He comments at one point that вЂњWomen are careless, forgetful creatures.вЂќ However, to balance that comment, as I noted above, Princess Flavia is ultimately portrayed as the most honorable and principled person in the book. However, at least Rudolf later feels compunction about this decision to cold bloodedly kill the guard: вЂњOf all the deeds of my life, I love the least to think of this.вЂќ The other motif I did not appreciate was a slight tendency towards misogyny in the hero. One of the most disturbing moments of violence is when Rudolf stabs a sleeping guard to death, an action that does not seem necessary in the context of the story. There is a decent amount of violence, some of it committed by the hero himself. What an awesome little explanation of human nature, grace, and temptation to find in an adventure story!ДЄlthough I appreciated the overall refreshing themes about honor and chivalry in The Prisoner of Zenda, this book is not without flaw morally speaking. Yet, unless he sets up as a saint, he need not hate himself for themВ He is better employed, as it humbly seems to me, in giving thanks that power to resist was vouchsafed to him, than in fretting over wicked impulses which come unsought and extort an unwilling hospitality from the weakness of our nature.вЂќ вЂњAВ man cannot be held to write down in cold blood the wild and black thoughts that storm his brain when an uncontrolled passion has battered a breach for them. Alphonsus di LiguoriвЂ™s: do not focus unduly on temptation, but rather be grateful for grace to resist it. In fact, his approach to confronting temptation is very close to St. He recognizes the crucial moral distinction between feeling a temptation and acting on it. I appreciated his distinctions between thinking and doing.

Rudolf struggles throughout The Prisoner of Zenda with his desire for the Princess and temptations to allow the King to die so he could seize the throne and princess for his own. I donвЂ™t know why God has let me love you but I know that I must stay.вЂќ My honour lies in being true to my country and my House. Ah, if I were one of them! But if love had been the only thing, you would have let the King die in his cell. вЂњIs love the only thing? вЂ¦ If love were the only thing, I would follow you-in rags, if need be-to the worldвЂ™s end for you hold my heart in the hollow of your hand! But is love the only thing? вЂ¦ I know people write and talk as if it were. She delivers a heroic refusal to compromise honor for love. Even when, in the final chapters, Rudolf falters in his determination to act honorably and leave the Princess to marry the King as she should for the good of her country, Flavia stands firm. Throughout the book, Rudolf wrestles with his love for the Princess Flavia, but mostly restrains himself from acting on it. The Prisoner of Zenda offers a strikingly different approach to a conflict between honor and the dictates of our heart. One overwhelming message about love in our culture is, вЂњIf it feels good, do it.вЂќ Heaven forbid in the twenty first century that anyone deny the impulses of passion.

Anthony Hope creates a story where Rudolf chooses honor over romantic love and passion. This is simply an adventure story at heart, but what I found fascinating were the themes about honor and love, which were handled so differently a century and a half ago. Rudolf Rassendyll acts decisively and honorably to save the KingвЂ™s throne and life, but at the cost of a broken heart. Without giving away too much of the plot, a scandal is RassendyllвЂ™s familyвЂ™s past resulted in his bearing a close resemblance to the king or Ruritania, a fortunate coincidence when King RudolfвЂ™s treacherous half brother makes a play for the throne. Rudolf Rassendyll, both the hero and the narrator, is a dashing young Englishman who decides on a whim to journey to Ruritania for the coronation of the new king, also named Rudolf. This is a story for adults or older, mature teens. I confess to thoroughly enjoying this fast-paced, clever adventure myself, with a few reservations. The Prisoner of Zenda was received with eclat by HopeвЂ™s generation, who were delighted with the adventure and romance, political intrigue and sword fights, humor and tragedy. HopeвЂ™s book was so popular it sparked an entire genre known as вЂњRuritarian Romance,вЂќ which are adventure novels set in fictional countries in Eastern Europe. Anthony Hope penned the The Prisoner of Zenda nearly 125 years ago.

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