Ludovico Ariosto (1474 - 1533) was an Italian poet, playwright, official and diplomat. Ariosto is considered in the history of Italian and European literature to be one of the most famous and influential authors of the Renaissance. He is best known as the author of the romance epic Orlando Furioso (1516). The poem, a continuation of Matteo Maria Boiardo's Orlando Innamorato, describes the adventures of Charlemagne, Orlando, and the Franks as they battle against the Saracens with diversions into many sideplots. The poem is transformed into a satire of the chivalric tradition. Ariosto composed the poem in the ottava rima rhyme scheme and introduced narrative commentary throughout the work.