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Welcome to this post on Florante at Laura. As we study the Philippine literature during
the Spanish period, we will revisit the various literary masterpieces produced/written
during this period and Florante at Laura penned by Francisco Baltazar is one of them. I
suppose you already took this up in your High School Filipino course but it would be
nice to have some considerable mastery of this immortal Filipino masterpiece. We can
only claim Florante at Laura to be truly our own if we can talk about it and at the same
time, share and exchange insights about it. So, hang in there and let’s enjoy Florante at
Laura once again. Enjoy!
Historical background
Florante at Laura is a shorter version of its original title, written in ancient
Tagalog: “Pinagdaanang Buhay ni Florante at ni Laura sa Cahariang Albania. Quinuha
sa madlang “cuadro histórico” o pinturang nagsasabi sa mga nangyayari nang unang
panahón sa Imperio nang Grecia, at tinula nang isang matouain sa versong
tagálog. (The Life of Florante and Laura in the Kingdom of Albania: Culled from a
publicly-displayed “cuadro histórico” or historical painting which describes the events
which were occurring during ancient times in the empire of Greece, and penned by
someone who enjoys Tagalog verse).
This literary masterpiece was written during Francisco Baltazar’s imprisonment in
Pandacan, Manila (he used the pseudonym Francisco Balagtas). Florante at Laura was
said to be the outcome of Balagtas’ heartbroken situation after losing the woman that he
loved the most whom he referred to as “Celia.” Balagtas wholeheartedly dedicated this
timeless book to Celia (Maria Asuncion Rivera or M.A.R.), who was later married to
Balagtas’ rival, Mariano Capule, a rich and powerful man. It was Capule who made false
charges against Balagtas and used the power of money to put him in jail.
Dr. José Rizal (the Philippine National Hero) considers Florante at Laura to be the best
awit (form of Filipino poetry) in his time. It was written as a depiction of the country’s
situation during the rule of the Spaniards. Balagtas was playful with his use of mockery,
irony, paradox, satire, disdain; he sets all this up like chess pieces. The characters and
the setting used were of foreign origin but the nature, gesture and custom are undoubtedly
Filipino and the events in the story are similar to the real incidents during that period.
Florante and Laura is considered an Awit or a “Song” in English. It has 399 stanzas and
is written in poetic form that has 4 lines per stanza and 12 syllables per line and each
stanza is full of figures of speech.
At present, Florante at Laura is an important Filipino literary classic that is being studied
in secondary school (in the second year) in the Philippines, in accordance with the
curriculum set by the Commission on Higher Education.
The Characters
Major characters:
Florante. Son of Duke Briseo and Princess Floresca; the main character of the
story; Laura’s love.
Laura. Daughter of King Linceo; Florante’s love.
Aladin. A Muslim prince and soldier; son of Sultan Ali-Adab; the man who saved
Florante; Flerida’s love.
Flerida. The woman who saved Laura; Aladin’s love.
Count Adolfo. A traitor; son of Count Sileno; Florante’s rival in Athens who is very
envious of Florante’s achievement.
Menandro. Florante’s classmate and faithful best friend; Florante’s right hand in the
battle.
Minor characters:
Duke Briseo. Father of Florante; Princess Floresca’s husband; King Linceo’s adviser.
Princess Floresca. Mother of Florante; wife of Duke Briseo, Princess of Crotona.
King Linceo. King of Albania; father of Laura.
Antenor. Florante’s reliable mentor while he was studying in Athens, Greece.
Count Sileno. Count Adolfo’s father; also from Albania.
General Miramolin. Headed the Turkish troops invading Albania.
General Osmalic. A Persian general who wanted to invade Croton.
Sultan Ali-Adab. King of Persia; father of Aladin; who also desired Aladin’s love,
Flerida.
Menalipo. Florante’s cousin who saved him from a vulture that almost snatched him
from his cradle.
King of Crotona. Princess Floresca’s father and the grandfather of Florante.