Hello sailors! This powepoint presentation will give us an overview about the author as well as the epic titled The Lusiads.

1. The Lusiads
Luis Vaz de Camões
JESPER C. SILVA
BSEd III-A, English

2. Discover Me
Hangaroo

3. Asik Asik Falls

4. Cape Melville Rainforest

5. Mount Mabu Rainforest

6. The Lusiads
What’s with the title?

7. Why The Lusiads?

8. Why The Lusiads?
I am concerned
with
Portuguese
history and
achievements!

9. The Lusiads
In the Autobiographical
and Historical Context

10. Luis Vaz de
Camões
Period: Portuguese
Renaissance
Genre: Epic poetry
Literary Criticism:
Classicism

11. Luis Vaz de
Camões
He is considered
Portugal’s and the
Portuguese
language’s greatest
poet.

12. Sailing back to History
Reasons behind sea voyages of
Portuguese:
1. Curiosity
2. To find Prester John, a mysterious
Christian leader
3. Economic considerations

13. Sailing back to History
Why India?
 It pulled commerce out of the
Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic
Ocean.

15. The Lusiads

16. The Lusiads
The Lusiads is so
profound that
Portuguese is
called the
“language of
Camões.”

17. The Lusiads
 Ten cantos with
1102 number of
stanzas
 Decasyllabic
ottava rima in a
total of 8816
lines of verse.

18. Definition of Terms
Canto
 part of poem
Decasyllable
 poetic unit
with 10
syllables
Ottava rima
 a verse form made
up of eight lines in
iambic pentameter
with the rhyme
scheme abababcc

19. Example
Original
Ó caso grande, estranho e não cuidado,
Ó milagre claríssimo e evidente,
Ó descoberto engano inopinado,
Ó pérfida, inimiga e falsa gente!
Quem poderá do mal aparelhado
Livrar-se sem perigo sabiamente,
Se lá de cima a Guarda soberana
Não acudir à fraca força humana?

20. Example
Translation
Sir Richard Fanshawe (Canto II, stanza 30)
1O great, undreampt of, strange deliverance!
2O miracle most clear and evident!
3O fraud discovered by blind Ignorance!
4O faithless Foes, and Men devilishly bent!
5What care, what Wisdom, is of sufficience
6The stroke of Secret mischief to prevent,
7Unless the Sov'raign Guardian from on high
8Supply the strength of frail Humanity?
a
b
a
b
a
b
c
c

21. Excerpt
O great, undreampt of, strange
deliverance!
Iambic pentameter

22. Reason behind the Meter
Why Decasyllabic Ottava Rima?
 It is a flowing meter that allows
the narrative to move smoothly,
and the long, assonant rhymes
have a kind of lulling quality.

23. The Characters
The Lusiads

24. Vasco da
Gama
He is a Portuguese
sailor and explorer
who heads the
expedition to India.

25. Jupiter
He is the chief of
the gods.

26. Venus
She is a goddess
friendly to the
Portuguese.

27. Mars
He is a war god
who sides with
Venus on the side
of the Portuguese.

28. Bacchus
He is the patron
god of Asia.

29. Adamastor
He is the spirit who
appeared to da
Gama.

30. Mercury
He is a god who
guides the
Portuguese to
Mombassa.

31. Neptune
He is the god of the
sea who, at the
request of Bacchus,
sends storms to
destroy the ships of
the Portuguese.

32. The Epic Cycle
The Lusiads

34. The Epic Cycle
Status Quo
 The epic begins with a dedication
section with the poet paying
homage to Virgil and Homer.

35. The Epic Cycle
Call to Adventure
 The people of Lusus have gone on
to discover new worlds and impose
its law in the concert of the
nations.

36. The Epic Cycle
Assistance
Venus + Mars + Zeus + Mercury
vs.
Bacchus + Neptune

37. The Epic Cycle
Departure
 The Roman gods and goddesses
watch over the voyage lead by
Vasco da Gama.

38. The Epic Cycle
Trials
 Fake altar
 The Southern Cross, St. Elmo’s Fire
(maritime whirlwind)

39. The Epic Cycle
Approach
 Neptune unleashes powerful winds
to sink the armada.

40. The Epic Cycle
Crisis
 Vasco da Gama sees the near
destruction of his caravels.

41. The Epic Cycle
Treasure
 The Portuguese reaches the Indian
city of Calicut.

42. The Epic Cycle
Result
 Bacchus appears in a vision to a
Muslim priest in Samorin’s court
and convinces him that the
explorers are a threat.

43. The Epic Cycle
Return
 Venus prepares the Isle of Love for
them to rest on and asks her son
Cupid to inspire the Nereids with
desire for them.

44. The Epic Cycle
New Life
 During a sumptuous feast on the
Isle of love, Tethys, who is now the
lover of da Gama, prophecies the
future of Portuguese exploration
and conquest.

45. The Epic Cycle
Resolution
 The sailors again set sail for home.

46. Discover Philippines!