Résumé
Résumé de Les Lusiades
Go deeper: the whole of Les Lusiades
About 4 h 30 min to read.À qui s’adresse-t-il ?
For readers who love sea voyages, ancient epics, and the history of exploration, and anyone curious about Portugal. Meet quarrelling gods, sailors tested by storms, and a poet weighing national glory against greed.
De quoi parle ce livre ?
What if a nation wrote its own legend, and slipped a warning inside it? The Lusiads is the poem in which Portugal tells itself who it is. Luís de Camões printed it in 1572, when Portuguese ships had reached India, Africa and Brazil. Lusus is the legendary figure who gives Lusitania its name. Its main story is the voyage of Vasco da Gama, who sails from Lisbon around Africa to find a sea route to India. Camões wants that voyage to stand beside the deeds of Aeneas and Ulysses. So gods quarrel above the waves, and real sailors face real coasts. The poem announces its subject and calls for inspiration before bringing the gods together in council.
Dans ce résumé
- 1The gods gather to decide the fleet's fateFree
- 2Deceit on the coast, welcome at Melinde
- 3Gama tells the story of Portugal's kings
- 4Independence is won and a dream points east
- 5The fleet departs, and a giant bars the cape
- 6Storm, divine rescue, and the shores of India
- 7Glory, greed, and the cost of empire
- 8Gods and Christ share one poem
- 9How the poem is built and how to read it
Point clé 1 sur 9
The gods gather to decide the fleet's fate
The poem opens in the middle of the voyage. Gama's ships are already crossing the Indian Ocean, far past the southern tip of Africa. Then the narrator lifts us to Olympus, where Jupiter holds a council of the gods.
Jupiter says the fates have promised the Portuguese glory in the East. Venus speaks warmly for them, because they remind her of the Romans. Bacchus fears they will end his fame in India, and he pleads against them. Mars backs Venus, and Jupiter holds to his decision.
This gives the poem its double shape. Sailors face wind, thirst and strange rulers, while above them the gods push and pull the outcome. It is the old epic way of showing that great events have hidden causes.
That’s 1 of 9 key points.
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Go deeper: the whole of Les Lusiades
About 4 h 30 min to read.Who’s who
- Vasco da Gama
- The fleet’s captain serves King Manuel and recounts Portugal’s history to a foreign king.
- Venus
- The goddess of love supports the Portuguese sailors against Bacchus and the dangers of their voyage.
- Bacchus
- The god of wine opposes Vasco da Gama’s expedition and schemes against the Portuguese.
- Jupiter
- The king of the gods supports the Portuguese cause and sends Mercury to help the sailors.
- Adamastor
- A threatening sea giant confronts Vasco da Gama’s sailors at the southern cape.
- Inês de Castro
- A Castilian lady loved by Prince Pedro appears in Vasco da Gama’s account of Portuguese history.
- The Old Man of Restelo
- An elderly onlooker at Lisbon challenges the departing sailors’ pursuit of fame and empire.
- Paulo da Gama
- Vasco’s brother explains the banners depicting Portuguese heroes to visitors aboard the ships.
About this edition
Every format is free to start, and print and large print are at cost.
- LengthAbout 57,000 words
- Reading timeAbout 3 h 50 min
- FormatseBook, large-print eBook, audiobook, 15-minute summary
- LanguagesEnglish and 12 other languages
Questions about Les Lusiades
What is The Lusiads about?
It is an epic poem about Vasco da Gama's voyage from Portugal around Africa to India, mixed with the history of Portugal and the quarrels of the gods who help or hinder the sailors.
What does Lusiads mean?
Lusus was a legendary founder of the land of Lusitania, the land Gama calls his homeland.
Who is Adamastor in The Lusiads?
Adamastor is a giant of the sea invented by Camões. He appears as a storm cloud at the southern cape and warns the sailors, and he has become a lasting symbol of the dangers of the ocean.
Is The Lusiads a true story?
It rests on a real event, the voyage of Vasco da Gama in 1497 and 1498, and on real Portuguese history. Camões added gods, giants and visions, so it mixes fact with myth. It was printed in 1572.
Is The Lusiads hard to read?
The great scenes are clear and vivid, and readers can enjoy them without knowing all the history behind each stanza.