Books with title Rupert of Hentzau: Original Text

A man who has lived in the world, marking how every act, although in itself perhaps light and insignificant, may become the source of consequences that spread far and wide, and flow for years or centuries, could scarcely feel secure in reckoning that with the death of the Duke of Strelsau and the restoration of King Rudolf to liberty and his throne, there would end, for good and all, the troubles born of Black Michael's daring conspiracy.

A man who has lived in the world, marking how every act, although in itself perhaps light and insignificant, may become the source of consequences that spread far and wide, and flow for years or centuries, could scarcely feel secure in reckoning that with the death of the Duke of Strelsau and the restoration of King Rudolf to liberty and his throne, there would end, for good and all, the troubles born of Black Michael’s daring conspiracy. The stakes had been high, the struggle keen; the edge of passion had been sharpened, and the seeds of enmity sown. Yet Michael, having struck for the crown, had paid for the blow with his life: should there not then be an end? Michael was dead, the Princess her cousin’s wife, the story in safe keeping, and Mr. Rassendyll’s face seen no more in Ruritania. Should there not then be an end? So said I to my friend the Constable of Zenda, as we talked by the bedside of Marshal Strakencz. The old man, already nearing the death that soon after robbed us of his aid and counsel, bowed his head in assent: in the aged and ailing the love of peace breeds hope of it. But Colonel Sapt tugged at his gray moustache, and twisted his black cigar in his mouth, saying, “You’re very sanguine, friend Fritz. But is Rupert of Hentzau dead? I had not heard it.”

Queen Flavia, dutifully but unhappily married to her cousin Rudolf V, writes to her true love Rudolf Rassendyll. The letter is carried by von Tarlenheim and his servant Bauer to be delivered by hand, but Fritz is betrayed by Bauer and it is stolen by the exiled Rupert of Hentzau and his loyal cousin the Count of Luzau-Rischenheim. Hentzau sees in it a chance to return to favor by informing the pathologically jealous and paranoid King.

Rupert of Hentzau CHAPTER I. THE QUEEN’S GOOD-BY A man who has lived in the world, marking how every act, although in itself perhaps light and insignificant, may become the source of consequences that spread far and wide, and flow for years or centuries, could scarcely feel secure in reckoning that with the death of the Duke of Strelsau and the restoration of King Rudolf to liberty and his throne, there would end, for good and all, the troubles born of Black Michael’s daring conspiracy. The stakes had been high, the struggle keen; the edge of passion had been sharpened, and the seeds of enmity sown. Yet Michael, having struck for the crown, had paid for the blow with his life: should there not then be an end? Michael was dead, the Princess her cousin’s wife, the story in safe keeping, and Mr. Rassendyll’s face seen no more in Ruritania. Should there not then be an end? So said I to my friend the Constable of Zenda, as we talked by the bedside of Marshal Strakencz. The old man, already nearing the death that soon after robbed us of his aid and counsel, bowed his head in assent: in the aged and ailing the love of peace breeds hope of it. But Colonel Sapt tugged at his gray moustache, and twisted his black cigar in his mouth, saying, “You’re very sanguine, friend Fritz. But is Rupert of Hentzau dead? I had not heard it.”

Set in the fictional kingdom of Ruritania, Rupert of Hentzau is a sequel to Anthony Hope’s previous novel, The Prisoner of Zenda. The action begins three years after the denouement of Zenda, and the story features a few recurring characters, such as Rudolf Elphberg, the king of Ruritania, Flavia - his wife, Rudolf Rassendyll - an English gentleman, Fritz von Tarlenheim and, of course, Rupert of Hentzau. Flavia has put aside her own chance at happiness and has married Rudolf V, her cousin. She is absolutely unhappy and can no longer deal with Rassendyll being away. She writes him a very compromising letter, telling him how she feels. Fritz von Tarlenheim is in charge of delivering the letter to Rassendyll, but, unfortunately, Rupert of Hentzau steals it. He plans to show it to the king, take advantage of his extreme jealousy and paranoia, and win his favors again. Rassendyll wastes no time in coming to the queen’s aid. Together with his friends Ftitz and Sapt, he returns to Ruritania. Upon arrival, he has to impersonate Rudolf V once more, as Rupert of Hentzau has shot the monarch. Rassendyll finally confronts Rupert and kills him in the end. But one more character had to die before the story ends. The story brims over with humor and swashbuckling heroism, and has its moments of romance as well. Disguised under all that, the reader will find a sharp satire on Europe’s politics of the 19th century. Anthony Hope was born on the 9th of February 1863 and died on the 8th of July 1933. He was a notable English author who wrote novels and plays. He wrote many adventure stories, but the works that made him famous are The Prisoner of Zenda and Rupert of Hentzau. The two books gave birth to a new literary genre called the Ruritarian romance.

Rupert of Hentzau is the dark sequel to The Prisoner of Zenda. Full of humor and swashbuckling feats of heroism, the tale is also a satire on the politics of 19th-century Europe. When honour is at stake, the fight is to the death. Rudolf Rassendyll, having heroically saved the kingdom of Ruritania and nobly given up the hand of the beautiful Princess Flavia, has returned to his normal life in England. But when, three years later, Flavia, now the unhappily married Queen of Ruritania, sends him a love letter, it is stolen by the exiled villain Rupert Hentzau. Rudolf’s former adversary has been waiting for the chance to have his revenge, and this provides the perfect opportunity to stir up trouble. Rudolf must return to the troubled kingdom to defeat Hentzau, where he is embroiled once more in a world of deception, intrigue, deadly swordfights and torn loyalties. with the stakes higher than ever, will he pay the ultimate price?

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Rupert of Hentzau is a sequel by Anthony Hope to The Prisoner of Zenda, written in 1895, but not published until 1898. The story is set within a framing narrative told by a supporting character from The Prisoner of Zenda. The frame implies that the events related in both books took place in the late 1870s and early 1880s. Queen Flavia, dutifully but unhappily married to her cousin Rudolf V, writes to her true love Rudolf Rassendyll. The letter is carried by von Tarlenheim to be delivered by hand, but it is stolen by the exiled Rupert of Hentzau, who sees in it a chance to return to favour by informing the pathologically jealous and paranoid King...