Orlando Furioso · Chapter
Canto XXVIII explained
King Rodomont listens to the landlord's misogynistic tale of King Astolpho and Jocundo, who test women's fidelity and find them all faithless.
What happens
King Rodomont listens to the landlord's misogynistic tale of King Astolpho and Jocundo, who test women's fidelity and find them all faithless. An elder in the audience defends women, arguing that men are equally unfaithful and that the blame should be shared.
Themes in this chapter
Betrayal and Deception
The landlord's tale centers on the betrayal of husbands by their wives, and the deception that pervades relationships.
Gender and Power
The chapter explores gender dynamics, with men testing women's fidelity and the elder arguing for equal accountability.
Honor and Reputation
The characters' actions are driven by concerns about honor and reputation, particularly in matters of marital fidelity.
Characters to notice
- Rodomont
Listens to the landlord's tale and believes the frauds of women are endless.
- Astolpho
King Astolpho of Lombardy, who tests women's fidelity with Jocundo and finds them all unfaithful.
- Jocundo
Brother of Faustus Latinus, accompanies Astolpho in testing women's fidelity.
- Flordelice
Mentioned as the wife of Brandimart, used as an example of a faithful woman.
- Brandimart
Mentioned as the husband of Flordelice, used as an example of a faithful husband.
Key passages
“Ladies, and all of you that ladies prize, Afford not, for the love of heaven, an ear To this, the landlord's tale, replete with lies, In shame and scorn of womankind;”
The narrator warns readers not to listen to the landlord's misogynistic tale, as it is full of lies and intended to shame women.
The narrator distances himself from the tale's content, urging readers to skip it.
“Him I believe not, that told this truth to you, Though in all else he gospel-truths exprest; As less by his experience, than untrue Conceit respecting women prepossest.”
The elder says he does not believe the landlord's story, attributing it to prejudice against women rather than true experience.
The elder challenges the landlord's authority and bias.
“La incontinenza è quanto mal si puote Imputar lor, non già à tutto lo stuolo; Ma in questo chi ha di noi più brutte note? Che continente non si trova un solo.”
Incontinence is the worst fault that can be imputed to women, but not to all of them; and in this, who among us has worse marks? For not a single man is continent.
The elder argues that men are equally guilty of incontinence, if not more so.