Jerusalem Delivered
Torquato Tasso’s epic poem *Jerusalem Delivered*, first published in 1581, recounts a heavily mythologized version of the First Crusade, focusing on Christian knights under Godfrey of Bouillon as they battle Muslims to capture Jerusalem. Tasso began composing the work in the mid-1560s under the original title *Il Goffredo*, finishing it in April 1575. That summer, he read the poem to Duke Alfonso of Ferrara and Lucrezia, Duchess of Urbino. A pirate edition of fourteen cantos appeared in Venice in 1580, and the first complete editions were published in Parma and Ferrara the following year. Unlike other Renaissance epics, Tasso’s choice of an actual historical conflict gave the narrative a fixed endpoint, preventing endless expansion. The subject also resonated with contemporary readers, as the Ottoman Empire was advancing through Eastern Europe. The poem consists of 1,917 stanzas in ottava rima, totaling 15,336 hendecasyllabic lines, grouped into twenty cantos. It belongs to the Italian Renaissance tradition of the romantic epic, borrowing plot elements and character types from Ariosto’s *Orlando Furioso*, while also drawing on Homer and Virgil, especially in siege and warfare scenes. A central literary device is the emotional conflict characters face between love and duty, with passion often at odds with martial valor or honor. The plot bears little resemblance to actual Crusade history; it begins by claiming the crusaders killed Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos and conquered the Sultanate of Rum. The main historical leaders appear, but much of the poem involves fictional romantic subplots. The three principal female characters—all initially Muslim—have romantic ties with Christian knights and eventually convert. Two fight in battles, and one is a sorceress. Magical elements abound, and the Saracens often behave like classical pagans. Notable episodes include the maiden Sofronia and her lover Olindo each falsely confessing to a crime to save the other, rescued by the warrior Clorinda; Clorinda’s love affair with the Christian knight Tancredi, who accidentally kills her in battle; the princess Erminia, who betrays her people for Tancredi and later heals his wounds; and the witch Armida, who seduces and divides the Christian knights.
- title
- Jerusalem Delivered
- author
- Torquato Tasso
- language
- Italian
- genre
- Romantic epic poem
Lore & Background
Tasso began work on the poem in the mid-1560s, originally bearing the title *Il Goffredo*. The poem's subject matter, an actual historic conflict between Christians and Muslims with fantastical elements, gave it a fixed endpoint, unlike other Renaissance epics. The three main female characters begin as Muslims, have romantic entanglements with Christian knights, and convert to Christianity. Famous episodes include the warrior-maiden Clorinda, mistakenly killed by Tancredi; the sorceress Armida, who abducts Rinaldo; and the enchantments on a forest that are broken by Rinaldo. Tasso frequently borrows plot elements and character types from Ariosto's *Orlando Furioso*, and the poem also has elements inspired by the classical epics of Homer and Virgil. A central literary device is the emotional conundrum of characters torn between heart and duty, with love at odds with martial valor or honor. Upon publication, two thousand copies sold in a day.
Reader's Guide
Jerusalem Delivered, or *Gerusalemme liberata*, was composed by Torquato Tasso beginning in the mid-1560s and completed in 1575. The poet read his finished work to Duke Alfonso of Ferrara and Lucrezia, Duchess of Urbino that summer. A pirate edition of fourteen cantos appeared in Venice in 1580, and the first complete editions were published in Parma and Ferrara in 1581. The poem consists of 1,917 stanzas in ottava rima, totaling 15,336 hendecasyllabic lines, grouped into twenty cantos of varying length. Tasso’s subject matter—an actual historical conflict between Christians and Muslims, albeit with fantastical additions—gave the narrative a fixed endpoint, unlike other Renaissance epics that could be endlessly extended. This historical grounding also gave the work topical resonance for contemporary readers during the Ottoman Empire’s advance through Eastern Europe. The poem belongs to the Italian Renaissance tradition of the romantic epic, and Tasso frequently borrows plot elements and character types from Ariosto’s *Orlando Furioso*, as well as drawing on the classical epics of Homer and Virgil, particularly their siege and warfare sections. A central literary device is the emotional conundrum of characters torn between heart and duty, with love at odds with martial valor or honor providing lyrical passion. The poem was hugely successful, and its sections or moments were used in works across media throughout Europe, especially before the French Revolution and the Romantic movement, which offered alternative stories combining love, violence, and exotic settings.
Did You Know?
- Upon publication, two thousand copies sold in a day.
- The three main female characters begin as Muslims, have romantic entanglements with Christian knights, and convert to Christianity.
- Tasso rewrote the poem as *La Gerusalemme Conquistata* after criticism, but it found little favor.
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