Florante at Laura.

Summary:
Florante is tied to a tree, deep within the forest – lamenting and weeping over the chaos that’s
been happening. Albania, his hometown, is in shambles, seized by Count Adolfo, let’s just say
he’s a very, very bad person. And if that isn’t bad enough, he’s also taking his lover, Laura, from
him. Florante’s upset, he’s angry at Laura, the count, God. He’s angry at everything. While
Florante keeps on talking to himself, there comes Aladin, wandering in that same forest. He’s a
Moro warrior, he was looking for a tree to rest on. He was also having a problem of his own.
Apparently, he and his father share the same taste in women because his father disowned him
just to have Flerida, his lover. He swore to get revenge on his father and claim Flerida back. He
hears Florante’s voice again, who talked about his happy childhood and how his father was
killed unjustly and there’s even no proper burial for him. Florante respects his father a lot, it
seems. Aladdin tears up as he compares Florante’s good relationship with his father to his own.
Florante continued to say his farewell to this world as two lions approached him. Fortunately,
Aladdin came on time to save him. He killed the lions and nursed Florante until he woke up.
Florante kept saying Laura’s name in his sleep and when he finally woke up, he got angry at
Aladdin for saving him when he could be in Nirvana instead. Aladdin couldn’t help it because
he’s not heartless and he really wanted to help. Thankfully, they made up and built a friendship
between them. Florante shared his life story with him while they were staying together. He told
him about his childhood, his life in Athens, his rivalry with the young Adolfo, his return to Albania
and how he was made a general to lead the army in saving Kroton which led to him meeting
Laura and falling in love with her. He professed his love but wasn’t given a definite answer. He
won many wars from then on. When he returned to Albania, it was seized by the Moros but he
was able to redeem the country and free the captives and win the heart of his beloved. Adolfo,
who wasn’t too happy about the whole situation, vows to kill Florante. While in the midst of a
war, Florante received a letter from King Linceo to return home only to find out that it was all a
set up by Adolfo. The king and his father are long dead and Florante will also be put to death,
and Laura is gonna marry Adolfo. That was how Florante ended up tied to a tree. Aladdin also
told his story, how his father became his rival for a woman, his supposed beheading that was
canceled. Laura and Flerida happen to be in the same forest looking for their lovers. Laura
recounts the whole event to Florante, swearing she was never unfaithful.The 4 of them were
found by Menandro and all rejoiced. Both couples are wed and returned home to their
respective kingdoms where they both rule harmoniously.

Characters:
Florante - he is the protagonist. He is kind, courageous, and noble.
Laura - she's so beloved in her kingdom as she is kind and virtuous.
Aladdin - he's a Moro prince. He's courageous and brave.
Flerida - she's Aladdin's lover. She's beautiful, brave, and kind.
Adolfo - he is the Count of Albania, his heart is full of hatred for Florante. He is envious of him.
Menandro - he's Florante's best friend. He's been loyal to him ever since.
Sultan Ali-Adab - he's Aladdin's father. He's not so likable in the story.
King Linceo - he's Laura's father. He is kind and virtuous to his people.
Duke Briseo - Florante's father whom he have a good relationship with.

Importance of the Story:

It shows us how even in the midst of adversity, we can still overcome many things as long as we
stand united and align our goals to the better.

Conflict and how is it resolved:

The conflict was that Florante was abducted and put to death and was manipulated by Adolfo
into thinking that he had no one else left by his side. This shows us Laura’s strong spirit by
denying every advances Adolfo makes towards her and doing things her own way by persisting
and her determination to find Florante even in dire situations.

Analysis of the story:

This story was written while the Philippines was under the Spanish colonial regime. The events
of the story, despite being fictional, mirrors the lives of the Filipinos during that time. The country
is occupied by hateful people the same way Albania was ruled by Adolfo. It is also filled with
religious themes, living an upright life and patriotism. One of its central themes is that religious
differences should not be used to discriminate against another. This is depicted by Florante and
Aladdin's friendship in the story. The friendship between the Christian Florante and the Muslim
Aladdin suggests that, in the face of adversity, Filipinos of different religious backgrounds can
find strength and common purpose by coming together.

Why is this story being written:

It is believed to have been written as a form of expression and resistance during the Spanish
colonial period in the Philippines.

Impact on society:
When the Filipinos first heard Baltazar’s work, it sounded almost revolutionary, because the
lines dared to depict common injustices that Filipinos had suffered at the hands of Spaniards, as
well as the typical evils that beset them during the colonial regime.

Theme:
Love and Virtue - shown by Florante and Laura's love story. How Florante used his love as his
guide throughout the story.
Resilience - even after everything that happened to Florante – imprisonment, loss of loved ones,
he was still unyielding and resilient and managed to overcome even the most difficult situations.

Unity - despite religious differences, Aladdin and Florante managed to be friends because as
humans, they have a common ground. The unity between the two made them inseparable and
stronger in the face of adversity because they got each other's back now.

Patriotism - Florante and his love for Albania, how he's willing to go to war in the honor of his
country.

Filial piety - Florante has a deep relationship with his father, and has deep respect for him.

Florante at Laura is set in a distant land, but the protagonists suffer similar fates as Filipinos of the
Spanish colonial era. The protagonist is Florante, son of the second in command of the Kingdom of
Albania. The other title character is Laura, the daughter of King Linceus, inspired by Rivera, Baltazar’s
former muse. The romance juxtaposes the stories of these ill-fated lovers with the similarly-fated romance
of Flerida, a Muslim princess and Aladdin, the son of Sultan Ali-Adab of Persia. On the surface the work
resembles a typical Filipino komedya or moro-moro, a morality theatrical work depicting the eternal duel
of Moors and Christians set in a mythical or distant kingdom. But when the Filipinos first heard Baltazar’s
work, it sounded almost revolutionary, because the lines dared to depict common injustices that Filipinos
had suffered at the hands of Spaniards, as well as the typical evils that beset them during the colonial
regime.

Florante at Laura is filled with passages on living the upright life and respecting elders and the values of
love for country, industry and patriotism. One of its central themes is that religious differences should not
be used to discriminate against another.

Instead, it told of a hero, Florante, who was a deposed ruler of a faraway kingdom of Albania. The
pretender to the throne exploited the people, took away Florante's sweetheart, Laura, and had Florante
tied to a tree in the forest where he could be devoured by lions. Florante was saved by a Moro prince
who, just like him, was a victim of schemers and pretenders. The Christian and the Moro then found
themselves together in the struggle to recover their respective kingdoms.