The name Argante in literature

THE NAME ARGANTE IN LITERATURE

The name Argante is mentioned in "Les Fourberies de Scapin" from 1671, in which Argante is a Venetian merchant; and in "Le Malade Imaginaire" from 1673, both written by Moliere(1622-1673).

In the legend of "King Arthur", initially narrated by troubadours and later written down, there is a fairy/goddess named Argante. She is alleged to have cured Arthur after his decisive battle in which he was severely injured.De naam Argante zou hier zijn afgeleid van "Morgan Le Fay".

In "The fairie Queen" (1596), by Edmund Spenser (1552-1599), Argante is model for female lust.

Also in "Les fausses confidences" by Pierre Carlet de Chamblain de Marivaux (1688-1763).

The name Argante is found very prominently in "Gerusalemme Liberata" (1575) by Torquato Tasso (1544-1595), an important medieval work. Here Argante is a Circassian mercenary, (Circassia is a mountainrange north-west of the Black Sea) who as a general fights together with Moslems against the crusaders.

In the opera Rinaldo.
An opera in three acts by Georg Friedrich Handel (1685-1759); libretto by Giacomo Rossi, borrowed from a story of Adam Hill after a famous episode from Tasso's "Gerusalemme Liberata" first performance: London, Queen’s Theatre, 24 Febr. 1711.
Short summary.
The story is situated during the crusades. The main person is a young, brave templar, Rinaldo, who has fallen in love with Almirena, daughter of Godfrey of Bouillon, leader of the first crusade to the Holy Land. Rinaldo is bewitched by he fortune teller “Armida” and hence falls in love with her. In an access of jealousy Armida takes revenge of the innocent Almirena and keeps her in prison in a bewitched garden.The Saracene king “Argante”also falls in love with Almirena and this makes the intrigue even more complicated because he is also Armida’s lover. Fortunately Rinaldo manages to free himself from thespell, and he rescues Almirena. Finally Armida and Argante have become prisoners of the knight and the opera has a happy ending because they are converted to Christianity. Handel wrote to music to this opera in two weeks during his first visit to London. It was performed fifteen evenings and thus, according to 18th century standards, a great success. The performance in Haymarket Theatre was well attended to and luxurious. Real birds were used for the scene in the bewitched garden - a completely new idea!

THE MEANING OF THE NAME ARGANTE

The first association is argentum (silver), but I have also heard someone say that (from Greek) a merchant of amphora’s is also a possibility. The meaning of silver or sparkling can be found as an addition to a number of butterflies ( e.g. Phoebus argante [Fabrizius]).

Moreover Argante appears to be a medieval surname among others with the Kelts.

MARIO ARGANTE
Mario Argante (1907-1999) is mentioned here because he has written a number of poems in Friulian (an original language spoken in North-Eastern Italy).