Associazione Figli d’arte Cuticchio

1) Astolfo is welcomed by Alcina’s handmaiden to be Alcina’s guest and he happily accepts.

 

2) Agramante’s Saracen army attacks Paris, but cannot win without Ruggiero.
Brunello brings Ruggiero to Agramante.
Ruggiero encounters Bradamante, who falls in love with him.
Saracens attack Bradamante and Ruggiero defends her.
Ruggiero and Bradamante lose sight of each other in the fight and then search for each other.

 

3) Bradamante encounters a Christian knight who tells her of a giant who kidnapped a young maiden. Bradamante, in seeking the giant, is tricked by the knight, Pinabello, and falls into Merlin’s tomb where she encounters Melissa. The spirit of Merlino tells Bradamante that she will marry Ruggiero and have a child. Melissa explains to Bradamante that she must rescue him from an enchantment by taking the magic ring from the thief Brunello and killing him.

 

 

4) Brunello and Bradamante at the inn. Brunello offers to accompany Bradamante (posing as Ricciardetto) to Atlante’s castle in order rob the knight’s horse, arms, and valuables.

 

 

5) Bradamante arrives at Atlante’s castle, having already tied Brunello to a tree and taken his ring. She blows her horn, fights with Atlante and defeats him thanks to the spell-breaking ring.

 

 

6) Bradamante encounters Ruggiero, who is then carried away by the hippogriff.

 

 

7) Ruggiero arrives on Alcina’s island and encounters Astolfo in the form of a myrtle tree. Astolfo explains Alcina’s nasty habit of transforming men into trees, rocks, etc. Adelaide appears and invites Ruggiero to enter Alcina’s palace to eat and sleep, but he refuses. Alcina then appears and seduces Ruggiero. Astolfo laments his fate and that of his fellow knight.

 

 

8) Melissa hears from a demon that Atlante’s hippogriff took Ruggiero to Alcina’s island where he is a prisoner of love. They fly away to reach Bradamante.

 

 

9) Bradamante searches for Ruggiero. Melissa explains Ruggiero’s predicament and takes the magic ring from Bradamante.

 

 

10) Ruggiero tells Alcina he wants to hunt, and she goes to have a boar liberated for him to catch. Melissa arrives and places the ring on Ruggiero’s finger and he returns to himself. Melissa departs at the return of Alcina.

 

 

11) Ruggiero spurns and insults Alcina, who then sends her army of ex-lovers after him.

 

 

12) After defeating several opponents, Ruggiero uses the magic ring to destroy the island’s spell. Astolfo and Ruggiero reunite.

Rome, January 5, 2014.

(courtesy of Giacomo Cuticchio)