Swashbuckler
|
D'Artagnan and the Three Musketeers |
For the 1976 film, see Swashbuckler (film).Swashbuckler is a term that came about in the
16th century and was applied to rough, noisy and boastful
swordsmen. It came about due to the popularity of the 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".__toc__Today the term "swashbuckler" is used to denote a particular type of character and is usually applied to
fictional characters. A swashbuckler will display a strong sense of justice, an aptitude for and enjoyment of fighting, and calmness, class, and wit even during combat. The archetypical swashbuckler is a handsome young
rapier-wielding
European man from the
16th to the
18th century, though as "swashbuckler" is a character type, it is not confined to time or place. The showiness of this type of swashbuckler is particularly appropriate as regards stage fighting, which has more in common with the art of
fencing, in which the fighting is a stylized form originally used to teach the principles of actual dueling, while real sword fighting aims at bodily harm.
Swashbucklers have made appearances in works of literature such as
The Three Musketeers,
Ivanhoe and
Scaramouche. Even today, the romantic appeal of the swashbuckler still endures. Contemporary movies that feature swashbuckling include
The Count of Monte Cristo,
Pirates Of The Caribbean,
The Mask of Zorro, and
Lives No Longer Ours.
Many subgenres are distinguished by their tendency to include large amounts of swashbuckling in their plots, such as
fantasy of manners and
Ruritanian Romance.
Notable swashbucklers from literature and movies include:
*
Alan Breck Stuart*
d'Artagnan*
Miles Gloriosus *
Robin Hood*
Inigo Montoya*
Captain Jack Sparrow*
Jarlaxle Baenre*
Nightcrawler (comics)*
Paddy Vaughan*
Sandokan*
Yotam Filter Dikstein*
"Red" Ned Lynch*
Westley*
Will Turner*
Zorro*
Guybrush Threepwood*
Captain Blood*
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe*
Don Juan*
Alexandre Dumas*
Baroness Orczy*
Rafael Sabatini*
Emilio Salgari*
Lawrence Schoonover*
Sir Walter Scott*
Samuel Shellabarger*
Robert Louis Stevenson*
Jules Verne*
P. C. Wren*
Frank YerbyThe swashbuckler is also a type of men's shirt. It is usually white in color, with an open neck and chest with a lace up front.
*
Cloak-and-dagger film*
Capt. Jameson Macaulay, played by Australian actor Paul Sanderson in the film "Lives No Longer Ours"
