Torquato Tasso :: Essays Papers

Torquato Tasso The sustenance of Torquato Tasso (1544-1595) can at best be called unfortunate. Born in Sorrento on the eleventh of March to Bernardo Tasso, himself a poet of nigh esteem and a member of the very minor nobility, Torquato was able to benefit from the education that was gettable to those of his station. He studied at the court of Duke Guibaldo II delle Rovere of Urbino until 1560, when, at his fathers request, he left to study law and philosophy at the University of Padua. It was during this time that Torquato Tasso (Tasso) wrote his set-back major romantic poem Rinaldo, which dealt with the stories of Charlemagne. Tassos father, upon reading this manuscript relieved Tasso of his healthy and philosophical studies so that he might further explore and arm his poetic talents. Thus, Tasso enrolled at the University of Bologna in 1563, and after three historic period of study, became a courtier of Cardinal Luigi dEste at Ferrara, under whose patronage, Tasso th rived in what could probably be called the happiest years of his life. Later, he entered into the service of the Cardinals brother, Alfonso II, duke of Ferrara. It was at this time that Tasso produced his LAminta and his masterwork nearly the First Crusade, La Gerusalemme liberata (Jerusalem Delivered), which was completed between 1559 and 1575. However, it was through this work that Tassos life and work would no longer be his to control. While in the exploit of completing his masterpiece, Tasso sent out portions to his friends and other critics for their evaluations and suggestions. The responses that he received were all in all unfavorable and the work was very harshly criticized, even to the point that some of the clergy dubbed Tasso a heretic for writing it. Tasso, sensitive to this criticism, fell into an unhealthy accede of depression and melancholy and was prone to fits of irritability and instability. His condition was made worsened by the knowledge that some of the critics who had criticized his work began to publish pieces of it publicly. His condition at one point reached such a state that one dark in 1577 Tasso stabbed one of his servants who he believed to be spying on him. later this incident, Tasso was jailed but later escaped and fled to his sisters house in Sorrento.