# Isabella — Orlando Furioso character guide

> Isabella in Orlando Furioso by Ludovico Ariosto.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** gentle Isabella, fair Isabel, Isabel of Gallicia

**First appearance:** 0003-canto-i

## Snapshot

A noble lady of Gallicia whose constancy to Zerbino makes her one of the poem's rare figures of unwavering devotion.

## Who they are

Isabella moves through the poem as a woman defined by her bond to Zerbino, a love that exposes her to the predations of wandering knights and false holy men. Her fidelity stands against the poem's prevailing inconstancy, and her vulnerability sharpens the sense that the world of Orlando Furioso is dangerous for those who keep faith. She matters because her loyalty tests the poem's own cynicism about love.

## In the story

### [Canto XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/orlando_furioso_se/chapters/canto-xiii)

Recounts her love for Zerbino and her imprisonment to Orlando.

### [Canto XXIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/orlando_furioso_se/chapters/canto-xxiv)

Zerbino's beloved; present during the duel and distraught by his wound.

### [Canto XXIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/orlando_furioso_se/chapters/canto-xxix)

Isabella chooses death over dishonor, tricking Rodomont into beheading her to preserve her chastity and her vow to Zerbino.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/orlando_furioso_se/characters/isabella
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- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/orlando_furioso_se/characters