TASS Torquato (Tasso Torquato)

(1544-1595)
Born March 11, 1544 in Sorrento. His father, a scholar and poet Bernardo Tasso, was secretary of the Prince of Salerno. Torquato received an excellent education and a child was at the court. In Urbino, he was a companion of the young son of the Duke of Urbino court atmosphere imbued with the ideals of knightly honor and courtly behavior.
In Venice, Torquato helped his father prepare for publication chivalrous poem Amadidzhi (Amadigi, 1560), adaptations of Spanish chivalry novel about Amadis of Gaul, was considering an epic story that could be used by itself. However, his father sent him to study law in Padua, where the young man fell under the influence of C. Gonzaga, C. Speroni and K. Sihon and addicted to philosophy and literary theory. There he began to publish poems and wrote a fantastic epic poem Rinaldo (Rinaldo), which appeared in 1562. In 1565 he moved to Ferrara, and entered the service of Cardinal Luigi d'Este, brother of Duke Alfonso II. After a brief trip to Paris in 1570-1571 became a court poet Tasso, Duke Alfonso. His love lyrics of the time addressed the court ladies. Within weeks, he wrote a five-act pastoral drama Aminta (Aminta), which in 1573 with great success was presented at court. Inspired by the author in 1575 completed work on his masterpiece - an epic poem Jerusalem Delivered (Gerusalemme liberata). The hard work has upset the mental health of the poet: he was tormented by thoughts of his own sinfulness, has developed a persecution complex. After several stormy nervous breakdowns he concluded in Ferrara bedlam - Hospital of St.. Anne, where he spent seven years. Went to the rumor, if true cause of incarceration - the love of Tasso to his sister Leonora d'Este Duke. By the fate of Torquato Tasso frequently accessed romance (JW Goethe, Dzh.G.Bayron), and the poet himself became a symbol of misunderstood genius.

In periods of enlightenment Tasso continued to write lyrical poems and essays, dialogues on literature and philosophy. In 1581, without his knowledge have been published Amyntas and Jerusalem Delivered. The latter provoked fierce controversy Tasso attempt to reconcile in his conception of the heroic poems of Ariosto and Virgil.

In 1586 Tasso was released from the hospital-prison. In later years he lived with various patrons, including his first biographer Dzh.B.Manso and cardinals Pietro and CHintio Aldobrandini, who devoted conquered Jerusalem - corrected processing of Jerusalem Delivered. Died 25 Tasso in Rome, in the monastery of Sant Onofrio April 25, 1595

. His literary heritage, . than those mentioned works, . includes a large number of sonnets and other poems, . numerous letters, . tragedy of King Torrismondo (Torrismondo, . 1587), . religious poem seven days of creation (Le Sette giornate, . 1594) and a treatise Discourse on the art of poetry (Discorsi dell'arte poetica, . 1566),
.

In the pastoral drama Aminta reflected restless longing for the peaceful generation of pastoral life of the golden age. The atmosphere is full of idyllic vague youthful sensuality. The world of Arcadia, where the action takes place, far from verisimilitude, but the beauty of the poem - in the depiction of human emotions.

Jerusalem Delivered in 20 songs, tells of the assault and the liberation of Jerusalem by Christians during the 1 st Crusade (1099). The story of the vicissitudes of the military campaign punctuated by episodes of romantic love. Tasso is trying to merge the two literary genres: romance and the classical epic. Elements of the supernatural are entirely Christian nature, and various episodes are inextricably linked with the main storyline.