BY HAROLD H. BLANCHARD Since Koeppel's pioneer study of the parallel passages in the Faerie Queene and Tasso's poems in 1889,1 no subsequent work has followed. The following is presented as a continuation of Koeppel's initial work. Koeppel confined himself chiefly to Tasso's Gerusalemme Liberata; a number of the parallels here given are taken from Tasso's earlier poem, the Rinaldo, first published in 1562. The present paper consists of a series of twenty-one parallels, arranged in general in the order in which they appear in the Faerie Queene. (1) The description of Archimago, as he is first met by the Red Cross Knight and Una, has been treated by the editors of Spenser as an imitation from Ariosto. Professor Dodge has been the only one to suggest: "Perhaps more striking reference would be to Tasso's Rinaldo, I, 31, where Malagigi appears as a venerable old man." It seems worth while, therefore, to present a comparative study of the passages involved. At length they chaunst to meet upon the way Ariosto I, i, 29 ... scontrò un Eremita in una valle, Ch' avea lunga la barba a mezzo il petto, 1 Emil Koeppel, "Die englischen Tassoübersetzungen des XVI jahrhunderts. II. La Gerusalemme Liberata. Anglia, XI, 341-362. See John Upton, edit. London 1758, vol. II, p. 346; Kitchin, p. 167; Percival, p. 173; Winstanley, pp. 223-224. "Spenser's Imitations from Ariosto,” Pub. Mod. Lang. Assoc., XII, 199. 198 From an examination of these passages, it will be noted: 1. Spenser's hermit is on foot. Tasso's hermit is on foot (sovra un bastoncel giva appoggiando | Le membra). Ariosto's is riding upon an ass. 2. Spenser has emphasized his age slightly more than Ariosto. Spenser calls him "an aged sire" with "beard all hoarie gray"; Ariosto describes his figure as "venerabile d'aspetto," "dagli anni ... attenuato." Tasso gives great emphasis to this phase of his figure: not only is he "d'aspetto venerando," but he devotes five other lines to indicate his wrinkles, the support of his stick, the weak appearance of his limbs, his thin white hair. 3. The impression of simplicity, gravity, and sincerity, as distinguished from piety, is in Spenser and Tasso, not in Ariosto. Sober he seemde, and very sagely sad. 4. In Spenser and Tasso the hermit was looking downward. Ariosto makes no mention of this. And to the ground his eyes were lowly bent. On the other hand: 5. Ariosto mentions the beard: Tasso does not. 6. The piety of the hermit is emphasized in Ariosto and Spen ser, especially in the last two lines quoted in each. This is not mentioned in Tasso. (2) The "darkesome clowd" which Duessa conjures to rescue Sansjoy from the Red Cross Knight (F. Q., I, v, 13 ff.) has been compared by Upton and subsequent commentators to similar clouds or mists in the classics, where the gods are accustomed to interpose in this manner to favor their favorite mortals. Spenser's passage bears a strong similarity, however, to one in the Gerusalemme Liberata. In the combat between Red Cross and Sansjoy, the former is on the point of dealing the death blow when Duessa produces the cloud. Therewith his heavie hand he high gan reare, Him to have slaine; when lo! a darkesome clowd Upon him fell: he no where doth appeare, But vanisht is. The Elfe him calls alowd, But answer none receives: the darknes him does shrowd. . . . Not all so satisfide, with greedy eye He sought all round about, his thristy blade To bathe in blood of faithlesse enimy; Who all that while lay hid in secret shade: He standes amazed, how he thence should fade. I, v, 13, 15. The closest parallel in the classics is the incident in the Iliad in which Venus rescues Paris in his fight with Menelaus. τὸν δ' ἐξήρπαξε 'Αφροδίτη ῥεῖα μάλ', ώς τε θεός, ἐκάλυψε δ ̓ ἄρ ̓ ἠέρι πολλῆς, III, 380-382. Here a cloud is cast upon the conquered, and he is carried away to be cared for, as in Spenser. Furthermore, the conquering warrior is portrayed, as in Spenser, searching for his opponent who has disappeared. 'Ατρείδης δ' ἀν' ὅμιλον ἐφοίτα θηρὶ ἐοικώς, Op. cit., II, 376. III, 449-450. In the G. L., Tancred has been treacherously lured to Armida's castle, where the apostate knight Rambaldo meets him at the drawbridge. It is nightfall, but the lights from the castle and from the heavens illumine the scene as they fight, while Armida watches from a lofty part of the edifice. Finally Rambaldo is compelled to turn in flight. Onde al ponte rifugge, e sol nel corso Fra l'ombre della notte e degl' incanti Nè può cosa vedersi a lato o avanti, E move dubbio e mal securo il piede. VII, 44-45. The following similarities may be noted between Spenser's incideat and Tasso's: 1. The general situation: the conquered knight is hidden by a protecting darkness. This occurs also in the Greek. 2. The conquering knight is portrayed in his subsequent bewilderment. In the Greek he is portrayed as searching for his opponent. 3. The darkness is created to protect her champion by the magic of a female enchantress, who is watching the combat closely. In the Greek it is produced by a god or goddess. 4. The verbal imitation: "when lo!", "quando ecco." 5. Worthy also of notice is the similarity between the following lines which occur in each case in the stanza immediately preceding those given above. The creeping deadly cold away did shake. E passa al cor del traditore un gelo. (3) I, v, 12. VII, 43. The general allegory and setting of the experience of the Red Cross Knight in the Cave of Despair and on the Hill of Contem plation (F. Q., I, ix-x) have a parallel in the experience of the hero of the Rinaldo in the "valle del dolore " and on the Hill of Hope (R., IX). The general parallel between Spenser's Cave of Despair and Tasso's "valle del dolore" was first suggested by John Hoole," and later developed by Koeppel who summarized it as follows: Die düsterkeit des ortes, sein ungesegneter baumwuchs, unheilverkündende vögel werden allerdings von beiden dichtern erwähnt; ausserdem erscheint bei beiden der dämon des ortes in männlicher gestalt, und bei beiden bedarf es der hilfe eines bezw. einer dritten, um die helden der gewalt der verzweiflung zu entreissen: Malagigi lockt den Rinaldo aus dem tal des schmerzes, indem er ihm sein pferd entführt, Una hemmt den schon gezückten dolch des Redcrosse Knight. Anderseits ergeben sich aber auch viele verschiedenheiten, vor allem fehlt in der episode des Redcrosse Knight das treibende motiv unglücklicher liebe. The subsequent parallel between Tasso's Hill of Hope and Spenser's Hill of Contemplation, however, has not been pointed out. The general outlines of the stories are as follows. The Red Cross Knight, unnerved by past ill-doings, comes in his career to the Cave of Despair, from which he barely escapes by Una's help. She then conducts him to the House of Holiness where he is instructed by the three daughters of Dame Caelia. Mercy then takes him to a high hill where Contemplation reveals to him the Eternal City. He then goes forth restrengthened, prepared to meet his great adversary, the Dragon of Evil. Rinaldo, grief-stricken because of the anger of Clarice and his banishment from the court of Charlemagne, wanders aimlessly into the "valle del dolore." He is drawn from this place by the help of an unknown knight who seizes his steed from him. This knight, who later turns out to be the guardian magician Malagigi, then conducts him to a steep hill. As Rinaldo ascends this, he feels his hope and courage return at the great beauty of the place. He meets with a lady clad in green, who has power over the hill, and who seems to await there divine favor. From her he derives his hope and happiness." Rinaldo... translated from the Italian, London, 1792, pp. x-xi. Op. cit., p. 357, footnote. * R., XI, 48 ff. |