The Prisoner Of Zenda
(Sir Anthony Hope)
The Prisoner of Zenda, by Sir Anthony Hope, was an early example of swashbuckling adventure. Further still, its protagonist, Rudolph Rassendyll, sets the standard for our image of the English Action Hero ? he is suave, debonair, chivalric, and yet pragmatic when he has to be.
The novel is set in the fictional country of Ruritania. Rudolph Rassendyll, a member of English nobility doomed to live in the shadow of his elder brother, was being pressed into living a responsible life. Rassendyll, living the live of a carefree aristocrat, decided that he would go off on one last adventure: He would sneak to the Kingdom of Ruritania. Two things spurred his interest in the tiny country. Legend told that one of his ancestors was a Ruritanian nobleman who had an illicit affair with a Rassendyll. Another, more modern reason for his interest, was that the new king was going to be publicly crowned.
Coincidentally, Rassendyll?s point of arrival to the kingdom was the province where the fledgling king was hunting. Rassendyll and the king were amazed to discover that they looked like each other, down to their flaming red hair. The pair became fast friends and celebrated their kinship in a heavy bout of drinking. The next morning, the king failed to awaken. Rassendyll, along with the king?s loyal advisors, learned that he was drugged by his nefarious brother, Black Michael, as part of a failed coup. So began the adventure. Rassendyll, covertly adopting the mantel of his royal, yet drugged, cousin, served as King of Ruritania. Black Michael soon learned of this ruse and kidnapped the true king, holding him in the Tower of Zenda.
The course of this novel traces Rassendyll?s attempts to save the king, defeat Black Michael, and to woo the woman he loves, a woman destined to marry the king.
Resumos Relacionados
- The Prisoner Of Zenda
- The King
- Mystic And Rider
- Antígone
- The Foolish King And The Clever Minister
|
|
