Saturday, July 4, 2009

PRISONER OF ZENDA - PLOT SUMMARY

Chapter 1
Introduction to hero – Rudolf Rassendyll.
Living with brother and sister-in-law, Lord Burlesdon and Rose.
Rassendyll, studied in German university, travelled far. Spoke German and English, swordsman & horseman.
Rose asks him to go to Ruritania with Sir Jacob Borrodaile.
Decides to go to Ruritania on his own.
Tells Rose he is going to the Alps to write a book.

Chapter 2
Rudolf Rassendyll takes train to Ruritania.
Meets Antoinette de Mauban (widow).
Everyone stares at him.
Strelsau is crowded; decides to stay in Zenda.
Stays at an inn with view of castle.
Learns about Black Michael, Princess Flavia.
Johann, Duke’s forest guard is surprised to see Rassendyll.

Chapter 3
Rassendyll takes a walk in the forest.
Meets Colonel Sapt, Fritz.
Finds out he looks like the king; only difference is the beard.
Meets King Rudolf V.
Rassendyll is invited to a hunting lodge.
King Rudolf V drinks drugged wine presented by Duke Michael.
All fall asleep.

Chapter 4
All wake up except King Rudolf V.
Late for coronation.
King is ‘ill’ and weak.
Sapt suggests Rassendyll takes the place of the king.
Rassendyll agrees to do it.

Chapter 5
Rassendyll shaves and puts on uniform.
King Rudolf V is left in cellar. Josef is ordered to guard him.
Sapt instructs Rassendyll on how to behave.
They take train to Strelsau.
Welcomed grandly by army; bands & bells.

Chapter 6
Streslau has ‘ Old Town’ and ‘New Town’.
Old Town supports Duke Michael; New Town, King Rudolf V.
Coronation procession.
Rassendyll meets Princess Flavia in Cathedral.
They leave for palace; Princess Flavia says he is different.
Rassendyll dines with Flavia & Michael by his side.

Chapter 7
Dinner successful; Rassendyll not recognized.
That night Rassendyll rides to lodge with Sapt.
Fritz left to guard the King’s bedroom.
2 horsemen ride pass (Duke Michael & Max Holf).
They reach the lodge; find Josef murdered, King missing.

Chapter 8
Sapt advises Rassendyll to return to Strelsau as King.
On the way they see 8 horsemen going to bury Josef.
They kill 3 of the horsemen.

Chapter 9
Rassendyll returns to the palace.
Meets ambassadors.
Introduction to Famous Six.
Only 3 come back so the other 3 must be guarding the King.

Chapter 10
Rassendyll visits Princess with Fritz.
Fritz in love with Countess Helga.
Rassendyll meets Black Michael & three of the Famous Six.
Flavia warns him of danger.

Chapter 11
Rassendyll learns that the King is in Zenda Castle.
Rassendyll receives a letter asking him to come to a house in New Avenue.
Meets Antoinette de Mauban.
She tells him that the Duke made her write the letter and soon 3 men will come to kill him.
Tells him that the King is in the Old Castle.
They offer him 50,000 pounds if he leaves Ruritania.
Rassendyll pretends to accept the offer.
He shields himself with a heavy iron tea table when they enter and start shooting.
He hits them with the table and escapes.

Chapter 12
Duke and the three leave for Zenda.
People of Ruritania angry; wedding not fixed.
Goes to dance; says ‘ I love you’ to Flavia in garden.
Flavia says she started loving him after the Coronation.
Rassendyll wants to tell her the truth but is stopped by Sapt.
Everyone cheers to see them together.

Chapter 13
Flavia gives Rassendyll a red rose.
In Rassendyll’s heart, Love & Honour are already at war.
The rescue team comprises thirteen people.
Sapt spreads the news that the King is going to hunt boars in the forest near Zenda.
Flavia receives the news of Rassendyll’s hunting trip with sadness.
She learns that the ‘boar’ is actually Duke Michael and confesses her love to Rassendyll.
Going to the Castle of Tarlenheim (belongs to Fritz’s uncle) five miles from Zenda. Plenty of boars in surrounding forest.

Chapter 14
Black Michael sends three of his Famous Six to meet Rassendyll.
Michael will be visiting Rassendyll when he is better.
Rassendyll plans to save the King by a trick.
He asks innkeeper’s daughter to arrange for Johann to meet him.
Sapt waiting near the Castle of Tarlenheim.
Bad news; Bernenstein has been shot, mistaken for Rassendyll.

Chapter 15
Rupert of Hentzau offers a hundred thousand pounds from the Duke if Rassendyll agrees to leave Ruritania.
Rupert stabs Rassendyll with a dagger.
Johann agrees to help Rassendyll.
He tells that the King is imprisoned in the Castle, in the room at the end of the drawbridge.
If anyone attacks, King will be killed.

Chapter 16
News that the King is seriously wounded in a boar hunt is spread.
Princess Flavia visits Rassendyll.
Rassendyll sets out for Zenda Castle late at night.
Tries to find the pipe that leads to the King’s room.
Kills Max Holf, Johann’s brother. Feels bad about it.
Rassendyll hears the King’s voice through a crack in the pipe.
He fights with Rupert Of Hentzau but the latter manages to escape.
Lauengram and Kaufstein killed.

Chapter 17
Rassendyll’s family are looking for him.
Rassendyll requests help from Rupert to save the King.
Instead, Rupert offers Rassendyll a plan; asks Rassendyll to kill Sapt, Fritz and Duke.
Rassendyll receives a note from Antoinette de Mauban to rescue her.

Chapter 18
Date of the royal wedding fixed; in a fortnight’s time.
Duke, Antoinette and Rupert quarrel.
King is very ill.
Rassendyll gives Johann fifty thousand crowns to open the front door of the New Castle at two o’clock in the morning.
Rassendyll plans to save the King before the wedding.
Bids farewell to Princess Flavia and gives her a ring.

Chapter 19
Rassendyll swims to the drawbridge from the moat.
Antoinette is being harassed by Rupert.
She threatens to jump into the moat.
Duke is furious with Rupert.
Rupert throws an empty bottle into the moat and starts to fire at the bottle.
Rupert jumps into the moat and swims to New Castle.

Chapter 20
Loud crash in Antoinette’s room.
Antoinette is crying frantically.
Duke and Rupert are fighting.
Rupert strikes down Duke and Johann and escapes into the moat.
Rassendyll kills De Gautet, Bersonin and Detchard.
Rupert appears.

Chapter 21
The duke is dead.
Antoinette fires at Rupert but misses.
Rupert disappears into the forest.
Snatches a peasant girl’s horse.
Rupert tries to kill Rassendyll who is injured.
Fritz saves Rassendyll.

Chapter 22
Antoinette grieves for the Duke.
King badly wounded.
News is sent to Strelsau that the King has gone to rescue a friend.
Princess rides to Zenda and finds out who the real King is.

Chapter 23
Rassendyll rests in Old Castle.
He meets the King who is grateful to him for saving his life and throne.
Rassendyll meets Princess Flavia.
Princess loves Rassendyll, not the King.
Honour requires her to serve her country and marry the King.
Rassendyll gets into train and leaves Ruritania.

Chapter 24
Rassendyll goes to Italy.
Travels to the Alps for a ‘ quiet holiday’.
Stays a few days in Paris.
Hears that Antoinette is living alone in Paris with memories of the Duke.
Rassendyll is scolded by Rose for not writing the book.
He rejects the job of being an ‘attache’ to Sir Jacob.
Rassendyll lives alone in a small house with sweet memories of Princess Flavia until his dying day.
Once a year they exchange roses and profess their love with the help of Fritz.

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