Due to the lack of a critical approach that takes into account the theatrical aspect of Boiardo's poem, we have undertaken a semiotic analysis that brings forth some peculiarities of the poem's theatrical performance, most of which stem from the traditional "cantari". / The intertextual comparison between the principle "cantari epico-cavallereschi" and the "Inamoramento de Orlando" permits us to reevaluate the importance of these sources, that are, in our opinion, essential to the comprehension of the poem. However, these sources have not been, to date, considered determining by literary critics. In addition, we highlight the various aspects of communication between the narrator and his audience. / Finally, the analysis of the rhetorical structure of the poem (proems, epilogues, narrative connectors, commentary, orality) allows us to propose an hypothesis of double reception of the "Inamoramento de Orlando " as well as a double reading of the poem, both as a theatrical representation and as a novel. This provides Boiardo's poem with its special trait of "open text".

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Miguel de Cervantes’s novel El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha Part One (1605) and Part Two (1615) has delighted readers for centuries. The literary criticism analyzing just this one product of Cervantes’s literary genius is voluminous. In particular, the novel’s structure has received significant scrutiny, and discussions regarding its unity, or lack thereof, abound. This debate rages today with Cervantine experts still espousing various theories. Puzzling over this quandary and asking why a truly convincing explanation regarding the structure has not emerged, we arrive at a partial answer. We believe that there is unity in the Quijote and that Cervantes created a unified work by ingeniously taking full advantage of the elements of both the “Byzantine” and the chivalric literary traditions, combining them in a harmonizing synthesis. Moreover, he resolved the problem of unity within variety by establishing thematic consistency throughout. The purpose of our study is to explore the confluence of the “Byzantine” and chivalric literary traditions in works that precede Cervantes and to examine how Cervantes innovatively worked with this element in the Quijote of 1605. We present a panoramic view of works written between the thirteenth and the mid-sixteenth centuries, which reveal writers’ efforts to combine, consciously or unconsciously, the various characteristics of the “Byzantine” and chivalric literary traditions. For this project, we look at six representative works written in Spanish or Italian that represent significant antecedents to the Quijote and Cervantes’s unique method of synthesizing the traditions: Libro de Apolonio, Libro del caballero Zifar, Orlando innamorato, Orlando furioso, Palmerín de Olivia, Los amores de Clareo y Florisea y los trabajos de la sin ventura Isea. We investigate each author’s approach at coupling the two traditions and determine his/her degree of success in merging them artistically to produce a coherent whole. Our analysis reveals that not only does Cervantes systematically integrate the two literary traditions in his parody, but he also skillfully devises a way to unify thematically the delightful variety in his work. To wit, Cervantes embraces the theme of literature (fiction) and life (reality) and explores the need for distinguishing judiciously between them. / text