Summary Analysis of Canto I of Orlando Innamorato Essay Example

Summary Analysis of Canto I of Orlando Innamorato Essay Example Summary Analysis of Canto I of Orlando Innamorato Paper Summary Analysis of Canto I of Orlando Innamorato Paper Essay Topic: Metamorphoses Orlando The Romance Of Tristan Epic romance Orlando Innamorato was written by the Italian poet Matteo Maria Boiardo who plaited together characteristic features of Carolingian epic and Arthurian legend with the classical tradition of Virgil, Homer and Ovid.   He created a great and complex story praising love in a variety of its forms. Moreover, professor of Italian at Columbia University Jo Ann Cavallo claims that Boiardos Orlando Innamorato is not a simple ode to love; this amusing tale of damsels and knights in love and war comprised expressive moral lessons for the courteous society of Renaissance Italy. Romance Orlando Innamorato quickly became an extremely popular in that day Italy. The famous literati of the time and members of the court, among who was Isabella dEste, read it enthusiastically. Numerous writers tried to translate the romance into the new Tuscan standard language; others wrote continuations, while others simply imitated it. Ariosto was one of those continuators with his Orlando Furioso, one and, in fact, the greatest of six well known continuations of the poem. Nevertheless, Boiardo couldn’t even surmise that one day of the sixteenth century his poem would be â€Å"put aside in favour of Ariostos continuation† (Wilkins,1974). Canto I opens with the scene at the court of King Charlemagne: All of the paladins came to court to celebrate that holiday. From every region, every nation, numberless people entered Paris, and there were many Saracens, because court royal was proclaimed: anyone not an apostate or renegade was promised safety (Canto I, ottavo 9, lines 1 8). A great number of men, friends and enemies, from different countries gathered together and were having fun when absolutely unexpected meeting happened. The daughter of the king of Cathay Angelica appears at Charlemagne’s Pentecost tournament with her brother Argalia. The young lady is the most desirable treasure, she is the most beautiful woman have ever seen: She seemed to be the morning star, the lily and the garden rose. In short, to tell the truth of her, never was so much beauty seen (Canto I, ottavo 21, lines 5 8). There were lots of beautiful women among guests, but none of them could be comparable with the maiden beauty of Angelica: I say that each seemed beautiful before that flower reached the hall to take the beauty prize from all (Canto I, ottavo 22, lines 6 8). It’s naturally that everyone wants her.   To get the desired prise men have to pass an extremely difficult trial, they must overcome Argalia in a harsh combat so that to take Angelica as wife.   Orlando and Ranaldo are the two most touched by Angelica’s beauty: I cannot from my heart displace the sight of her- her sweet, bright face- because I think I’ll die without her; I think my soul will disappear. Now neither strength nor courage helps against the bridling force of Love. Knowing’s no help, nor men’s advice. I see what’s best. I pick what’s worst (Canto I, ottavo 31, lines 1 8). Orlando accepts Angelica’s challenge without moment’s hesitation; he and all the others at once fall in this marvellous young lady. They know nothing about her brother Argalia. Men do not consider the trial to be really hard one. Orlando can’t even suppose that Argalia’s spear is spell-bound. Argalia establishes rules of the trial knowing beforehand that this trial will be fraudulent. So, the tournament is appointed and the rules are established. Argalia let everybody know that they are to follow rules in order to take part in the combat with him, and everybody accepted that rules: â€Å"However, there is one condition; whoever wants to try must listen! Once beaten from his saddle, none may fight again for any reason. He must submit and go to prison. Yet one who can unhorse Uberto will win, as his reward, my person. My brother will recall his giants† (Canto I, ottavo 28, lines 1 8). However, at the very beginning of the trial many participants forgot about all the regulations and decided to play against them, regardless of the fact that they had given their words of honour. What incited them to do that? The answer is simple – burning, blind and all-absorbing passion. The author widely uses metaphors and personifications in his poem. Such poetic method provides readers with realistic image of the facts which were depicted by Boiardo. In addition to metaphors, colourful epithets are frequently used by author in the poem. Use of numerous epithets gives readers the impression that they see events and characters by Boiardo’s eyes. Matteo Maria Boiardo praises love which is the main theme of his poem. He shows us that the strong and frank feeling has an ability to work wonders. Nevertheless, the author lifts the veil from another side of the wonderful feeling. Canto I is some kind of an introduction to the poem â€Å"Orlando in love†, it is its beginning. Here the readers become acquainted with characters and the area where events take place; an entanglement of the plot occurs here. And this is where the author shows his readers a blind and unseasoned feeling. Here we can most probably see not a love yet, but ardent and burning passion instead. From the one hand it is wonderful; it inspires to do heroic deeds, arouses courage even in cowards; and from the other hand it makes people blind, makes them to forget about everything – about their dignity, principles, convictions, given words and vows. Such metamorphoses are well shown in Canto I. Bad influence of the passion can be seen at the episode wi th Malagise, who disclosed the intensions of Angelica’s father, King Galafrone. He decided to punish Angelica: †¦ Then Malagise said, â€Å"You rabble, I’ll capture you without a battle! Your clubs and chains will be no use, nor will your darts and twisted swords. I’ll punish you when you’re asleep. You will be killed like gelded sheep† (Canto I, ottavo 43, lines 7 8, ottavo 44, lines 1 4). As we can see, he wanted to kill the lady, but when Malagise stooped close to her and saw her beauty he changed his mind: †¦he neared the woman stealthily and drew forth his sword to slit her throat, but when he saw her close- so pretty!- he delayed. His spirit weltered back and forth. At last, he said, â€Å"Here’s what will happen: I’ll make her sleep by magic, then I’ll have her. I’ll indulge my passion† (Canto I, ottavo 45, lines 1 8). So, in that episode we can see the side of passion which cannot be called tender and loving on any account. The Carolingian epic was actually turned on its head by Boiardo who created his own updated version of the Orlando/ Roland story. Orlando Innamorato is some kind of an unauthorized biography which showes how the pure paladin had left Charlemagnes court to pursue a marvellous princess from Cathay across whole Eurasia. The author rewrote classical texts of, for instance, Ovid’s Metamorphoses and Homer’s Odyssey, and readers can find such rewrittings at the text. Boiardo’s Orlando Innamorato has preserveded its freshness and popularity for 500 years in popular culture of Italy. In Sicilys puppet theaters Italians and tourists travelling to that country today can up to now come across Rinaldo and Orlando fighting over the marvellous princess Angelica. The characters depicted by Boiardo and later developed in Orlando Furioso, Ariosto’s continuation, have reappeared in melodrama, opera, folk operas, and also in recitations by singers and story-tellers. The first full-length theatrical alteration of Orlando Innamorato has only recently been presented to a contemporary audience. Materials from the chivalrous tradition, expressing the Carolingian epic of Charlemagne and his knights, and the Arthurian romances of Lancelot, King Arthur and even Tristan were taken by Boiardo for writing his epic poem. The author also used incorporated stories and classical tradition from Homer. Most of Homer’s themes were taken by Boiardo from the Odyssey and Iliad, which wasn’t in such an extent romance-oriented as the first one. Some episodes were rewritten from the epic model excellence in the Italian Renaissance, Virgils Aeneid, and also from Ovid, as The Metamorphosis was a manual of mythological stories. The readers interpreted these stories allegorically. They are use by Matteo Maria Boiardo to create a play with firm allegorical tradition. The lyrics of Petrarch and the novella tradition of Boccaccio also were among sources from which Boiardo borrowed some elements for his poem. He practiced creative imitation and reworking of earlier texts in order to provide his own text with richer meaning. It’s rather interesting for modern reader to try to recognize the source and read both versions in comparison. Boiardo’s Orlando Innamorato brought certain ammount of novelty in epic romances. It frankly describes human’s intimate feelings such as the desire for revenge or glory, erotic desire, sympathy and ambition. The author makes subtle analisis of these feelings, he offers the readers to perceive this world without any borders. The poem is alive owing to the fact that Boiardo allows readers to make their conclusions and observations without obtruding his own ones.

The Knights Hospitaller of St. John of Jerusalem

The Knights Hospitaller of St. John of Jerusalem In the mid-11th century, a Benedictine abbey was established in Jerusalem by merchants from Amalfi. About 30 years later, a hospital was founded next to the abbey to care for sick and poor pilgrims. After the success of the First Crusade  in 1099, Brother Gerard (or Gerald), the hospitals superior, expanded the hospital and set up additional hospitals along the route to the Holy Land. On February 15, 1113, the order was formally named the Hospitallers of St. John of Jerusalem and recognized in a papal bull issued by Pope Paschal II. The Knights  Hospitaller were also known as Hospitalers, the Order of Malta, the Knights of Malta. From 1113 to 1309 they were known as the Hospitallers of St. John of Jerusalem; from 1309 to 1522 they went by the Order of the Knights of Rhodes; from 1530 to 1798 they were the Sovereign and Military Order of the Knights of Malta; from 1834 to 1961 they were the Knights Hospitaller of St. John of Jerusalem; and from 1961 to the present they are formally known as the Sovereign Military and Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes, and of Malta. Hospitaller Knights In 1120, Raymond de Puy (a.k.a. Raymond of Provence) succeeded Gerard as leader of the order. He replaced the Benedictine Rule with the Augustinian Rule and actively began to build up the orders power base, helping the organization to acquire lands and wealth. Possibly inspired by the Templars, the Hospitallers began to take up arms in order to protect pilgrims as well as tend their illnesses and injuries. Hospitaller Knights were still monks and continued to follow their vows of personal poverty, obedience, and celibacy. The order also included chaplains and brothers who did not take up arms. Relocations of the Hospitallers The shifting fortunes of the western Crusaders would also affect the Hospitallers. In 1187, when Saladin captured Jerusalem, the Hospitaller Knights moved their headquarters to Margat, then to Acre ten years later. With the fall of Acre in 1291 they moved to Limassol in Cyprus. The Knights of Rhodes In 1309 the Hospitallers acquired the island of Rhodes. The grand master of the order, who was elected for life (if confirmed by the pope), ruled Rhodes as an independent state, minting coins and exercising other rights of sovereignty. When the Knights of the Temple were dispersed, some surviving Templars joined the ranks at Rhodes. The knights were now more warrior than hospitaller, though they remained a monastic brotherhood. Their activities included naval warfare; they armed ships and set off after Muslim pirates, and took revenge on Turkish merchants with piracy of their own. The Knights of Malta In 1522 the Hospitaller control of Rhodes came to an end with a six-month siege by Turkish leader Suleyman the Magnificent. The Knights capitulated on January 1, 1523, and left the island with those citizens who chose to accompany them. The Hospitallers were without a base until 1530, when Holy Roman emperor Charles V arranged for them to occupy the Maltese archipelago. Their presence was conditional; the most notable agreement was the presentation of a falcon to the emperors viceroy of Sicily every year. In 1565, grand master Jean Parisot de la Valette exhibited superb leadership when he stopped Suleyman the Magnificent from dislodging the Knights from their Maltese headquarters. Six years later, in 1571, a combined fleet of the Knights of Malta and several European powers virtually destroyed the Turkish navy at the Battle of Lepanto. The Knights built a new capital of Malta in honor of la Valette, which they named Valetta, where they constructed grand defenses and a hospital that attracted patients from far beyond Malta. The Last Relocation of the Knights Hospitaller The Hospitallers had returned to their original purpose. Over the centuries they gradually gave up warfare in favor of medical care and territorial administration. Then, in 1798, they lost Malta  when Napoleon  occupied the island on the way to Egypt. For a short time they returned under the auspices of the Treaty of Amiens (1802), but when the 1814 Treaty of Paris gave the archipelago to Britain, the Hospitallers left once more. They at last settled permanently in Rome in 1834. Membership of the Knights Hospitaller Although nobility was not required to join the monastic order, it was required to be a Hospitaller Knight. As time went on this requirement grew more strict, from proving nobility of both parents to that of all grandparents for four generations. A variety of knightly classifications evolved to accommodate lesser knights and those who gave up their vows to marry, yet remained affiliated with the order. Today, only Roman Catholics may become Hospitallers, and the governing knights must prove the nobility of their four grandparents for two centuries. The Hospitallers Today After 1805 the order was led by lieutenants until the office of Grand Master was restored by Pope Leo XIII in 1879. In 1961 a new constitution was adopted in which the orders religious and the sovereign status was precisely defined. Although the order no longer governs any territory, it does issue passports, and it is recognized as a sovereign nation by the Vatican and some Catholic European nations.

Accounting theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Accounting theory - Essay Example The money is the only and ultimate source of exchange in the world, and therefore, the companies have to acquire human and other resources by paying the suppliers money. The theory of Resource Dependence argues that organizations cannot survive without receiving social support from the relevant societies. However, the companies need to create success in order to gift their investors with the construct of trust that forms a cornerstone of any kind of human relation one can think of. The organizations have to serve the needs and wants of the investors and shareholders as well. The financial recordkeeping is far reaching in terms of sustaining a relationship with the stakeholders. The accounting systems might have the flaws, but despite that, one cannot possibly give up on them because they form an integral part of the business. The field of accounting is filled with corruption and dishonesty, but it does not mean that the system is wrongful in nature. However, those who are running it might be doing corruption (Cecchetti, 2006). In this way, the accountant becomes corrupt and dishonest with his or her profession. The field of accounting has become a flashpoint of corruption in recent years because of unveiling fraudulent activities in the departments of the leading companies. The conceptual framework behind the art and science of accounting has a design to pass entries in order to depict the exact situation of the business. The experts use the term creative accounting in order to refer to the practices that accountants apply to manipulate the stakeholders. The accountants create attractive level of working capital so that the financial outlook of their companies can appear attractive in the eyes of the stakeholders. The issues in the field began to intensify after the application of Generally Acceptable Accounting Practices (GAAP). The accountants apply the