EN
The article reconstructs the conception of the soul that emerges from the writings of Torquato Tasso. The analysis of the Allegory of Jerusalem Delivered, of the correspondence which arose from the revision of the poem and of some fragments of other works, centres on the relationship between reason and passions. It shows that Tasso’s concept of the harmony of the soul is analogous to his concept of the epos. Both are founded on two principles: that of unity composed of opposites and that of the functional indispensability of all constitutive parts. There is a relationship of subordination and a relationship of interdependence between reason and the irrational part of the soul. Tasso has a positive view of the intense affetti, as drivers of magnificent actions and as foundations on which a person can develop his/her virtues.