Orlando Furioso, Canto 8 summary

What happens

1. Ruggiero escapes pursuit by uncovering his dazzling shield, while Melissa frees Alcina’s transformed lovers and restores Astolfo’s weapons.
2. Rinaldo obtains promises of troops in Scotland and orders for forces from Britain and nearby islands to assemble.
3. A hermit directs Angelica’s horse through a demon, drugs her, and sexually assaults her while she sleeps.
4. People from Ebuda seize Angelica and eventually chain her to a rock as an offering to their sea monster.
5. Rain saves besieged Paris, but Orlando’s fears and a distressing dream drive him to leave secretly in search of Angelica.
6. Charles condemns Orlando’s departure; Brandimarte follows him, and Fiordiligi sets out after waiting nearly a month.

In this canto

What to notice

The narrator distinguishes Orlando’s fear-driven dream from reliable knowledge. Orlando nevertheless treats it as evidence and abandons his place in the defense of Paris.

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