Torquato Tasso (1544-1595)

### Best Known For

his epic poem Gerusalemme liberata (Jerusalem Delivered), which tells the story of the First Crusade and the capture of Jerusalem

## About

Torquato Tasso was an Italian poet of the 16th century, born on March 11, 1544, in Sorrento, Kingdom of Naples [Italy] and died on April 25, 1595, in Rome. He was the son of Bernardo Tasso, a nobleman of Bergamo and an epic and lyric poet of considerable fame in his day, and his wife Porzia de Rossi, a noblewoman born in Naples of Tuscan origins. Tasso is considered the greatest Italian poet of the late Renaissance, celebrated for his heroic epic poem Gerusalemme liberata (1581; “Jerusalem Liberated”), dealing with the capture of Jerusalem during the First Crusade. Tasso's artistic style combines intense emotion with a serious moral tone. In his most famous work, the epic Jerusalem Delivered, he explored the themes of love and heroism, providing a rich and complex account of the tensions between the two. This work made Torquato famous as one of the greatest poets of his day. Tasso's father was a court poet in the city of Naples, and his imagination had already been fired by stories of the Crusades. He was educated with the Duke of Urbino's son and was struck in 1558 by news of an attack by the Turks on Sorrento, where his family lived. Tasso's life was marked by personal and professional struggles. He suffered from mental illness and was confined to a hospital in Ferrara for seven years by order of the Duke of Ferrara. During his confinement, Tasso wrote a number of philosophical and moral dialogues that, together with his numerous letters, are among the best examples of 16th-century Italian prose. In July 1586, Tasso was released from Santa Anna.

## Early Life and Education

Torquato Tasso was born on March 11, 1544, in Sorrento, Italy, to a noble family. His father, Bernardo Tasso, was a poet and served as secretary to the prince of Salerno. Tasso's childhood included stays in Naples, Rome, Bergamo, and Pesaro. At the age of thirteen, he was hired as a tutor to the son of Duke Guidobaldo of Urbino, where he was educated. Tasso studied law and philosophy at the universities of Padua and Bologna.

## Personal Life

Torquato Tasso (1544-1595) had a troubled personal life. He suffered from mental illness and periods of confinement, during which he wrote philosophical and moral dialogues. After 1575, he suffered from intense religious scruples and became an almost helpless victim of remorse of conscience. His life had not been free from reproach; he had frequently been carried away by the storms of passion. Tasso's father, Bernardo Tasso, was a court poet in the city of Naples, which at the time belonged to Spain. In 1547 Bernardo Tasso became involved in a resistance movement against the introduction of the Spanish Inquisition into Naples. He eventually had to flee the city, along with his son.

## Controversies

Torquato Tasso (1544-1595) was involved in several controversies during his lifetime. One of the most significant was his conflict with the Duke of Ferrara, Alfonso II, who was his patron. Tasso accused the Duke of withholding his pay and keeping him under surveillance, and he was eventually imprisoned in a mental institution for several years. Tasso's mental illness and erratic behaviour also caused him to fall out of favour with other patrons and literary circles. Despite these controversies, Tasso's literary works, particularly his epic poem Gerusalemme liberata, continued to be highly regarded and influential in Italian literature.

## Filmography

there is at least one film based on Torquato Tasso's life. The film is called “Torquato Tasso” and was directed by Luchino Visconti in 1975. The film is a biographical drama that tells the story of Tasso's life, including his struggles with mental illness and his relationship with the Duke of Ferrara.

## Quotes

“Love is when he gives you a piece of your soul, that you never knew was missing.”

“The desire of glory clings even to the best of men longer than any other passion.”

“The greatest happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved; loved for ourselves, or rather, loved in spite of ourselves.”

“The human heart has hidden treasures, In secret kept, in silence sealed; The thoughts, the hopes, the dreams, the pleasures, Whose charms were broken if revealed.”

“The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.”