The Lusiads (Masterplots, Revised Second Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Luís de Camões
- First Published: 1572
- Type of Work: Poetry
- Type of Plot: Epic
- Time of Work: Fifteenth century
- Setting: Europe, Africa, and Asia
- Principal Characters: Vasco da Gama, Venus, Bacchus
- Genres: Poetry, Epic, Narrative poetry
- Subjects: Africa or Africans, Voyages, Europe or Europeans, Asia or Asians, Gods or goddesses, Fifteenth century, Sea or seafaring life, Adventure, Portugal or Portuguese people, Exploration or explorers
- Locales: Africa, Europe, Portugal, India
The Story:
The gods and goddesses, called together by Jove, assembled on Olympus. When they had taken their places, Jove announced to them that the Fates had decreed that the men of Lusitania, or Portugal, should outdo all the great conquerors of ancient times by sailing around Africa to Asia, there to become the rulers of a new continent. Of all the assembled pantheon only Bacchus, who looked upon Asia as his own, dissented. Venus, however, friendly toward the Portuguese, took their side, aided by Mars.
Vasco da Gama was the captain chosen to head the voyage of...
[The entire page is 2736 words long]
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