Florante at Laura
Florante at Laura
(or
Florante and Laura
) is a masterpiece of Francisco Baltazar (also known as Balagtas). It is one of the most influential Philippine poems ever written. The title “Florante at Laura” is an abbreviation of the poem's actual titlewhich is Pinagdaanang Buhay Nina Florante at Laura sa Kahariang Albanya: Kinuhasa Madlang Cuadro historico o pinturang nagsasabi sa mga nangyari nang unangpanahon sa imperyo ng Gresya, at tinula ng isang matuwain sa bersong Tagalog.(The Life Story of Florante and Laura in the Kingdom of Albania: Culled fromhistorical accounts and paintings which describe what happened in ancient Greece,and written by one who enjoysTagalogverse.)Florante at Laura was said to be a result of the heartache that Baltazar receivedafter losing the woman that he loved the most, Maria Asuncion Rivera, to a rich andpowerful man named Mariano Capule.. Rivera was said to be the woman to whomBaltazar referred to as “Celia” and MAR in his poem. Florante at Laura was alsowritten as a depiction of the country's situation during the rule of the Spaniards. Thepoem shows that religious difference should not be used to discriminate against oneanother.Florante and Laura is considered an “Awit” or “a song” in English. It has 399 stanzasand is written in poetic form with the following characteristics:There are 4 lines per stanza;There are 12 syllables per line;It has an AAAA rhyme scheme;It has a slight pause on the sixth syllable;Each stanza is usually a complete grammatically-correct sentence;Each stanza is full of figures of speech
Characters
1.
Florante
– son of Duke Briseus and Princess Floresca; Laura's love
2.
Laura
– daughter of King Liceus; Florante's love
3.
Aladdin
– a Muslim soldier; son of Sultan Ali-Adab; Flerida's love
4.
Flerida
– Aladdin's love; the woman who saved Laura
5.
Count Adolfo
– a traitor; son of Count Sileno; Florante's arch-enemy
6.
Duke Briseus
– father of Florante; Princess Floresca's husband
7.
Princess Floresca
– mother of Florante; wife of Duke Briseus, princess of Croton
8.
King Linceus
– king of Albania; father of Laura
9.
Antenor
– Florante's mentor while he was studying in Athens, Greece
10.
Count Sileno
– Count Adolfo's father
11.
Minandro
– Florante's classmate and best friend
12.
Menalipo
– Florante's cousin
13.
Sultan Ali-Adab
– father of Aladdin; king of Persia
14.
General Osmalick
– a Persian general who wanted to invade Croton
15.
Miramolin
– headed the Persian troupes towards invading Albania
Plot
The following is a summary of the poem in chapter form:
Chapter 1 - 13 Chapter 14 - 23
*
1 - “Prologue”
(Stanza 1 – 10)The story begins with a description of adark, dangerous, deserted forest that isinhabited by serpents, basilisks, hyenas,and tigers. The forest is filled with hugeacacia tress with large leaves that coversthe sun. In the middle of the forest, tied to atree, is a man who is barely alive. He hasblonde hair, fair smooth skin, and a faceand body that are comparable to that of Narcissus and Adonis.*
2 - “Suffering Kingdom”
(Stanza 11 -25)The man tied to the tree questions theheavens for the suffering of the people of Albania. Here he describes the treacheryand suffering that are happening inside andoutside of the kingdom of Albania. Goneare the days of peace and and justice.Innocent people have become victims of those who are hungry for power andmoney. Those who fought to save thekingdom have suffered grievously. The manmentions that Count Adolfo was said to bebehind the treachery with his plot to stealthe crown from King Linceus and thewealth of Duke Briseus. The man begsheaven to save the kingdom of Albania.*
3 - “A Lover's Woe”
(Stanza 26 - 40)The man tells the heavens that he can takewhatever trial or challenge that may comehis way as long as Laura will alwaysremember him. Aside from all that ishappening to Albania, he takes refuge inthe memories of the times he shared withLaura. He mentions that he would bepleased to see Laura crying over his dead*
14 - “Two Tragedies”
(Stanza 224 – 257)During a play performed by the students,Adolfo attempted to kill Florante but did notsucceed due to his classmate Minandro'sinterference. After two months, Florantereceived a letter from his father bringingbad news and summoning him to comehome. It was difficult for Florante to say hisgoodbyes to his classmates and hismentor, Antenor. Before leaving, Antenor advised Florante not to be too trustingbecause there are enemies all around us.Florante went home with his friend,Minandro. Upon arriving at Albania,Florante cried when he saw his father. After he calmed down, Duke Briseus toldFlorante about the death of PrincessFloresca.*
15 - “Saving Croton”
(Stanza 258 – 273)The emissary of Croton came to Albaniawith a letter asking for help in savingCroton from the Persian invaders headedby General Osmalick. Florante pauses topraise the Muslim soldier, saying that thegeneral is only second to the soldier incombat skill. With this, the Muslim soldier smiles and says that rumors are notnecessarily true. Returning to his story,Florante said that he and his father went toKing Linceus to discuss how they couldhelp Croton. King Linceus appointedFlorante to lead the army that will help saveCroton.*
16 - “Laura, the Goddess”
(Stanza 274 -289)During their visit to King Linceus, Florantesaw Laura, the daughter of the king. He
body if Laura would betray him. With this,he imagines Laura in the arms of CountAdolfo. This thought brings him to tears anddevastation which makes him tired andcause him to pass out.*
4 - “The Memory of Laura”
(Stanza 41 -68)The man cries for Laura to save him, butshe does not come. With this, the manthinks that Count Adolfo has finally stolenLaura from him. He mentions that he willthank Count Adolfo for all the hardship aslong as he doesn't take Laura from him.With too much to bear, the man cries indespair and faintes.*
5 - “Overwhelming Love”
(Stanza 69 –83)In another part of the forest comes aMuslim soldier. He sits on a stump andprofesses his love for a woman namedFlerida. He talks about his overwhelminglove for Flerida and vows to kill for the sakeof love. He does not say that no one canstand in his way nor is there anyone whocan take his love from him, not even hisfather. He also says that love can make aperson blind to the truth and make himforget about reason and honor.*
6 - “A Loving and Hopeful Father”
(Stanza 84 – 104)After professing his love for Flerida, theMuslim soldier hears a voice in the forest.This voice talks about the brutal death of his loving father. The man talks about howhis father was beheaded and had his bodythrown somewhere else. No one attemptedto bury his father's remains for fear of Count Adolfo's wrath. Even without seeinghis father, the man knew that the old manwas thinking of him until the end of his life.*
7 - “Farewell Albania! Farewell Laura!”
(Stanza 105 – 125)While tied to a tree, the man wasapproached by two lingering lions. But thelions did not seem to attack, thinking thatthe man might already be dead. Realizingthe approach of death, the man says hisfarewell to Albania, the land he wished toserve since he was a child, and to Laura,whom he will forever love.*
8 - “Aladdin... the Rescuer”
(Stanza 126 – 135)Upon hearing the man's cries, the Muslimsoldier set off to find the man. His timingwas impeccable because the lions wereabout to attack the man. With a swiftmotion of his weapon, the Muslim soldier killed the two lions. With his courage andwas mermerized by Laura's beauty. Hebecame speechless and stuttered a lot inthe presence of Laura. After talking aboutLaura, Florante's mind drifts toward horriblethoughts about Laura's unfaithfulness.*
17 - “Preparing for War”
(Stanza 290 -304)Before setting off to war, King Linceusthrew a feast for Florante. The celebrationlasted for three days and within this period;he did not get to see Laura. The day beforehe set of to war, Florante saw Laura and heprofessed his love. Laura did not give him astraight answer, instead she cried andFlorante took this as a sign of Laura'sreciprocation of his feelings.General Osmalick and Florante finally meetand they battled for five hours until Florantewas able to defeat the general.*
18 - “First Battle”
(Stanza 305 - 316)Florante was able to save Croton from thehands of the enemy with the help of Minandro and his troupes. The peoplerejoiced their victory especially when theylearned that Florante is the king'sgrandson. But Florante and the king did notrejoice with them for they rememberedPrincess Floresca and mourned for her death. Five months had passed whenFlorante decided to return to Albania to bewith Laura again. On his journey back,Florante became weary when he saw theMuslim flag swaying in Albania.*
19 - “Saving Albania”
(Stanza 317 - 328Florante hid on the outskirts at the foot of the mountain to observe what is happening.He saw a woman tied and blindfolded whois about to be beheaded. He rememberedLaura and hastily went to rescue thewoman. He fought the Muslims andrescued the woman who happened to beLaura herself. Laura told Florante aboutthat Albania had been conquered. Theywent back and redeemed the country fromthe invaders. Florante freed the captivesincluding King Linceus, Duke Briseus, andCount Adolfo. The king honored Florantefor his bravery and Florante won Laura'saffection. With the victory of Florante,Adolfo's hatred and envy deepened and heplanned to take revenge against Florante.*
20 - “Adolfo's Treachery”
(Stanza 329 –346)A few months have passed since Albaniawas last invaded when the Persian armada,headed by Miramolin disturbed its peace.But the Turkish invaders did not succeedbecause Florante had defeated him. After
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