Swashbuckler
or swasher
is a term that developed in the 16th century [1] to describe rough, noisy and boastful swordsmen. It is based on a fighting style using a side-sword with a buckler in the off-hand, which was filled with much "swashing and making a noise on the buckler". [2]
Today the term "swashbuckler" has changed, and refers to both a type of fictitious character and to a fiction genre, especially in the world of film.
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Swashbuckler, a person or character
The word "swashbuckler", in the modern sense, generally describes a fearless romantic
archetype, a fictitious, adventurous, sword-wielding, male character who seeks to win the heart of a beautiful lady while rescuing society from the clutches of a dastardly villain. A classic swashbuckler exhibits exceptional courage and swordfighting skill, a strong sense of honor and justice, a chivalric romantic sense, and the capacity for wit, style, and resourcefulness under pressure. Such characters include
The Three Musketeers,
The Scarlet Pimpernel,
Robin Hood,
Zorro. There have also been a few female swashbucklers, such as
Maureen O'Hara in the film
Against All Flags
and
Tessie Santiago in the short-lived
Queen of Swords
television series.
Actors famous for their portrayals of swashbucklers include
Douglas Fairbanks Sr.,
Douglas Fairbanks Jr.,
Errol Flynn,
Tyrone Power,
Burt Lancaster, and (arguably)
Basil Rathbone, an extremely skilled fencer who often played villains.
Swashbuckler, a fiction and film genre
"Swashbuckler" also denotes a fiction and film
genre that is characterized by dazzling swordplay, an adventurous and romantic plot, a historic setting, and black-and-white heroes and villains. This genre traces its origins to the
chivalry tales of Medieval Europe, such as Robin Hood and the
King Arthur legends. Among its most famous works are
The Three Musketeers
,
The Scarlet Pimpernel
,
Scaramouche
,
Ivanhoe
,
Cyrano de Bergerac
, and a large number of pirate stories. Authors who specialized in swashbuckler fiction include
Alexandre Dumas,
Rafael Sabatini,
Baroness Emma Orczy, Sir
Walter Scott,
Johnston McCulley, and
Edmond Rostand.
Stylized, jaunty, and wildly entertaining, swashbucklers are one of the most flamboyant Hollywood film genres, the opposite of
cinema verite and modern realistic filmmaking. They first became popular during the heyday of actor Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., who became world famous for his cocky and charismatic portrayals of heroes such as
d'Artagnan and
Zorro. The genre subsequently attracted large audiences who loved the escapist adventure, historic romance, and exciting athleticism.
Usually swashbuckling romances are mostly set in Europe from the late
Renaissance up through the
Age of Reason and the
Napoleonic Wars, in this era progresses in metallurgy prompted the production of agile and resilent flexible blades, capable of inflicting grievous piercing wounds, thus emphasizing a lively and flashy swordfighting style, compared to the earlier cleaving swings of heftier blades, meant to break and shatter as well as to cut.
Swordfighting remained the favourite form of personal combat despite the advent of gunpowder, given the slowness and difficulty of reloading processes.
During the 1960s, as popular culture became more cynical and morally ambiguous, the plots and morality of swashbuckling heroes were interpreted to be simplistic and quaint. Nonetheless, the romantic appeal of the swashbuckler still endures; contemporary examples include
The Princess Bride
,
Pirates of the Caribbean
, and
The Mask of Zorro
.
List of swashbucklers
Notable swashbucklers from literature and other media include:
- Richard Sharpe
- Alan Breck Stuart
- Captain Blood
- Will Turner
- Captain Jack Sparrow
- Cyrano de Bergerac
- d'Artagnan
- Don Juan/Don Giovanni
- Henri de Lagardère
- Edmond Dantès
- Lord Flashheart
- Guybrush Threepwood
- Inigo Montoya
- Scaramouche
- The Scarlet Pimpernel
- Solomon Kane
- Zorro
- Robin Hood
- Hikaru Sulu
- Ragnar Lodbrok
- John Carter of Mars
- Capitan Alatriste
- Nikolai Dante
List of authors of swashbuckling literature
- Bernard Cornwell
- James Clavell
- Alexandre Dumas, père
- Jeffrey Farnol
- Paul Féval, père
- Paul Féval, fils
- Théophile Gautier
- Anthony Hope
- Johnston McCulley
- Baroness Orczy
- Arturo Pérez-Reverte
- Rafael Sabatini
- Edmond Rostand
- Emilio Salgari
- Sir Walter Scott
- Samuel Shellabarger
- Robert Louis Stevenson
- Jules Verne
Other uses
The swashbuckler is also a type of men's shirt of the sort worn in swashbuckling movies. It is usually white, with an open neck and chest with a lace-up front. This shirt was the basis for "
The Puffy Shirt", a famous episode of the American television show
Seinfeld
.
Swashbuckling is often used as an adjective in
association football to describe aggressive attacking players capable of flashy skills on the ball.
See also
- Swashbuckler films
- Adventure novel
- Historical novel
- Cloak-and-dagger
- Ruritanian Romance
- Errol Flynn