CHAPTER WISE (POINT-WISE) SUMMARY OF THE NOVEL

CHAPTER – 1: The Rassendylls– With a word on the Elphbergs

 Rose (Lady Burlesdon) is trying to convince Rassendyll to take up a job and start living a
life of a working man. She sees a prospect of job in an embassy in six months.
 Rassendyll promises to take up that job if he sees no obstacle in his way in the next six
months.
 He reads in TIMES that Rudolf the Fifth is going to be crowned as the King of Ruritania at
Strelsau in the course of next three weeks.
 He makes up his mind to go to Strelsau to witness this coronation ceremony.

CHAPTER – 2: Concerning the Color of Men’s Hair

 On his way to Ruritania, Rassendyll visits George Featherly at the embassy in France.
 Later, they call on Bertram Bertrand who tells Rassendyll that he is in love with Madame
Antoinette de Mauban.
 On the contrary, she is in love with Duke Michael and dreams of becoming his wife.
 It is for the love of Michael that she is going to Ruritania.
 Rassendyll and Madame de Mauban travel by the same train to Ruritania.
 After reaching the Ruritanian Frontier, Rassendyll learns that the coronation has been
postponed for a day. Instead of Tuesday, it will now take place on Wednesday.
 He decides to stop at a hotel in Zenda instead of going to Strelsau as the hotels there
are overflowing with the people coming to attend the coronation.
 The hotel is owned by a fat old lady and her two daughters. One of the girls is in love
with Johann,
 Michael’s gamekeeper at his castle in Zenda.
 Rassendyll spends Tuesday wandering on the hills.
 At the hotel, Rassendyll learns that the King Rudolf Elphberg is on a hunting expedition
and is to stay at a shooting lodge on Tuesday evening.
 Colonel Sapt and Fritz von Tarlenheim, king’s serving men, are also with him.

CHAPTER – 3: A Merry Evening with a Distant Relative

 Rudolf Rassendyll, Col. Sapt and Fritz come across Rassendyll in the forest on Tuesday
evening.
 Since they look alike and trace some family connection, the king shows his keenness in
Rassendyll and takes him to the shooting lodge for supper.
 Joseph, a servant, brings a bottle of the drugged wine before the king.
 The bottle is a gift from Michael. It is first step of his conspiracy to prevent Elphberg
from taking the throne.
 The king drinks excessively and becomes insensible.
 This worries Colonel Sapt who wants him to remain conscious to attend the coronation
ceremony the next day.
CHAPTER – 4: The King Keeps His Appointment
 On Wednesday morning, the king’s prolonged insensibility rings the alarm bells. He is
too unconscious to attend the coronation ceremony.
 Colonel Sapt sees through Michael’s trick and devises a plan.
 He persuades Rassendyll to impersonate the king and wear the crown in his place so
that Michael could be kept at bay.
 Rassendyll is made clean-shaven and dressed like the king.
 Joseph, a trustworthy servant, is kept at guard, whereas the lady servant is bound and
gagged for her unreliability.
 Colonel Sapt serves like a guide to Rassendyll and teaches him all the king’s habits and
moves.
 According to Sapt’s plan Rassendyll will be replaced by the actual king in his chamber
the following night, so that the actual king starts his duties from Thursday.
 After this, Rassendyll will be sent back to his country.
 Rassendyll, impersonated as the king, Col. Sapt and Fritz go to Strelsau by train to
attend the coronation ceremony.

CHAPTER – 5: The Adventure of an Understudy

 The three reach Strelsau. People receive the “king” at the station with great pomp and
dignity.
 The coronation takes place at the cathedral.
 Black Michael and princess Flavia are also present at the coronation ceremony.
 No one, including Black Michael and Flavia, can make out Rassendyll’s imposture.
 The cardinal anoints Rassendyll’s head and hands him the crown to wear it.
 The coronation ceremony ends successfully and now Rassendyll is the king of Ruritania.

CHAPTER – 6: The Secret of a Cellar

 After the successful coronation, it is time for Colonel Sapt to implement his plan.
 Fritz stays behind in the king’s room so that nobody can discover his (king’s) absence in
the room.
 Rassendyll and Colonel Sapt ride secretly at night to the shooting lodge to bring the king
back.
 When they reaching there, they find that the king has been kidnapped by Michael’s
men.
 They also find Joseph, a servant, murdered and the lady servant released.
 This all happens completely against what Col. Sapt had planned.

CHAPTER – 7: His Majesty Sleeps in Strelsau

 Colonel Sapt and Rassendyll fight Michael’s men and kill three of them outside the
lodge.
 King’s kidnapping hampers Rassendyll to go back to his country without resolving the
new problems.
  Col Sapt persuades Rassendyll to continue his impersonation until they bring the king
back.
 Rassendyll agrees to this and along with Sapt rides back to the city to play as the king of
Ruritania.

CHAPTER – 8: A Fair Cousin and a Dark Brother

 Rassendyll is now in Strelsau serving as the King of Ruritania.
 He is fully trained by Colonel Sapt in matters of the king’s dealings, likes, dislikes and
every other thing necessary for him to exhibit.
 Rassendyll visits Princess Flavia and is very eager to show her his affection.
 Rassendyll and Black Michael have an accidental encounter at Flavia’s residence but
they both keep the secrets to themselves.

CHAPTER – 9: A New Use for a Tea Table

 Rassendyll receives a letter from de Mauban. She does not disclose her name and just
signs ‘A’.
 She says that she has important information to share.
 She sends this letter at the command of Michael who wants to trap Rassendyll by having
him at the Summerhouse where de Mauban lives.
 At 11:30pm Rassendyll and Col. Sapt leave for the Summerhouse.
 Instead of abetting Michael, Mauban shows loyalty to Rassendyll because she does not
want Michael to marry Princess Flavia. She tells Rassendyll about Michael’s conspiracy.
 Col. Sapt stands guard outside while Rassendyll is inside.
 Three men of Michael come outside the door of the Summerhouse to capture
Rassendyll.
 They offer him a safe exclusion from Ruritania and Fifty thousand pounds (English) as an
offer to step down the throne and go back to England.
 Rassendyll pretends to accept the offer only to deceive his enemies into killing them or
escaping alive.
 A fight takes place. Rassendyll protects himself by using an iron-topped tea table as a
shield.
 The outer wall of the Summerhouse is tall and topped with iron spikes. So he escapes by
a ladder.

CHAPTER – 10: A Great Chance for a Villain

 The marriage between the king and Flavia is much demanded by the people. For this
delay, the king (Rassendyll) is much criticized. Flavia also feels hurt for being neglected.
 To throw away this impression, a ball is arranged.
 Rassendyll and Flavia dance / waltz together and express their love to each other.
 Rassendyll is so passionate about her love that he even goes to the extent of disclosing
his identity, but he fails to do so as Colonel Sapt intervenes.
 Colonel Sapt and Rassendyll finally decide to go to Zenda to bring the king back and
crush Black Michael.
CHAPTER – 11: Hunting a Very Big Boar
 Rassendyll meets Flavia as a courtesy of his love.
 She shows Rassendyll two letters – one from Michael that invites her to spend a day at
his castle in Zenda and the other from de Mauban which advises her not to go anywhere
without a large security.
 Rassendyll forbids Flavia to go anywhere and instructs her to camp a regiment around
her house.
 Rassendyll trusts Marshal Strakenz and assigns him the duty to guard Flavia. He also tells
Strakenz of his plan and advises him to protect Flavia he defeats his enemies.
 Flavia, still ignorant of Rassendyll’s imposture, learns that the king is going to leave for a
hunting expedition. This is false information that Rassendyll wants her to know.
 Rassendyll and Flavia meet and Rassendyll talks of his upcoming expedition in a fashion
that makes Flavia very concerned about his safety and safe return to Strelsau.

CHAPTER – 12: I Receive a Visitor and Bait a Hook

 Five miles from Zenda there is a wood on the rising ground. It is the property of one of
Fritz’s kinsman, the Count Stanislaus von Tarlenheim.
 Rassendyll and his party are there with the excuse of hunting boars.
 Rassendyll conveys to his party that a friend of his is confined within the castle at Zenda
and the object of their expedition is to rescue him.
 Rassendyll is resolute to bring the king back alive.
 All his men are gallant and loyal. They show readiness to prove their loyalty to the king.

CHAPTER – 13: An Improvement on Jacob’s Ladder

 The following day, Rupert visits Rassendyll with Michael’s offer of a million crowns and a
safe conduct to the frontier. Rassendyll refuses his offer.
 The frustrated Rupert attempts to kill Rassendyll by hurling a dagger at him. Rassendyll
gets wounded in the shoulder. Rupert escapes alive.
 Fritz brings news to Rassendyll that Johann has been captured.
 Johann is brought to Rassendyll who persuades him to give all information about the
castle where the king is being held captive.
 Johann reveals the following information:
 The Six men of Michael are at guard all the time – three during day and three during
night.
 He further tells about the arrangements inside the castle and the movement of
Michael’s men.
 He also tells that Michael has given orders to his men to shoot the king if anyone comes
to save him.
 A pipe has been laid from the window of the king’s cell to the moat around the castle.
 The king’s body would be weighed, thrown into the pipe and sunk into the moat.
CHAPTER – 14: A Night outside the Castle
 Rassendyll along with Fritz, Colonel and six other men heads to Zenda for an attack. He
leaves his men alert outside the castle.
 He swims across the moat very carefully in an attempt to go inside the castle. Across the
moat, he hides by the window to eavesdrop the conversation between the king and
Detchard.
 Rupert traces Rassendyll and both engage in a fight near the moat. Rupert escapes alive.
 There is an affray between the two parties. Rassendyll and his men have to go back
without rescuing the king.

CHAPTER – 15: I Talk with a Tempter

 The British Ambassador sends a prefect of Police to the king to find trace of the British citizen
(Rudolf Rassendyll).
 The King (Rassendyll) insists the prefect to go back and leave the matter to him for a week or
two.
 Rupert brings a malicious offer to Rassendyll asking him to attack the castle at Zenda and kill
everyone including the king and Black Michael, and act as the king with Rupert as his close ally.
 Rassendyll learns that it is for Madame de Mauban that Rupert has become Michael’s rival.
 Rassendyll openly refuses this vile offer.
 A letter from de Mauban reaches Rassendyll in which she requests him to rescue her from
Michael.

CHAPTER – 16: A Desperate Plan

 Rassendyll seems to be worried by the delay in rescuing the king.
 He is also disturbed by the pressing demand of
 Ruritanian people to get engaged to Flavia.
 Johann brings news that the king is very ill and a physician has been forcibly detained there by
Michael to cure him.
 Rassendyll forces Johann to go back to the castle and tell Madame de Mauban that he is
working out a plan to rescue her soon.

CHAPTER – 17: Young Rupert’s Midnight Diversions

 Rassendyll, fixing time with Sapt and his party, goes to Zenda for his final action to rescue the
king.
 He swims across the moat and hides by the side of the drawbridge near the old castle.
 He sees Madame de Mauban in a room of the new castle being molested by Rupert.
 Michael enters her room and orders him to go to the old castle. Rupert complies and the bridge
is lifted.
 After some time Rupert swims across the moat sneakily, carrying his sword between his teeth.
 He then enters the new castle.

CHAPTER – 18: The Forcing of the Trap

 Rupert enters Madame de Mauban’s room again with an intention to harass her.
 She screams. Her scream brings Michael to her room.
 Michael and Rupert have a brawl in which Rupert overpowers Michael and stabs him to death.
He then jumps into the moat and swims across to escape in the forest.
  Rassendyll, who is hiding by the drawbridge, hears all the noise and sees Rupert escape.
 In the ensuing fight, Rassendyll kills de Gautet and takes from him the keys of the room where
the king is held captive.
 Rassendyll unlocks the door and enters the old castle where he kills Bersonin. Detchard rushes
into the king’s room to kill him (the prisoner). Detchard instead kills the doctor.
 Rassendyll fights Detchard and kills him.
 The king is lying unconscious with some serious cuts on his body.
 Rupert is still around to fight Rassendyll.

CHAPTER – 19: Face to Face in the Forest

 The bridge is still in its place. Rupert suddenly emerges there.
 Madame cries that Michael is dead.
 To avenge Michael’s death she fires at Rupert.
 Unhurt Rupert escapes by jumping into the moat. He then runs toward a nearby forest.
 Rassendyll chases him but in vain.
 Rupert reaches the forest where he snatches a horse from a farm girl and rides back to
Rassendyll to fight him.
 Fritz comes to Rassendyll’s rescue. He shoots at Rupert but misses his aim. Rupert escapes alive
once again and this time forever.
 Fritz tells Rassendyll that the king is alive.

CHAPTER – 20: The Prisoner and the King

 After all the incidents of this affray, Sapt and Fritz enter the old castle and find the king alive.
 Once again a false story is put out publicly to conceal the actual adventure of rescuing the king.
 Flavia comes to the castle to see the wounded king.
 Here, she learns that Rassendyll is not the actual king, but an impostor.

CHAPTER – 21: If Love were All

 Rassendyll meets the king who thanks him deeply for his sincere services he did to save his life
and kingdom.
 Rassendyll then has a farewell meeting with Princess Flavia to settle matters with her.
 They both express their deep love for each other and agree to sacrifice it for the well-being and
welfare of the people of Ruritania.
 Col. Sapt and Fritz escort Rassendyll to the railway station as he is going back to his country,
England.
 They see him off with gratitude and humility.
 All the secrets of the past two months are kept successfully by the king, Rudolf Rassendyll, Col.
Sapt, Fritz von Tarlenheim and Madame de Mauban.
 Madame de Mauban returns to Paris alone.

CHAPTER – 22: Present, Past – and Future?

 Rassendyll returns to his relatives in England.
 His sister in law insists him to take up the job of an ambassador, which he plainly denies.
 Rassendyll stays in England but sometimes makes trips to Dresden and meets Fritz (who lives
with his wife Helga) there and enjoys with him the memories of their adventure.