Subject: Major 10-Survey In Philippine Literature
Instructor: Ma'am Larah Bautista
Topic: Florante at Laura
Author:
Francisco Baltazar, also known as "Balagtas", is a Filipino poet and litterateur of the Tagalog
language during the Spanish rule of the Philippines. He is widely considered one of the greatest
Filipino literary laureates for his impact on Filipino literature.
Fun fact: Balagtas learned to write poetry from José de la Cruz (Huseng Sisiw), one of the most
famous poets of Tondo, in return for chicks.
Background:
It is widely known that Baltazar took inspiration from his own experiences to write this
masterpiece. The story was dedicated to his former sweetheart María Asuncion Rivera, whom
he nicknamed "M.A.R." So he wrote Florante and Laura as to parallel his own situation. He wrote
Florante at Laura during his time at prison and published it when he was released.
Story Summary:
The story begins with a narration of a dark and dangerous forest in the country of Albania. Then
a man's cries and agonies was heard in the background. It was Florante,the son of Duke Briseo
and Princess Floresca. He is tied to a tree, and he cries for his misfortune and the suffering of
the people of Albania. He also worries about his lover Laura, because he thinks that his rival
Adolfo, seduced her. So then he tells the heavens that he can take whatever trial or challenge
that may come his way as long as Laura will always remember 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.
"Ang iyong tanging kasalanan, Adolfo, Dapat kang tanikala't sawsawin ng pana; Ang diwa ko'y sa
iyo'y itinutulot At sa giliw kong siya'y iyong inaapi, Kung siya'y iyong abutan sa pagtulog, Lilipulin
kita nang lupa ay yaring pagkalupig!"
This is his lines that expresses his anger towards Adolfo and also his frustrations that was built
up.
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 him, 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. At the same time Florante is bidding his farewells to
his parents and lovers, because he is suddenly surrounded by two lions.
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, he was able
to fend off the lions and save Florante. After rescuing Florante, Aladin frees him and lays him
down.
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 soldier's pity, what he needs is death.
"Kung hindi ninyo nadama sa sakit na ito Ang lahat na aking dinaraanan dito, Ang buhay ko'y
hindi na dapat pang tanggapin, At wari ay mas mabuting magpakamatay na rin."
Aladin yelled at him for speaking such nonsense. And with that Aladin asked Florante for the
reason of his suffering and despair. Then Florante willingly narrated his story to Aladin. Florante
begins to narrate his story starting from saying that he came from Albania and that he is the son
of Duke Briseus, second in command of the kingdom, and Princess Floresca of Croton. He tells
his numerous missions and adventures that helped him meet his love, Laura. Laura is the
daughter of King Linceus, the royalties of the Kingdom of Croton. Florante help Croton and then
before he left for another war he professed his love for Laura. After another war, Florante
decided to turn back to Albania to reunite with his love, Laura. But then he saw a Muslim flag,
which means that Albania has been captured while he was away. Florante freed the captives
including King Linceus, Duke Briseus, 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
since Albania was last invaded when the Persian army, headed by Miramolin disturbed its peace.
But the Turkish invaders did not succeed because Florante had defeated him. In the middle of
the war he received a letter ordering him to return immediately to Albania. So he left the war, but
he was surprised to be welcomed by 30,000 soldiers who abducted him. Here he learned that
Adolfo had ordered for his father, Duke Briseus, and King Linceus to be beheaded. He also
learned that Laura was engaged to Count Adolfo. Then he was just left and tied to an acacia
tree where he later on met Aladin. Then after recounting his story, Aladin also shares his story
wherein he reveals that his rival for the love of Flerida was his own father,Sultan Ali-Adab. His
father exiled him and so since then, Aladin has been a wanderer of the forest for six years. His
story telling was interrupted when they hear voices in the forest. In the fortunate turn of events,
it was Laura and Flerida. The lovers reunite and they tell their story how they ended up at the
forest. Turns out that Flerida disguised herself and then flee the kingdom to escape. 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. Laura was about to be
raped by Count Adolfo, then Flerida successfully helped Laura.The two couples return to Albania
where they are warmly welcomed. Flerida and Aladdin agree 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.
Relevance:
This literature is still relevant because of its theme of love, heroism, and nationalism. This poem
also serves a heritage of Filipinos symbolising it's history and literature.
Moral Lesson:
One of the key feature from this story is the perseverance and resilience of the characters. It
shows that no matter how hard life gets, maintaining hope, and supporting each other will
definitely lead to a brighter tomorrow.
