Back in highschool, one of the things we studied and learned in our Pilipino class was a Filipino Literature classic called “Florante at Laura“. I remember that as a class requirement, we had to watch a live play of Florante at Laura at the Metropolitan Theater in the Philippines. We also had to re-enact the story of Florante at Laura in class

From Wikipedia:

Florante at Laura (“Florante and Laura”) by Francisco Baltazar (also known as Balagtas) is one of the masterpieces of Philippine literature. “Florante at Laura” is an abbreviation of the actual title which is: “Pinagdaanang Buhay Nina Florante at Laura sa Kahariang Albanya: Kinuha sa Madlang Cuadro historico o pinturang nagsasabi sa mga nangyari nang unang panahon sa imperyo ng Gresya, at tinula ng isang matuwain sa bersong Tagalog.” (“The Life of Florante and Laura in the Kingdom of Albania: culled from historical accounts and paintings which describe what occurred in ancient times in the empire of Greece, and penned by someone who enjoys Tagalog verse”).

Characters

• Florante – Duke of Albania and the main protagonist of the novel.
• Laura – Daughter of King Linceo of Albania. She is the love interest of Florante and is later married to him.
• Count Adolfo – Rival of Florante and the antagonist of the novel. His jealousy and envy on Florante sparked his rebellion against the king. He was also responsible for the imprisonment of Florante. He was killed by Flerida as he attempted to rape Laura in his escape against the forces loyal to the king.
• Aladdin/Aladin – Son of Sultan Ali-Adab of Persia. He saved Florante from being eaten by lions in the forest. Later, he got married to his love, Flerida.
• Flerida – Aladin’s fiance. She asked Sultan Ali-Adab to spare Aladdin’s life on the condition that she will be Ali-Adab’s wife. She later escaped and killed Count Adolfo as he attempted to rape Laura.
• Duke Briseo – Father of Florante and a nobleman of Albania. He was killed, along with King Linseo, by Count Adolfo during his usurpation of power.
• Princess Floresca – Mother of Florante and the Princess of Crotone. She died while Florante was studying in Athens.
• King Linceo – King of Albania and the father of Laura. He was killed by Count Adolfo during his usurpation of power.
• Sultan Ali-Adab – Sultan of Persia and the father of Aladdin. He sentenced his son to be executed because of his cowardice in the battlefield. In exchange for Aladdin’s life, Flerida promised her marriage to the Sultan. After her escape, the Sultan committed suicide.
• Count Sileno – Father of Adolfo.
• Menalipo – Cousin of Florante. He saved Florante from vultures when they were younger.
• Menandro – Friend and confidant of Florante. They first met in Athens and Menandro saved Florante from Adolfo’s attempt at murdering him. He and Florante both shared military expedition. He also led the overthrow of Count Adolfo and restored peace in Albania.
• Antenor – Professor of Florante, Menandro, and Adolfo in Athens
• General Osmalik – A general of Persia. He was killed by Florante during a military expedition.
• General Miramolin – General of the Ottoman Empire. He was responsible for the invasion of Albania in order to bring the kingdom into Islamic control.
• Emir – One of the commanding officer who sacked Albania together with Aladdin during the ongoing campaign of Florante and Menandro in Crotone. He nearly slay Laura for it’s refusal to love him but was defeated.

See the following pages for the full text in Tagalog. If you’re looking for the Summary of Florante at Laura in Tagalog, go to Buod ng Florante at Laura.

DISCLAIMER: The correctness of the above notes is not guaranteed. Print and study at your own risk.

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