Honor as Combat

One of the major themes in Gerusalemme Liberata is the idea of honor, or what makes someone a good person. The major element of honor is the character's ability to fight. Generally this applies to the male characters, with the exception being the two Amazons, Clorinda and Grildippe, since women's honor had to do with their sexual reputation and not an ability to fight. Godfrey, Rinaldo, and Tancred are examples of good and honorable men because they are able to fight when called upon and they are fighting for the side of the Christian God. Although Clorinda flights for the Saracens, she is a Christian by birth and does renounce Paganism, that is, Islam, right before her death. For Solyman, Argantes, and Aladine, honor is not obtainable since they are the bad guys. Their military victories are described as murders, while the military victories of the...