Florante at Laura (lit. "Florante and Laura") is a Filipino epic written by Francisco Balagtas, a.k.a.

Francisco Baltazar, during his time in prison. Completed in 1838, the work is dedicated to "Selya", his
beloved at the time, and is an allegory for the state of the Philippines under Spanish colonialism, as well
as the state Balagtas was in while incarcerated. Set during The Crusades, the work itself is about the life
of Florante, duke of the Kingdom of Albania, Aladin, prince of Persia (no, not that one), Adolfo, the evil
Big Bad greedy for power, and Laura, Florante's beloved.

Of note is the fact that despite being a Filipino work, other than the language (obviously), and the main
characters' religions, nothing else is Filipino about the poem. It's generally agreed upon that Balagtas
wrote about a completely foreign setting and characters as a means to bypass the Censorship Bureau of
the colonial regime, which would've likely comprised both government officials and Catholic friars. At the
time, The Church (so closely wedded to State in the Spanish Empire) controlled most local media, owning
as they did most of the colony's printing presses. The strongest piece of evidence for this, perhaps, is the
fact that Balagtas tacked on a couple of lines at the end of the epic suggesting that the Muslims Aladin
and Flerida converted to Christianity. He doesn't dwell, though, on whether they stayed Christian or
attempted to spread that gospel upon returning to their native (and obviously majority-Muslim) lands.
Then again, writing about completely foreign settings doesn't make Balagtas much different from, say,
William Shakespeare, who was famously obsessed with Italy to the point of setting many of his plays
there despite having never gone (according to what we know, at least).

Florante at Laura is written in a peculiar literary form known as Awit (lit. "Song") - each stanza has four
lines with 12 syllables each. This form is notorious for having oddly specific guidelines, notably "each line
must be/contain a figure of speech" and have a "slight pause (known as a caesura) on every 6th syllable".

Adapted several times for other media, including into a Comic-Book Adaptation à la Illustrated Classics
(see page image) and a musical, Balinese-style shadow play in the mid-2000s. It is standard reading
today in the Philippine equivalent of the Grade 8 curriculum.

Action Girl: In the few chapters we see her in, Flerida.

Attempted Rape: Laura gets this. Twice.

Author Avatar: Florante is Balagtas.

Author Tract: Basically the whole thing, but special mention goes to the chapter "Pag-Ibig Anakin", which
is dedicated to bashing parents who spoil their kids.

Badass Bookworm: Florante.

Beginner's Luck: Florante bests Osmalic, a known and fearsome general. It's Florante's first real fight.

Bedsheet Ladder: How Flerida got out of the castle.

Beneath the Mask: In his younger days, Adolfo pretended to be sweet, elegant, and smart, never picking
a fight. This was not the case.
Beta Couple: Aladin and Flerida.

Big Bad: Adolfo.

Bigger Bad: Sultan Ali-Adab of Persia.

Bound and Gagged: When Florante comes back after battle because he received a letter from King Linceo
thought that's actually Adolfo, he gets ambushed and this happens.

Chained To A Tree: How we find Florante in the beginning.

Character Title

Contrived Coincidence: Just after Aladin rescues Florante who tells him the events of the story, they
walked around the forest and bumped into Flerida and Laura. Either that's coincidence or the forest is
very small.

The Coup: How Adolfo comes to power in Albania.

Creator Breakdown: "Gubat na Mapanglaw" = Balagtas' state in the prison.

Deceased Parents Are the Best: Florante's mom and dad, Floresca and Briseo. Floresca was loving, if
overprotective, and Briseo was kind, caring, and a paragon of virtue.

Deus Angst Machina: Florante. He nearly gets killed in a School Play. Just before he returns home, his
mom dies. He suddenly becomes general of Albania's army and must separate from Laura to fight. He
receives a letter from Albania to return home where he is ambushed by Adolfo and thrown into jail.
While there, he finds out that Briseo and Linceo have been killed, finds out that Adolfo is now in charge
of the kingdom and has Laura, after which he is banished and chained to a tree in Mordor forest. Wow.

Distressed Damsel: Laura. So much.

Evil Always Triumphs In The Middle: Adolfo takes over Albania, has Briseo and Linceo killed, kidnaps
Laura and has Florante banished and tied to a tree.

Genre Deconstruction: Of the then-prevalent, Catholic-Filipino epic genre note , classifiable mainly into
two forms: the awit and the corrido, and the related moro-moro form, all of which featured Divine
Intervention and Christian morality triumphing over the foreign—usually Muslim—Other. Florante at
Laura subverts this by having Florante saved by man instead of God, and making its principal villain as
much of a Christian as the protagonists, whilst the major supporting cast—notably Aladin and Flerida—
are explicitly heroic Muslims, so much so that Balagtas likely only managed to keep them in the poem in
the following way, as seen below:

Getting Crap Past the Radar: During the time, Christianity abhorred Muslims. Aladin is a Muslim prince
and one of the good guys. To get this past the censors, Balagtas took two lines to mention that Aladin
and Flerida were baptized as Christians at the end.
He also used tons of metaphors and symbols to issue Take Thats against Spain's rule. For example,
Florante being tied to the tree in the beginning is an allegory to Filipinos being captive under Spain.

Glory Seeker: Hinted to be the reason Adolfo wore his mask back at school.

The Good Chancellor: Duke Briseo.

The Good Guys Always Win: Don't say you weren't expecting it.

Good Samaritan: Aladin, a Muslim prince, helps Florante, a Christian, despite the fierce rivalry between
Christians and Muslims back then. He slays the tiger that was about to eat Florante, and stays up all night
to tend to Florante and defend both of them from the animals lurking in the forest.

Greed: Adolfo's avarice for power and money is his motivation.

The High Middle Ages: The presumed setting of the epic; more specifically, sometime during The
Crusades.

Hollywood Costuming: Almost none of the known visual depictions of the epic poem gets the costuming
right. For a tale set during The Crusades, sometime in The High Middle Ages, Florante and his Albanian
and Athenian buddies wear nothing resembling high medieval southeast-European costume, whether
civilian or military: in most comic, film and school-textbook depictions, Florante's wearing some sort
pleated and armoured getup resembling a generic Imperial Roman soldier, or else sports pleated puffy
sleeves that were last seen on 16th-century Spanish conquistadores (like the ones who colonised the
Philippines in the first place). The costume of women like Laura are sometimes even less defined, just
being generic full-length ballgowns or gauzy dresses in some renditions.

How We Got Here: How the story is told.

I Have You Now, My Pretty: Adolfo to Laura. Florante first thinks it's consensual, though.

In Medias Res: The story starts with our hero, Florante, tied to a tree.

Long Title: The full title, in archaic Tagalog, is "Pinagdaanang Buhay nina Florante at Laura sa Kahariang
Albanya: Kinuha sa madlang "cuadro histórico" o pinturang nagsasabi sa mga nangyayari nang unang
panahon sa Imperyo ng Gresya, at tinula ng isang matuwain sa bersong Tagalog." note

Love at First Sight: Florante and Laura.

Mordor: "Gubat na Mapanglaw" ("Melancholic Forest").

Manipulative Bastard: Adolfo. He convinced Albania that King Linceo was going to starve them, staged a
coup with the support of the enraged citizens, had the court massacred, and declared himself king.

Melting-Pot Nomenclature: Hispanic names (of both Catholic and Greek origin) on the one side, Islamic
names (of both Arabic and Persian) on the other.
Name and Name: The usual, Official Couple variant.

Near-Villain Victory: Adolfo's got the throne, he's got Florante and all the good in Albania banished and
he's got Laura. Then he gets killed by an arrow to the head from Flerida who just happened to be passing
by when she witnessed Adolfo trying to rape Laura.

No OSHA Compliance: One imagines the director or crew behind the School Play would've prevented
Adolfo from using real weapons against Florante.

Posthumous Character: Briseo, Floresca.

Revenge: Adolfo's main motivator in the latter part of the book.

School Play: Back in Athens, they performed Oedipus Rex.

Shown Their Work: Balagtas was a pretty educated guy. You can see that in all the references to Greek
mythology he throws in.

Spell My Name with an "S": There's a bit of a debate over whether Florante ought to be spelled Plorante
because he gets likened to flowers (Spanish flor) but then also to sorrow (archaic Spanish plorar, now
llorar though) in quick succession. Or maybe it's just a pun.

Stepford Smiler: Adolfo, Type 3.

Take That!: Basically a huge one against the Spanish government and the corrupt Church.

The Usurper: Adolfo to the Albanian throne.

Yandere: Aladin shows signs. He gets two verses where he first contemplates The Power of Love and how
it can tear apart even the closest True Companions... then says that since that is so, he doesn't need
goodness or kindness and will crush those who come between him and Flerida.

Florante at Laura is a shorter version of its original title, written in ancient Tagalog: “Pinagdaanang Buhay
ni Florante at ni Laura sa Cahariang Albania. Quinuha sa madlang “cuadro histórico” o pinturang
nagsasabi sa mga nangyayari nang unang panahón sa Imperio nang Grecia, at tinula nang isang matouain
sa versong tagálog. (The Life of Florante and Laura in the Kingdom of Albania: Culled from a publicly-
displayed “cuadro histórico” or historical painting which describes the events which were occurring
during ancient times in the empire of Greece, and penned by someone who enjoys Tagalog verse).

This literary masterpiece was written during Francisco Baltazar’s imprisonment in Pandacan, Manila (he
used the pseudonym Francisco Balagtas). Florante at Laura was said to be the outcome of Balagtas’
heartbroken situation after losing the woman that he loved the most whom he referred to as “Celia.”
Balagtas wholeheartedly dedicated this timeless book to Celia (Maria Asuncion Rivera or M.A.R.), who
was later married to Balagtas’ rival, Mariano Capule, a rich and powerful man. It was Capule who made
false charges against Balagtas and used the power of money to put him in jail.

Dr. José Rizal (the Philippine National Hero) considers Florante at Laura to be the best awit (form of
Filipino poetry) in his time. It was written as a depiction of the country’s situation during the rule of the
Spaniards. Balagtas was playful with his use of mockery, irony, paradox, satire, disdain; he sets all this up
like chess pieces. The characters and the setting used were of foreign origin but the nature, gesture and
custom are undoubtedly Filipino and the events in the story are similar to the real incidents during that
period.

Florante and Laura is considered an Awit or a “Song” in English. It has 399 stanzas and is written in poetic
form that has 4 lines per stanza and 12 syllables per line and each stanza is full of figures of speech.

At present, Florante at Laura is an important Filipino literary classic that is being studied in secondary
school (in the second year) in the Philippines, in accordance with the curriculum set by the Commission
on Higher Education.

The Characters

Major characters:

Florante. Son of Duke Briseo and Princess Floresca; the main character of the story; Laura’s love.

Laura. Daughter of King Linceo; Florante’s love.

Aladin. A Muslim prince and soldier; son of Sultan Ali-Adab; the man who saved Florante; Flerida’s love.

Flerida. The woman who saved Laura; Aladin’s love.

Count Adolfo. A traitor; son of Count Sileno; Florante’s rival in Athens who is very envious of Florante’s
achievement.

Menandro. Florante’s classmate and faithful best friend; Florante’s right hand in the battle.

Minor characters:
Duke Briseo. Father of Florante; Princess Floresca’s husband; King Linceo’s adviser.

Princess Floresca. Mother of Florante; wife of Duke Briseo, Princess of Crotona.

King Linceo. King of Albania; father of Laura.

Antenor. Florante’s reliable mentor while he was studying in Athens, Greece.

Count Sileno. Count Adolfo’s father; also from Albania.

General Miramolin. Headed the Turkish troops invading Albania.

General Osmalic. A Persian general who wanted to invade Croton.

Sultan Ali-Adab. King of Persia; father of Aladin; who also desired Aladin’s love, Flerida.

Menalipo. Florante’s cousin who saved him from a vulture that almost snatched him from his cradle.

King of Crotona. Princess Floresca’s father and the grandfather of Florante.

Florante at Laura summary

The story begins with a description of a dark, dangerous, deserted forest in the kingdom of Albania, that
is inhabited by serpents, basilisks, hyenas, and tigers. Deep in the heart of the depressing jungle where
the tangled growth of vines and thickets intertwined, and the great canopy of heavy foliaged trees
formed a roof over the dismal jungle clearing, the moans and anguished cries of a forsaken man filled
the savage stillness of the air. The man is tied to a tree and is barely alive. He is Florante, the son of Duke
Briseo and Princess Floresca. He has blonde hair, fair smooth skin, and a face and body that is
comparable to that of Narcissus and Adonis.

Florante, while tied to a tree, questions the heavens for the suffering of the people of Albania. Here he
describes the treachery and suffering that are happening inside and outside of the kingdom of Albania.
Gone are the days of peace and justice, innocent people have become victims of those who are hungry
for power and money. Those who fought to save the kingdom have suffered grievously. He mentions that
Count Adolfo was said to be behind the treachery with his plot to steal the crown from King Linceo and
the wealth of Duke Briseo. Florante begs heaven to save the kingdom of Albania.

The man tells the heavens that he can take whatever trial or challenge that may come his way as long as
Laura will always remember him. Aside from all that is happening to Albania, he takes refuge in the
memories of the times he shared with Laura. He mentions that he would be pleased to see Laura crying
over his dead body if Laura would betray him. With this, he imagines Laura in the arms of Count Adolfo.
This thought brings him to tears and devastation which made him tired and cause him to pass out.
The man cries for Laura to save him, but she does not come. With this, the man thinks that Count Adolfo
has finally stolen Laura from him. He mentions that he will thank Count Adolfo for all the hardship as
long as he doesn’t take Laura from him. With too much to bear, the man cries in despair and faints.

In another part of the forest comes Aladin, a Muslim soldier. He sits on a stump and professes his love
for a woman named Flerida. He talks about his overwhelming love for Flerida and vows to kill for the
sake of love. He says that no one can stand in his way nor is there anyone who can take his love from her,
not even his father. He also says that love can make a person blind to the truth and make him forget
about reason and honor.

After professing his love for Flerida, the Muslim soldier hears a voice in the forest. This voice talks about
the brutal death of his loving father. The man talks about how his father was beheaded and had his body
thrown somewhere else. No one attempted to bury his father’s remains for fear of Count Adolfo’s wrath.
Even without seeing his father, the man knew that the old man was thinking of him until the end of his
life.

While tied to a tree, Florante was approached by two lingering lions. But the lions did not seem to attack,
thinking that the man might already be dead. Realizing the approach of death, the man says his farewell
to Albania, the land he wished to serve since he was a child, and to Laura, whom he will forever love.

Upon hearing the man’s cries, Aladin set off to find the man. His timing was impeccable because the
lions were about to attack Florante. With a swift motion of his weapon, the Muslim soldier killed the two
lions. With his courage and precision in combat, he was compared to Mars, the god of war.

After rescuing Florante, Aladin frees him and lays him down. Florante wakes up delirious looking for
Laura. The Muslim soldier does not respond and Florante goes back to sleep. When he finally wakes up,
Florante is surprised to see an enemy taking care of him. Aladin told him that he wishes the man no
harm and that the command of heaven to help is what’s important. The man said that he did not want
the soldiers’ pity, what he needs is death. Aladin yelled at him for speaking such nonsense.

Due to all that they have been through recently, Aladin and Florante decide to become silent. When
nightfall comes, Aladin carried Florante and rests on a flat rock. The Muslim soldier feeds Florante and
has him sleep on his lap. He watches over Florante because he is still delirious and he is devastated every
time the latter wakes up. In the morning, Florante thanks Aladin for what he has done for him. The
soldier asked Florante why he was so devastated, and the latter willingly narrated his story.
The man tells the Muslim soldier that his name is Florante. Florante tells him that he came from Albania
and that he is the son of Duke Briseo, second in command of the kingdom, and Princess Floresca of
nearby Kingdom of Crotona. He proudly talks about his father saying what a brave and kind man he was.
He also emphasizes that there is no one who can outdo his father in loving a child and in teaching him
good manners. Florante also spoke of two accounts when he almost died as a child. One was when he
was almost caught by a vulture but was rescued by his cousin Menalipo. The other was when someone
attempted to take the diamond that was on his chest.

Florante spoke about his happy childhood. When he was a child, he loved playing outdoors and hunting.
He realized that a child must not be raised with too much freedom and security because life is tough
when one grows older. He also says that a child will have difficulty in facing challenges if he is too
pampered and safe as a child. Duke Briseo taught him how to stand alone by sending him to Athens to
study under Antenor.

Florante studies in Athens under Antenor. He becomes homesick and longs to be with his parents again
but he is comforted by Antenor. Adolfo, a boy from Albania and the son of Duke Sileno, becomes his
classmate. Adolfo is two years older than him and is admired by everyone in school for his wisdom and
kindness. Due to his intelligence, Florante was able to learn the lessons about philosophy, astrology and
mathematics in no time at all which astonished his teachers. He even surpassed Adolfo in all aspects and
became known all across Athens. Everyone distrusted the kindness that Adolfo is showing. In a sporting
competition, Adolfo’s true color began to show; which aroused the people’s suspicions.

During a play performed by the students, Adolfo attempted to kill Florante but did not succeed due to his
classmate Menandro’s interference. After two months, Florante received a letter from his father bringing
bad news and summoning him to come home. It was difficult for Florante to say his goodbyes to his
classmates and his mentor, Antenor. Before leaving, Antenor advised Florante not to be too trusting
because there are enemies all around. Florante went home with his friend, Menandro. Upon arriving at
Albania, Florante cried when he saw his father. After he calmed down, Duke Briseo told Florante about
the death of Princess Floresca.

The emissary of Crotona came to Albania with a letter asking for help in saving Crotona from the Persian
invaders headed by General Osmalic. Florante pauses to praise Aladin, saying that the general is only
second to Aladin in combat skill. With this, Aladin smiles and says that rumors are not necessarily true.
Returning to his story, Florante said that he and his father went to King Linceo to discuss how they could
help Crotona. King Linceo appointed Florante to lead the army that will help save Crotona.

During their visit to King Linceo, Florante saw Laura, the daughter of the king. He was mesmerized by
Laura’s beauty. He became speechless and stuttered a lot in the presence of Laura. After talking about
Laura, Florante’s mind drifts toward horrible thoughts about Laura’s unfaithfulness.
Before setting off to war, King Linceo threw a feast for Florante. The celebration lasted for three days and
within this period, he did not get to see Laura. The day before he set to war, Florante saw Laura and he
professed his love. Laura did not give him a straight answer, instead she cried and Florante took this as a
sign of Laura’s reciprocation of his feelings.

General Osmalic and Florante finally meet and they battled for five hours until Florante was able to
defeat the general. Florante was able to save Crotona from the hands of the enemy with the help of
Menandro and his troops. The people rejoiced their victory especially when they learned that Florante is
the king’s grandson. But Florante and the king did not rejoice with them for they remembered Princess
Floresca and mourned for her death. Five months had passed when Florante decided to return to
Albania to be with Laura again. On his journey back, Florante became weary when he saw the Muslim
flag swaying over Albania.

Florante hid in the outskirts at the foot of the mountain to observe what is happening. He saw a woman
tied and blindfolded who is about to be beheaded. He remembered Laura and hastily went to rescue the
woman. He fought the Muslims and rescued the woman who happened to be Laura herself. Laura told
Florante about Albania had been conquered. They went back and redeemed country from the invaders.
Florante freed the captives including King Linceo, Duke Briseo, and Count Adolfo. The king honored
Florante for his bravery and Florante won Laura’s affection. With the victory of Florante, Adolfo’s hatred
and envy deepened and he planned to take revenge against Florante.

A few months have passed when Albania was last invaded, when the Turkish army, headed by General
Miramolin disturbed its peace. The Turkish invaders did not succeed because Florante defeated him.
After this, Florante successfully won many battles which earned him the respect of thirteen kings. One
day, while Florante was in the middle of a war, he received a letter ordering him to return immediately to
Albania. He left the war under the command of Menandro and set off to return to Albania. Upon
arriving, he was surprised to be welcomed by 20,000 soldiers who abducted him. Here he learned that
Adolfo had ordered for his father, Duke Briseo, and King Linceo to be beheaded. He also learned that
Laura was engaged to Count Adolfo. Florante was imprisoned for 18 days then was transferred to the
forest where he was tied to an Acacia tree. He had been in the forest for two days when the Muslim
soldier found and rescued him.

After Florante narrated his story, the Muslim soldier introduces himself as Aladin, son of Sultan Ali-Adab
of Persia. Aladdin tells Florante that he will tell his own stoiry in due time because he needs some time
to collect himself.

After wandering around the forest for five months, Aladin begins to narrate his story. He says that his
father is the root of all his suffering. His father became his rival for his love, Flerida. In order to succeed,
Sultan Ali-Adab plotted a scheme to behead Aladin by framing him as the cause of the downfall of the
Persian invaders that resulted to Florante’s victory in Albania. On the night before Aladin’s execution,
Sultan Ali-Adab forgave Aladin on the condition that he would flee Persia and never return. Aladin
agreed but could not accept the idea of Flerida in the arms of another man. Since then, Aladin has been
a wanderer of the forest for six years. He suddenly stops his story when they heard voices in the forest.

The two men heard voices of women. One of the women narrated the story she heard about the danger
that her lover was in. She begged the Sultan not to push through with his beheading in exchange for her
agreement to marry him. The Sultan agreed and her lover was set free, leaving, without saying goodbye.
One night, while everyone was busy with the wedding preparations, the woman who happens to be
Flerida, disguised herself as a soldier and escaped. She wandered the forest hoping to find her love. Here
in the forest is where the two women met when Flerida saved Laura who was about to be assaulted by a
man. They stopped talking when they hear footsteps approaching and were surprised to see Florante
and Aladdin.

Laura narrates her story. It began when Florante left to battle the Persian invaders. Adolfo ordered that
the king and his loyal servants be beheaded. Adolfo took over the throne and forced Laura to marry him.
It took five months for him to court Laura but she did not waver in her decision not to marry him. After
Florante was sent to die in the forest, Menandro and his men returned to Albania and overthrew Adolfo.
Adolfo would not accept defeat; instead he took Laura and his men to the forest. Here Adolfo saw no
escape and decided to rape Laura right there. Upon hearing a woman’s cry for help, Flerida came to the
rescue and killed Adolfo with an arrow.

Their conversation is interrupted by the arrival of Menandro and his toops. Upon seeing Florante, he
rejoices to see his friend. The two couples return to Albania where they are warmly welcomed. Flerida
and Aladdin agreed to be baptized as Christians. Both couples are wed and Florante and Laura rule over
Albania with justice, peace, and harmony. When Sultan Ali-Adab dies, Aladdin and Flerida return to
Persia and they rule over the people happily.

References

http://www.kapitbisig.com/philippines/florante-at-laura-by-francisco-baltazar-booknotes-summary-in-
english-the-story-the-summary-of-florante-at-laura_954.html

www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/15845

www.goodreads.com/author/show/843653.Francisco_Balagtas