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Aswashbuckler is agenre of European adventure literature that focuses on aheroic protagoniststock character who is skilled inswordsmanship, acrobatics, andguile, and possesseschivalrous ideals. Swashbuckler protagonists are heroic, daring, and idealistic. They rescuedamsels in distress, protect the downtrodden, and useduels to defend their honor or that of a lady or toavenge a comrade.
Swashbucklers often engage in daring and romantic adventures with bravado or flamboyance. Swashbuckler heroes are typically gentleman adventurers who dress elegantly and flamboyantly in coats, waistcoats, tight breeches, large feathered hats, and high leather boots, and they are armed with the thinrapiers that were commonly used by aristocrats.
Swashbucklers are not usuallyunrepentantbrigands orpirates, although some may rise from such disreputable stations and achieve redemption.[1] His opponent is typically characterized as a dastardlyvillain. While the hero may face down a number of henchmen to the villain during a story, the climax is a dramatic one-on-one sword battle between the protagonist and the villain. There is a long list of swashbucklers who combine courage, skill, resourcefulness, and a distinctive sense of honor and justice, as for exampleCyrano de Bergerac,The Three Musketeers,The Scarlet Pimpernel,Robin Hood,[2] andZorro.[3]
As ahistorical fiction genre, it is often set in theRenaissance orCavalier era. The stock character also became common in thefilm genre, which extended the genre to theGolden Age of Piracy. As swashbuckler stories are often mixed with theromance genre, there will often be a beautiful, aristocratic femalelove interest to whom the hero expresses a refined,courtly love. At the same time, since swashbuckler plots are often based on intrigues involving corrupt religious figures or scheming monarchs, the heroes may be tempted by alluringfemmes fatales or vampish courtesans.
"Swashbuckler" is acompound of "swash" (archaic: toswagger with a drawn sword) and "buckler" (a small shield gripped in the fist) dating from the16th century.[4][5]
Whileman-at-arms andsellswords of the era usually wore armor of necessity, their counterparts in later romantic literature and film (see below) often did not, and the term evolved to denote a daring, devil-may-care demeanor rather than brandishment of accoutrements of war. Swashbuckling adventures and romances are generally set in Europe from the lateRenaissance up through theAge of Reason and theNapoleonic Wars, extending into thecolonial era withpirate tales in theCaribbean.
Jeffrey Richards traces the swashbuckling novel to the rise ofRomanticism, and an outgrowth of the historical novel, particularly those of SirWalter Scott, "... medieval tales of chivalry, love and adventure rediscovered in the eighteenth century".[1] This type of historical novel was further developed byAlexandre Dumas.
John Galsworthy said ofRobert Louis Stevenson's 1888 swashbuckling romance,The Black Arrow, that it was "a livelier picture of medieval times than I remember elsewhere in fiction."[6]Anthony Hope's 1894The Prisoner of Zenda initiated an additional subset of the swashbuckling novel, theRuritanian romance.[7]
The perceived significant and widespread role of swordsmanship in civilian society as well as warfare in the Renaissance and Enlightenment periods led to fencing being performed on theatre stages as part of plays. Soon actors were taught to fence in an entertaining, dramatic manner. Eventually fencing became an established part of a classical formation for actors.
Consequently, when movie theaters mushroomed, ambitious actors took the chance to present their accordant skills on the screen. Since silent movies were no proper medium for long dialogues, the classic stories about heroes who would defend their honour with sword in hand were simplified and sheer action would gain priority. This was the birth of a new kind of film hero: the swashbuckler.[8] For Hollywood actors to depict these skilled sword fighters, they needed advanced sword training. Four of the most famous instructors for swashbuckling swordplay areWilliam Hobbs,Anthony De Longis,Bob Anderson andPeter Diamond.
The larger-than-life heroics portrayed in some film franchise adventures (most notably theIndiana Jones movies) set in the modern era have been described as swashbuckling.[9]
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The genre has, apart from swordplay, always been characterized by influences that can be traced back to thechivalry tales of Medieval Europe, such as the legends ofRobin Hood andKing Arthur. It soon created its own drafts based on classic examples likeThe Mark of Zorro (1920),The Three Musketeers (1921),Scaramouche (1923) andThe Scarlet Pimpernel (1934). Some films did also usemotifs of pirate stories.[10] Often these films were adaptations of classic historic novels published by well-known authors such asAlexandre Dumas,Rafael Sabatini,Baroness Emma Orczy, SirWalter Scott,Johnston McCulley, andEdmond Rostand.
Swashbucklers are one of the most flamboyant Hollywood film genres,[11] unlikecinema verite or modern realistic filmmaking. The genre attracted large audiences who relished the blend of escapist adventure, historic romance, and daring stunts in cinemas before it became a fixture on TV screens. With the focus on action, adventure, and, to a lesser degree, romance, there is little concern for historical accuracy. Filmmakers may mix incidents and events from different historical eras.
As a first variation of the classic swashbuckler there have also been female swashbucklers.[12]Maureen O'Hara inAgainst All Flags andJean Peters inAnne of the Indies were very early action film heroines. Eventually the typical swashbuckler motifs were used up because they had so often been shown on TV screens. Later films such asThe Princess Bride, thePirates of the Caribbean series andThe Mask of Zorro include modern takes on the swashbuckler archetype.
Television followed the films, especially in the UK, withThe Adventures of Robin Hood,Sword of Freedom,The Buccaneers, andWillam Tell between 1955 and 1960. US TV produced two series ofZorro in1957 and1990. Following the 1998 filmThe Mask of Zorro, a TV series about a female swashbuckler, theQueen of Swords, aired in 2000.[12]
Famous swashbuckler characters from literature and other media include the following:
Actors notable for their portrayals of swashbucklers include:
Fiction writers whose novels and stories have been adapted for swashbuckler films include:
The dictionary definition ofswashbuckler at Wiktionary
