Inspirational Quotes by Torquato Tasso (Italian Poet)

Torquato Tasso (1544–95) was the preeminent Italian poet during the late Renaissance era. His poetry stands out for its exquisite beauty, profound emotional depth, and masterful employment of language. He gained renown for his monumental epic poem Gerusalemme liberata (1581; ‘Jerusalem Liberated,’) which chronicles the capture of Jerusalem during the First Crusade (1099.)

Born in Sorrento, Kingdom of Naples, Tasso was the son of Bernardo Tasso. At 16, Torquato Tasso was sent to Padua to pursue studies in law and philosophy. There, he published his first romantic poem, Rinaldo, in 1562. Later, Tasso spent a considerable amount of time at the court of Ferrara. Throughout his life, he constantly feared persecution and negative criticism, eventually leading Duke Alphonso II of Este to confine him as mentally unstable 1579–86. Although the legend of his infatuation with Leonora d’Este, the duke’s subsequent discovery, and his subsequent imprisonment is no longer accepted as factual, it enjoyed widespread belief for a long time. References to this tale can be found in John Milton’s Latin poem, Lord Byron’s The Lament of Tasso (1817,) Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s play Torquato Tasso (1789,) and Gaetano Donizetti’s opera of the same title (1833.)

During his seven-year confinement, Tasso composed numerous verses and engaged in philosophical dialogues. In 1586, he was finally released with the help of Prince Vincenzo Gonzaga, and he accompanied his new patron to Mantua. However, when he was summoned to Rome by Pope Clement VIII to be crowned as the king of poets on the Capitoline Hill, Tasso fell ill upon his arrival and passed away.

Tasso’s most notable works include the pastoral play Aminta (1573,) (Jerusalem Delivered (1580–81,) and the tragedy Torrismondo (1586.) He also crafted Pindaric odes, and his sonnets were utilized by Edmund Spenser in his Amoretti. Tasso’s epics and critical works, such as Discorsi dell’arte poetica and Discorsi del poema eroica, wielded a substantial influence on English literature, as evidenced in the writings of Samuel Daniel, John Milton, Giles and Phineas Fletcher, Abraham Cowley, John Dryden, and many others.

More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Torquato Tasso