Essays · Chapter
Sir Walter Raleigh explained
This chapter presents a detailed character study of Sir Walter Raleigh, portraying him as the quintessential English hero—a man of action, letters, and noble bearing.
What happens
This chapter presents a detailed character study of Sir Walter Raleigh, portraying him as the quintessential English hero—a man of action, letters, and noble bearing. Thoreau examines Raleigh's military and naval exploits, his knightly conduct, his literary pursuits, and his philosophical reflections, while also critically assessing his flaws, such as ambition and a lack of true originality. The chapter ultimately reflects on the nature of heroism and the importance of character over mere deeds.
Themes in this chapter
Heroism and Moral Courage
The chapter extensively explores the nature of heroism through Raleigh's life, contrasting different types of heroic bearing and emphasizing character over deeds.
The Role of the Poet and Writer
Raleigh is presented as both a man of action and a writer; his historical writing is praised for its vividness and personal engagement, linking authorship to lived experience.
Individualism and Self-Reliance
Raleigh's independent spirit, his refusal to be confined by convention, and his unique character are highlighted, though his dependence on court favor is also critiqued.
Characters to notice
- Sir Walter Raleigh
Central figure of the chapter; described as a heroic, soldier-like figure with Roman virtues, a poet, historian, and adventurer, whose life and character are analyzed in depth.
- Sir Philip Sidney
Mentioned as a shadowy figure compared to Raleigh, representing an earlier ideal of knighthood.
- Pizarro
Listed among the fathers of Raleigh's age, representing the conquistador who also turned to letters.
- Luther
Cited as a forefather of the age, representing religious reform and heroism.
- Julius Caesar
Used as a comparison for Raleigh's historical writing; Raleigh is described as 'the Caesar of his own story.'
- Spenser
Mentioned as the friend of Raleigh, indicating Raleigh's connection to literary circles.
- Bayard
Referenced as a model of chivalric heroism, compared to Raleigh's 'grace' rather than 'honest truth.'
- The Hero
Abstract figure discussed in the context of heroism; the chapter contrasts different types of heroic bearing.
Key passages
“Perhaps no one in English history better represents the heroic character than Sir Walter Raleigh, for Sidney has got to be almost as shadowy as Arthur himself.”
Thoreau argues that Raleigh is the most exemplary heroic figure in English history, more vivid than Sir Philip Sidney or the legendary King Arthur.
Opening assertion establishing Raleigh's preeminence as a heroic character.
“He was one whose virtues if they were not distinctively great yet gave to virtues a current stamp and value as it were by the very grace and loftiness with which he carried them;—one of nature’s noblemen who possessed those requisites to true nobility without which no heraldry nor blood can avail.”
Raleigh's virtues, though not extraordinary in themselves, were made valuable by the grace and dignity with which he embodied them, making him a natural aristocrat.
Thoreau emphasizes the importance of manner and bearing in defining nobility.
“He was the Bayard of peaceful as well as warlike enterprise, and few lives which are the subject of recent and trustworthy history are so agreeable to the imagination.”
Raleigh was a knight without fear in both peace and war, and his life is one of the most inspiring in recent history.
Comparison to Bayard underscores Raleigh's chivalric ideal.
“With all his heroism, he was not heroic enough; with all his manliness, he was servile and dependent; with all his aspirations, he was ambitious.”
Despite his heroic qualities, Raleigh fell short of true heroism due to his servility and ambition.
Critical assessment of Raleigh's character, highlighting his contradictions.
“Such a life is useful for us to contemplate as suggesting that a man is not to be measured by the virtue of his described actions, or the wisdom of his expressed thoughts merely, but by that free character he is, and is felt to be, under all circumstances.”
Raleigh's life teaches that a person's true worth lies not in their actions or words but in their underlying character as perceived by others.
Central philosophical reflection on the nature of character and judgment.
