Orlando Furioso: who's who, timeline and places
Everyone in Orlando Furioso, what happens when, and where, without spoilers: tell us how far you have read and we show only what you already know.
- OrlandoA knight whose rivalry with Rinaldo over Angelica prompts Charles to place her in another man's custody.First seen in canto 1
- AngelicaA woman fleeing rival knights who chooses Sacripante as her escort without returning his love.First seen in canto 1
- BradamanteA warrior who defeats Sacripante after Angelica chooses him as her escort.First seen in canto 1
- RinaldoA knight who fights Ferraù over Angelica before agreeing to pursue her alongside him.First seen in canto 1
- CharlesA leader who places Angelica in another man's custody to control Orlando and Rinaldo's rivalry.First seen in canto 1
- SacripanteA knight who loves Angelica and becomes her chosen escort without winning her love.First seen in canto 1
- FerraùA knight pursuing Angelica who receives a ghost's rebuke for breaking his promise about a helmet.First seen in canto 1
- RuggieroA captive whom Bradamante seeks after hearing of a flying magician and an inaccessible fortress.First seen in canto 2
- AtlanteA magician who imprisons Ruggiero to protect him from a foretold death.First seen in canto 4
- AstolfoA man transformed into a myrtle who warns Ruggiero about Alcina on her island.First seen in canto 6
- MelissaAn enchantress who uses Bradamante's ring and an Atlante disguise to free Ruggiero from Alcina's spell.First seen in canto 7
- RodomonteDoralice's intended husband, who breaches Paris's outer defenses and drives his followers into a deadly ditch.First seen in canto 14
- AgramanteA military leader who reviews his armies and prepares to storm Paris.First seen in canto 14
- MedoroA wounded man whom Angelica heals, falls in love with, and marries.First seen in canto 19
- Canto 1
Angelica escapes after the Christian defeat, drawing rival knights into pursuit and choosing Sacripante as her escort.
- Canto 4
Bradamante defeats Atlante and frees Ruggiero, but the hippogriff carries him away.
- Canto 7
Melissa uses Bradamante's ring to break Alcina's spell and help Ruggiero escape.
- Canto 8
Troubled by a dream about Angelica, Orlando secretly leaves besieged Paris to search for her.
- Canto 14
Agramante prepares to storm Paris, while Rodomonte breaches its outer defenses.
- Canto 16
Rinaldo brings relief troops against the besiegers as Rodomonte kills civilians and burns buildings inside Paris.
- Canto 19
Angelica heals the wounded Medoro, falls in love with him, and marries him.
- Canto 22
Astolfo destroys Atlante's enchanted palace, and Ruggiero and Bradamante reunite and plan marriage after his baptism.
- Canto 23
Orlando discovers Angelica's marriage to Medoro, and his grief gives way to destructive fury and madness.
- Canto 24
Zerbino suffers fatal wounds defending Orlando's abandoned sword against Mandricardo.
- Canto 27
Doralice chooses Mandricardo, and Rodomonte leaves the camp in anger.
- Canto 29
Isabella tricks Rodomonte into killing her rather than violating her chastity.
- Canto 30
Ruggiero kills Mandricardo in a duel but suffers wounds that prevent his promised return to Bradamante.
- Canto 31
Rinaldo learns of Orlando's madness and leads a night attack that drives Agramante toward Arles.
- Canto 34
John takes Astolfo to the moon, where he collects Orlando's lost good sense.
- Canto 36
Atlante's spirit reveals that Ruggiero and Marfisa are twins, ending the conflict born of Bradamante's jealousy.
- Canto 38
Astolfo invades Africa, while Charles chooses Rinaldo to face Ruggiero in combat to settle the war.
- Canto 39
Melissa disrupts the duel through deception, and Astolfo restores Orlando's sanity with his recovered wits.
- Canto 41
Ruggiero survives a shipwreck and receives baptism, while Brandimarte falls beneath Gradasso's sword.
- Canto 42
Orlando kills Agramante and Gradasso but loses Brandimarte.
- Canto 43
Rinaldo refuses to test his wife's fidelity with the offered cup.
- Canto 44
Bradamante's parents oppose her marriage to Ruggiero, who rides east to kill his rival.
- Canto 45
After Leon frees him from captivity, Ruggiero repays him by fighting Bradamante disguised as her suitor.
- Canto 46
Leon gives up his claim to Bradamante, and Ruggiero marries her before defeating and killing Rodomonte.
Hidden until you have read that far.
- ParisThe city toward which a spirit sends Rinaldo with false news.First seen in canto 2
- ScotlandThe land where Rinaldo agrees to defend Ginevra against an accusation under an unequal law.First seen in canto 4
- FranceThe land that gathered troops seen by Ruggiero are preparing to help.First seen in canto 10
- AfricaThe destination Rodomonte abandons while distressed after hearing an innkeeper's story.First seen in canto 28
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