Robert Greene
[and Samuel Rowley?]

THE HISTORIE OF
ORLANDO FURIOSO
ONE OF THE TWELVE PIERES OF FRANCE
As It Was Plaid Before the Queenes Maiestie.

[same as the supposedly lost Strange's/Admiral's play, Brandimer, performed 6 April 1599?]

1588–1592
London. Printed by John Danter for Cuthbert Burbie, and are to be sold at his shop nere the Royall Exchange. 1594 (Reprinted 1599)

a synoptic, alphabetical character list

ANGELICA
Daughter to Marsilius. In the contest arranged by her father, Marsilius, she chooses Orlando. After refusing the advances of Sacripant, she reaffirms her love for Orlando. Banished and forced to dress as a poor woman, Angelica finds herself alone and chased by Rodamant and Brandimart and their soldiers. She is saved by Orlando, who does not recognize her, and is knighted by him. She is captured by the Twelve Peers of France, who sentence her to death by fire, but she is again saved by a now sane Orlando.

BRANDIMART
King of the Isles. Sides with Rodamant, Mandricard and Sacripant. Along with Rodamant, escapes Orlando's initial attack. Killed by Orlando when he and Rodamant attempt to rape Angelica after she is banished.

CLOWNS
Beaten by a mad Orlando in the woods. One of the clowns dresses up as Angelica and is again beaten by Orlando.

DUKE of AQUITAIN
Fights Rodamant with Orlando.

FIDDLER
Plays at the request of Orlando, who is disguised as a poet. Orlando mistakes his fiddle for a sword and beats him.

MANDRICARD
King of Mexico. Sides with Sacripant, Brandimart and Rodamant in their bid to revenge themselves on Marsilius. However, after being moved by the goodness of Marsilius, he abandons Rodamant's cause and repents, sending his troops back to Mexico and joins with Marsilius.

MARSILIUS
Emperor of Africa. As the play opens, Marsilius has called the Soldan of Egypt and the Kings of Cuba, Mexico, and the Isles, as well as Orlando, to his palace in order that each may make his most passionate plea for the hand of his daughter, Angelica. After she chooses Orlando, Marsilius is threatened by Rodamant, the King of Cuba, Mandricard, the King of Mexico, and Brandimart, King of the Isles, with war. Finding Orlando mad with jealousy in the garden, he too believes the evidence planted by Sacripant and banishes his daughter from his kingdom and condemns Medor to death. Along with Mandricard, he dresses as a Palmer and meets the Twelve Peers of France, who have come seeking revenge on Angelica. After revealing himself to them, he agrees to help them find her. Once he learns the truth from Orlando in the play's closing lines, he agrees to marry his daughter to Orlando and to bestow his crown to him.

MEDOR
Angelica's confidant. He is framed by Sacripant who tricks Orlando into thinking that Angelica is in love with him.

MELISSA
An enchantress. With her wand, she charms the maddened Orlando and puts him to sleep. She conjures satyrs who dance around Orlando as he sleeps. She then conjures a dream for Orlando which fills his sleep with fearful thoughts and images. Upon waking, she informs Orlando of the truth of Angelica's faithfulness and reveals the trick played upon him by Sacripant.

NAMUS
Arrives with the Twelve Peers of France. Fights a disguised Orlando, but is defeated and in the end makes peace with him.

OGIER
Arrives with the Twelve Peers of France. Fights a disguised Orlando, but is defeated and in the end makes peace with him.

OLIVER
On behalf of the Twelve Peers of France, he condemns Angelica to death by fire for her betrayal of Orlando.

ORGALIO
Page to Orlando.

ORLANDO
A valiant soldier. Having been chosen by Angelica to be her husband, Orlando, along with a bevy of French soldiers, besieges Rodamant's castle, but Rodamant, along with Brandimart, escapes. Orlando, wandering in a garden and musing on his love for Angelica, discovers the love verses placed there by Sacripant, and believing the rumors spread by the disguised servant, begins to go mad, first thinking that his trusty servant, Orgalio, is Medor, Angelica's supposed lover, and then turning his wrath to Sacripant's disguised servant, whose leg he tears off and proceeds to wear around his neck. Later he saves Angelica, now abandoned and dressed as a poor woman, from Rodamant and Brandimart; in the ensuing battle he kills Brandimart. Given his madness he is not able to recognize Angelica; instead he thinks she is a brave soldier and knights her. He then mistakes a clown, who is dressed up as Angelica, as Angelica, and he beats him. Later, he dresses as a poet and composes love poems to his "faithless" Angelica. After cajoling a traveling fiddler to play for him, and after mistaking the fiddle for a sword and beating the fiddler, he is charmed to sleep by Melissa who reveals to him a horrifying dream which brings him to his senses, and then he learns the truth of Angelica's faithfulness and Sacripant's duplicity. He saves Marsilius and Mandricard from Sacripant, and in the ensuing battle, during which he is disguised as a mercenary, kills Sacripant. Still disguised, Orlando saves Angelica as she is about to be put to death by the Twelve Peers of France. He is given Angelica's hand in marriage by her father, who also makes him king. The play ends with Orlando announcing that he will return with Angelica to France.

PEERS of FRANCE
Twelve peers of France arrive in search of Orlando and Angelica. They vow to seek revenge upon Angelica for driving Orlando to insanity with her supposed unfaithfulness. They meet Marsilius and Mandricard, who are dressed as Palmers and who agree to take them to the now banished Angelica.

RALPH
Fights with Orlando against Rodamant and Brandimart.

RODAMANT
King of Cuba. With Sacripant, Brandimart and Mandricard he organizes a rebellion in order to revenge himself on Marsilius. His castle is destroyed by Orlando, but not before he escapes, along with Brandimart. He attempts to rape Angelica, but is chased off by Orlando.

ROSSILION
Condemns Angelica's choice of Orlando over the other suitors.

SACRIPANT
After being passed over by Angelica for Orlando, Sacripant vows to first steal Angelica and then to poison Orlando in order to insure that he is the future King of France, a position he believes is rightfully his. Pleads with Angelica for her to change her mind, which she refuses to do; instead she reaffirms her love for Orlando. Sacripant vows to trick Oralando into thinking that Angelica is in love with her confidant, Medor, by strewing love notes in a garden frequented by Orlando. Crowns himself king and then pursues Marsilius and Mandricard, attempting to kill them. Fights a disguised Orlando, who enters as a mercenary soldier, and is killed by him.

SACRIPANT'S MAN
By disguising himself as a shepherd and spreading the rumor that Angelica and Medor are in love, he helps Sacripant in his attempt to trick Orlando.

SATYRS
At the biding of Melissa, they dance around a sleeping Orlando.

SOLDAN of EGYPT
After being passed over by Angelica, returns to Egypt.

TOM
Fights with Orlando against Rodamant and Brandimart.

TURPIN
Fights Orlando on behalf of the Twelve Peers of France.