Lusitania is the area of present-day Portugal that the tribal people called Lusitani inhabited (7). Historians debate their origin. Some believe they were indigenous people; others believe they descended from Celts. Conflict with Rome concluded in the Roman conquering and Romanization of the Lusitanians around 100 BC (6).
POETRYAccording to one author, Lusitanian poetry really began in the fifteenth century with the following poets: Cancioneiro (actually a group of 150 poets) ; Ribeyro, who focused on pastoral themes, and others like Camoens, Ferreira, Caminha, Diogo Bernardes, and Gil Vicente (1).
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| Statue of Gil Vicente in the Rossio, a plaza in Lisbon, Portugal (8, 9). |
DRAMAGil Vicente was also a playwright. His were the first recorded plays and were carnivalesque in nature (3). They are described as “carnivalesque” because they, like carnivals, are humorous and chaotic (4).
ORIGIN MYTHLusitanians believed that they came from a god named Lusus (2). You might recognize this god as the companion to the Roman god, Bacchus (5). This connection between Roman and Portuguese gods makes sense because of Rome’s conquering and Romanisation of the people (6).
(5) Wiki: Lusus
(8) Image link
(9) Wiki: Rossio
I wonder what it would be like to see a chaotic play. I've seen some performances where actors are not fully prepared, so the presentation is awkward and varying in timing, but I've never seen a play that is intentionally crazy. I wonder what sort of oral knowledge was passed on through these plays. Any ideas?
ReplyDeleteIt's said that Lusitania is used as another name for Portugal. I've always loved the history associated with a tradition or name.
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