2 h 47 minAudiobook13 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
Bound to a tree in a dark forest, a nobleman faces lions while treachery grips his kingdom.
Florante loves Laura, the daughter of Albania’s king, but now he is helpless among tangled trees. A stranger from Persia, Prince Aladin, comes to his aid. In Francisco Balagtas’s long narrative poem, their meeting opens a tale of love, exile, and loyalty under threat.
Florante’s story reaches back to school days in Athens, where Adolfo’s envy begins to grow. War, a stolen throne, and danger to Laura put courage and friendship to the test. Aladin carries his own sorrow: his father drives him from home and seeks to take Flerida, the woman he loves.
What you’ll discover
- A forest full of fear Enter the tangled darkness where Florante’s cries draw help from an unexpected stranger.
- Two loves under threat Follow Florante and Aladin as love meets the demands of power and exile.
- The cost of envy Watch Adolfo’s hunger for honor threaten the people and kingdom around him.
- Loyalty against treachery Meet Menandro, whose friendship holds firm when Florante’s world turns dark.
- The shape of awit Discover four-line stanzas with twelve syllables per line, carrying romance, grief, and questions of justice.
Who will love it
For readers who love epics, romances and adventure tales, and anyone curious about Filipino literature and its roots. Love, loyalty, betrayal and the struggle for justice give students and poetry lovers plenty to explore.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A noble prisoner cries out in a dark forest
- A stranger from Persia saves him from lions
- A boyhood in Albania and school in Athens
- Adolfo's envy begins to shape Florante's fate
- A mother is lost, a country at war, a woman loved
- Aladin tells of his father, his love and his exile
- Love and loyalty stand against treachery
- A quiet protest against bad rulers and false piety
- How the poem is built and how to hear it
Who’s who
- FloranteA brave and learned nobleman and general of Albania, he loves Laura and is bound in a forest, mourning a kingdom ruled by treachery.
- LauraThe gentle and wise daughter of King Linceo of Albania, she is loved by Florante and remains in danger from those who seek power.
- AladinA Persian prince driven from home by his own father, he saves Florante and wants to be reunited with the woman he loves.
- FleridaAladin's beloved, a young woman of courage whom the Sultan of Persia wishes to take for himself.
- AdolfoA count's son who studied with Florante, he is eaten by envy and schemes to seize the power and honor he feels he deserves.
- MenandroFlorante's loyal friend from his student days in Athens, he stays faithful to him when the kingdom turns dark.
- AntenorFlorante's wise and kind teacher in Athens, who teaches him that learning must go together with virtue and justice.
- Duke BriseoFlorante's father, an honored counselor to the king of Albania, who sends his son to study in Athens.
Formats and delivery
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- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 2 h 47 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 13 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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Florante y Laura
by Francisco Balagtas · 1838
Bound to a tree in a dark forest, Florante mourns his betrayed kingdom and the woman he loves.
Medium level2–5 hours to read25 languages
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In short
Florante at Laura is a narrative poem in Tagalog by Francisco Balagtas, who is also known as Francisco Baltazar. It was first printed in 1838, in the Philippines under Spanish rule.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A noble prisoner cries out in a dark forest
The poem begins in a thick, gloomy forest outside the kingdom of Albania. The trees are tangled, the paths are lost, and the air is full of fear. Tied to a tree is a young man in good clothes, hurt and exhausted. This is Florante, son of Duke Briseo and a lord of Albania.
Balagtas does not start with a battle or a feast. He starts with grief. Florante speaks aloud, though he thinks no one is near, and he asks why heaven allows the wicked to rule. He sees his country ruled by treachery, and he sees honest people silenced or punished. He has lost his father, his home and his place, and his words are full of bitterness.
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What is Florante at Laura about?
It is a Tagalog poem about Florante, a noble general of Albania, who is bound in a forest and mourns his betrayed kingdom and his beloved Laura. It follows his friendship with a Persian prince and the schemes of a jealous rival.
Who wrote Florante at Laura and when?
It was written by Francisco Balagtas, also known as Francisco Baltazar, and first printed in 1838. He wrote it in Tagalog while the Philippines was under Spanish rule, and it quickly became a loved work of Filipino literature.
Is Florante at Laura a true story?
No, it is an invented tale set in a made-up Europe, in a kingdom called Albania. Many readers see in it a hidden comment on Balagtas's own time, especially on unjust rulers and abuse of power.
The author
Francisco Balagtas
1788–1862 · Filipino poet
Francisco Balagtas was a Filipino poet who wrote in Tagalog. He was born in Bigaa, Bulacan, in 1788 and died in Orion, Bataan, in 1862. He also lived in Manila. His works include Florante at Laura, first published in 1838. He was also known as Francisco Baltazar.
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