One of the most influential among eighteenth-century writers, Rousseau was one of the period's most controversial figures as well.

French poet and dramatist whose Odes sacrées (1702) were well regarded. He was exiled in 1710 for some defamatory verses attributed to him, and died in poverty.

Italian composer particularly respected for his numerous operas. His best known work is Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville, 1816). A few of his other particularly well-loved compositions include L’Italiana in Algeri (The Italian Girl in Algiers, 1813), Cinderella (1817), Semiramide (1823), and William Tell (1829).

Italian novelist, poet, playwright, historian, and intellectual.

Characters in William Shakespeare's drama Hamlet.

Roman comic actor; the most famous of his time.

Rosalind is the protagonist and heroine of Shakespeare's As You Like It. Daughter of the exiled Duke Senior and niece of his usurper, Duke Frederick, Rosalind disguises herself as a shepherd named Ganymede.

Especially known for his wild, dramatic landscapes and battle scenes, Italian painter Salvator Rosa influenced many Romantic writers’ literary evocations of the sublime.

Originally a historical character who served under Charlemagne, Roland is the legendary hero of the French chanson de geste La Chanson de Roland (The Song of Roland) and, as Orlando, in the L'Orlando Innamorato of Boiardo and Ariosto's Orlando Furioso.

Rogers, later Royal Governor of The Bahamas, led the Dampier expedition against the Spanish which rescued Alexander Selkirk on February 1, 1709. His book, A Cruising Voyage Round the World (1712), sold well due largely to public fascination with Selkirk's rescue.