Ariosto, Ludovico << `ah` ree AWS toh, `loo` doh VEE koh >> (1474-1533), was a poet of the Italian Renaissance. His masterpiece, Orlando Furioso (published in 1516, revised in 1521 and 1532), is a long narrative poem depicting the struggle between the Christians and Arab-Muslim tribes called the Saracens. Its complicated plot tells stories of knights who travel the world seeking adventure, defending their religious faith, and aiding victims in distress. In the poem, Ariosto perfected the strict eight-line stanza called ottava rima. He also perfected the chivalric romance that combines stories about the knights of Charlemagne with those about the knights of King Arthur. He wrote with a robust humor that is present even in the most serious episodes. Ariosto’s poem is celebrated for the formal perfection of its verses and the inventiveness of its episodes. It influenced the works of such English authors as John Milton, William Shakespeare, and Edmund Spenser.
Ariosto was born on Sept. 8, 1474, in Reggio. In addition to poetry, he wrote satire and scholarly plays. He died on July 6, 1533.
