Famagosta

Famagosta is the setting for Alatiel’s return from presumed death to royal protection: Antigonus of Famagosta brings her there from Baffa, where the king and queen receive her with honor before sending her under escort to her father, the Soldan. The city’s role is brief but decisive, turning a hidden survivor’s appeal into a publicly supported homecoming.

A Courtly Refuge

After Alatiel recounts her history to Antigonus of Famagosta, he promises to restore her to her father and then to the King of Algarve as a wife. He returns to Famagosta and asks its king to send Alatiel home under his guard. The appeal presents her as the Soldan’s daughter, long believed drowned, who has suffered greatly to preserve her honor and now wishes to return. The king agrees, making Famagosta the place where Antigonus’s private knowledge of her identity becomes a matter of royal action.

Reception and Recognition

The king has Alatiel brought from Baffa to Famagosta with honor. He and the queen welcome her with great rejoicing and provide magnificent hospitality. Their reception marks a sharp change from the uncertainty and vulnerability of her earlier journey: here she is acknowledged as a royal guest rather than left to explain her survival alone. When questioned about her adventures, she gives the account Antigonus has instructed her to tell.

Departure and Narrative Significance

A few days later, at Alatiel’s request, the king sends her back to the Soldan in Antigonus of Famagosta’s care, accompanied by a substantial and honorable company of men and women. Famagosta is therefore not her final destination but the protected threshold of her return. Its court supplies the escort, recognition, and hospitality that make the journey possible, while Antigonus’s guidance shapes the account through which Alatiel can re-enter her father’s household. The episode gives the city a distinct place in the story’s chain of maritime displacement and recovery: arrival at Famagosta converts survival into restoration.