killed by conventional means. Eventually, Astolfo follows the harpies with his magical horn and finds the tree that leads to hell, goes down a flight of stairs, talks to a woman who is in eternal damnation, follows the steps back up, and seals the entrance. After trapping the harpy demons back into the hell from whence they came, Astolfo flies up to the peak of a mountain and meets a clergyman. The clergyman tells him that Orlandos mind is lost and can only be found on the moon. They travel to the moon, find Orlandos wits in a jar labeled The wits of Orlando and return the wits to their owner. The plot itself ends here, and the rest of canto 34 and 35 are about Ariostos views of humanity and poetry. He uses the lost and found place on the moon to tell the readers that folly, or foolishness, is never lost, and is always found on Earth. Ariosto goes on to say that poetry is Gods gift to men, and any lord that denies the beauty of poetry and turns a genuine poet away risks being forgotten forever. If one is a lord and wants to be remembered for the good deeds he did during his life, he ought to have a sincere and talented poet in his house and included in his staff. Otherwise, he will go to hell and be forgotten forever. This story is basically for entertainment purposes, although it has sentimental meaning to the author. He wrote this is response to another mans writing where Orlando is also the man character and included in the title. Ariostos Orlando Furioso is considered a classic piece of literature, and even Shakespeare has read this work. This story was interesting in that it explored aspects of humanity and the arts while keeping the plot alight with mythical images and intense characters....
