IPPOLITO.
You are welcome
I was expecting you. Philippo Strozzi
Had told me of your coming.
The Annotated Edition
IPPOLITO. by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Read aloud in ~1 minOpen reading mode →
This brief dramatic piece features a speaker warmly welcoming a visitor and mentioning a mutual friend, Philippo Strozzi, who informed them of the arrival.
- Themes
- art, home, identity
§01Quick summary
What this poem is about
This brief dramatic piece features a speaker warmly welcoming a visitor and mentioning a mutual friend, Philippo Strozzi, who informed them of the arrival. It resembles the opening lines of a play or a dramatic monologue, encapsulating a moment of formal, almost regal greeting. The short length and conversational style indicate that it is likely part of a larger dramatic work, rather than a standalone lyric poem.
§02Themes
Recurring themes
§03Line by line
Stanza by stanza, with notes
You are welcome / I was expecting you.
Editor's note
The speaker begins with a straightforward, relaxed greeting. There's no fanfare or embellishment — just a serene acknowledgment that the visitor's arrival was expected. This establishes a sense of authority: the speaker isn't taken aback, isn't flustered, and maintains the upper hand in the conversation.
Philippo Strozzi / Had told me of your coming.
Editor's note
The speaker mentions Philippo Strozzi as the go-between who organized or announced the visit. The Strozzi were a prominent banking and noble family in Florence, which instantly places the scene in the context of Renaissance Italian aristocracy. Casually dropping his name implies that the speaker is well-connected within these high-status circles.
§04Tone & mood
How this poem feels
Calm, composed, and aristocratic. The speaker shares these lines with the quiet confidence of someone used to hosting important guests. There’s no warmth per se, but no coldness either — just the polite demeanor of someone of high status.
§05Symbols & metaphors
Symbols & metaphors
- The expected visitor
- The unnamed guest symbolizes a relationship built on power and social ties instead of personal closeness. The expectation of their visit takes away any spontaneity, turning it into a transaction within a web of influence.
- Philippo Strozzi
- The Strozzi name is synonymous with Florentine wealth and political maneuvering. Mentioning it transports the scene into a realm of Renaissance patronage, competition, and meticulously crafted alliances.
- The greeting itself
- Welcoming someone who has already been announced may seem minor, but it’s a significant power move. The speaker shapes the narrative of the encounter right from the start.
§06Historical context
Historical context
Longfellow wrote this as part of his dramatic poem *Michael Angelo: A Fragment*, which was published after his death in 1883. The work is a verse drama inspired by Goethe's *Faust* and Browning's dramatic monologues, depicting scenes from Michelangelo Buonarroti's life in Renaissance Florence and Rome. Ippolito de' Medici (1511–1535), an illegitimate member of the Medici family, rose to prominence as a cardinal and played a notable role in Italian politics before his untimely and mysterious death. Longfellow dedicated years to this project, viewing it as one of his most ambitious undertakings. The fragmentary nature of the piece mirrors both the incomplete state of the manuscript and the intentionally episodic, scene-by-scene format that Longfellow chose for the drama.
§07FAQ
Questions readers ask
Ippolito refers to Ippolito de' Medici (1511–1535), an illegitimate son of the influential Medici family in Florence. He rose to the position of cardinal at a young age and was a prominent political figure during the Renaissance in Italy. Longfellow features him as a character in his verse drama *Michael Angelo: A Fragment*.
Philippo Strozzi was a notable historical figure—a wealthy banker and nobleman from Florence, belonging to the Strozzi family, who were rivals of the Medici. He played a significant role in the political turmoil of 16th-century Florence. Just mentioning his name here places us right in the midst of Renaissance Italian power politics.
It’s both. Longfellow wrote *Michael Angelo: A Fragment* as a verse drama, which means it’s a play in poetic form, much like Shakespeare's works or Browning's dramatic monologues. This excerpt features a few lines of dialogue from the character Ippolito.
This is a snippet from a bigger work. Longfellow's *Michael Angelo* was unfinished when he passed away and was published after his death. What seems like a standalone piece is actually the beginning of a scene in that larger dramatic framework.
It shows that the meeting was set up beforehand via social channels—Strozzi informed Ippolito about the visitor's arrival. In the Renaissance aristocracy, very little occurred by chance; visits were negotiated, announced, and organized. The term "expected" subtly indicates Ippolito's awareness and authority.
It’s a verse drama that imagines moments from Michelangelo Buonarroti’s life—the renowned artist, sculptor, and architect—set in Renaissance Italy. Longfellow incorporates historical figures such as Vittoria Colonna, Pope Julius II, and the Medici family to vividly depict the era.
Longfellow was a professor of modern languages at Harvard, with a strong grasp of Italian literature and history. He translated Dante's *Divine Comedy* and had a keen interest in the Renaissance, a time when art, politics, and religion intersected in profound ways. *Michael Angelo* naturally represented the peak of those lifelong passions.
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