhite: Bradamante, though it's pure white ''armor''.