Zorro

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For the fictional character Zoro portrayed in the anime and manga One Piece, see Roronoa Zolo.

Image:Antonio Banderas Zorro.jpg

Zorro, Spanish for fox, is the secret identity of Don Diego de la Vega (originally Don Diego Vega), a fictional nobleman and master swordsman living in Spanish-era California. He defends the Californio people from the corrupt tyranny of the Spanish governor, proving himself to be much too foxlike and cunning for the bumbling authorities to catch. He was created by pulp writer Johnston McCulley, and first made his appearance in The Curse of Capistrano, serialized in the pulp magazine All-Story Weekly in 1919.

The character's visual motif is typically a black costume with a cape, a small flat-brimmed hat (he wears a wide sombrero in the original) and a black cowl mask that covers the top of the head from eye level up (the mask covered his whole face in the original). In addition, his favored weapon is a sword which he often uses to leave his distinctive emblem, a large 'Z' made from three quick scratches. He also uses a bullwhip, like the later Indiana Jones. In the original story, he also uses a pistol.


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History of the character

McCulley had no idea how successful Zorro would become, so at the denouement of the curse of Capistrano, Zorro's true identity is revealed to all. Zorro soon became a regular character in numerous pulp fiction magazines.

After the success of the silent film The Mark of Zorro (1920) starring Douglas Fairbanks, McCulley's novel was re-released by the publisher Grosset and Dunlap under the same title. (Fairbanks also starred in a 1925 sequel titled Don Q, Son of Zorro, playing Don Diego's grown-up son, Don Cesar, as well as reprising his role as Don Diego.)

Zorro is similar to some real bandits in California history. He is often associated with Joaquin Murieta, the "Mexican Robin Hood", whose life was fictionalized in an 1854 book by John Rollin Ridge, and in the film The Mask of Zorro, where his brother succeeds de la Vega as Zorro. Other possible inspirations include Hood himself (though he was English, of course), California bandit Salomon Pico, Tiburcio Vasquez, and William Lamport, an Irish soldier living in Mexico in the 17th century. Lamport's life was fictionalized by Vicente Riva Palacio in the 19th century. While there are many theories about who the 'real' Zorro was, it seems most likely that McCulley drew inspiration from several different sources.

There is no historical basis for the Spanish hacienda culture depicted in the books and films. Population of California increased when it was a territory of the Viceroyship of New Spain (later Mexico) for 300 years, but a multigenerational feudal society and peasant class never existed. Most Mexican land grants were less than ten years old when Mexico lost California during the Mexican-American War. However, life in 17th century in New Spain was modeled by the class society in Europe, with nobility on the top and peasants on the bottom, and hacienda culture was prevalent in the rural areas. In this regard, some authors tend to believe that Johnston McCulley borrowed heavily from Vicente Riva Palacio's novel "Memories of an Impostor: Don Guillen de Lamport, King of Mexico."

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Influence on fiction

Although not completely original in its concept and recognizing influences from previous publications like the Spring Heeled Jack adventures, this character is one of the earliest precursors of the superhero of American comic books, being an independently wealthy person who has a secret identity (as with The Scarlet Pimpernel) which he defends by wearing a mask, and who accomplishes good for the people with his superior fighting abilities and resourcefulness.

He even has an animal symbol, though English-speaking peoples might not recognize it, his name being Spanish for "fox". The animal is never depicted as an emblem, but as a metaphor for the character's wiliness ("Zorro, 'the Fox', so cunning and free...") - as with the American historical figure Francis Marion, "The Swamp Fox", who was also the subject of a Disney television series in the 1950s.

Zorro has also been adapted for comic books and comic strips. The most notable character whose creation was highly influenced by Zorro is Batman, created by Bob Kane in the 1930s; within the Batman storyline itself, Bruce Wayne and his parents actually watch The Mark of Zorro at the cinema the night they are murdered, and the future Batman takes some inspiration from the masked hero. Zorro keeps his horse in the basement of his house, and Batman keeps his Batmobile in a similar hideout, the Batcave. Zorro was also the inspiration of the remarkably similar character El Coyote.

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At the movies

The character has been adapted for many movies. They include:

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On television

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Books

  • Gerard Ronan - The Irish Zorro: The Extraordinary Adventures of William Lamport (1615-1659)
  • Isabel Allende gave her interpretation of the Zorro legend in her 2005 fictional biography Zorro: A Novel.
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External links

de:Zorro es:El Zorro fr:Zorro (série télévisée) it:Zorro nl:Zorro pl:Zorro sv:Zorro

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