Orlando Furioso

What are some examples of chivalric gender roles? How are women and men portrayed similarly and/or differently in Ariosto’s poem?

How do Fate and Fortune intervene in the lives of the characters?

What are some ways the narrator interacts with his audience and/or characters? How does his commentary influence your reading of the text?

How would you compare and/or contrast examples of ekphrasis (detailed descriptions of visual art) in Orlando Furioso?

How do magical weapons and armor function in the poem?

Which chivalric codes about horses are important to the characters? How do characters treat their mounts? What role do steeds play in the text?

While most of the text occurs in Europe and Northern Africa, the passages where Astolfo visits the Moon are some of the most striking. How does the Moon contrast with the more mundane locations of the poem?

Research Homer’s Iliad. How does the rage of Achilles complement and contrast the madness of Orlando?