Tuesday, May 25, 2010

The Prisoner of Zenda;Character you despise

Question: Which character do you despise most? Why?
I despise King Rudolf, a character found in “The Prisoner of Zenda”, written by Anthony Hope, the most.
First of all, he is an irresponsible person. As the King to be, he has never stayed in his country for a long duration of time. He prefers to visit other countries. The old woman, who owns the Inn in Zenda, claims that she herself has never met the King and does not know what he looks like.
He also does not use his time well. Even when he is in the country, he will go out hunting in the forest. He does not seem to care about what is happening in the country. He is too busy with his hobby.
Moreover, he is a drunkard. He loves wine so much. This is a weakness used by Duke Michael to prevent him from attending the coronation. When he is having dinner at his lodge, a night before the coronation, Duke Michael gave him a bottle of drugged wine. He is found unconscious the next morning and unfits to attend the coronation.
So, it is not surprising that some citizens of Ruritania want Duke Michael to be the King of Ruritania.

The Prisoner of Zenda

Question: Choose one character that you like the most?
I would definitely like to emulate Rudolf Rassendyll from the novel, “The Prisoner of Zenda”, written by Anthony Hope because he has many admirable qualities.
By being adventurous, Rassendyll becomes a person with lots of experience and knowledge at a young age. His adventure in Ruritania makes his life more colourful. If he has not decided to watch the coronation, he may have not met Princess Flavia, befriend Fritz and Sapt, met the cruel Duke Michael and his Famous Six and experience the life of a King. I myself would like to be adventurous like Rassendyll so that my life won’t be so dull.
Through Rassendyll, I learn that one must be honourable in order to gain respect from others and to maintain self-esteem. Rassendyll has not eloped with Princess Flavia because he believes that it is not honourable to take something which does not belong to him. Princess Flavia is after all the King’s fiancĂ©e. The King has also treated him as a friend and has invited him to have dinner with him at the lodge.
Rassendyll furthermore, has shown that courage and bravery are essential qualities to go through life as our life is not always bed and roses. In this novel, Rassendyll impersonates as the King and on the King’s behalf, he takes the throne. This is not an easy task as Duke Michael may find out his impersonation and kill him. Yet, Rassendyll still continues his impersonation in his attempt to rescue the King from Zenda Castle.
By examining the above qualities found in Rassendyll ,it is undeniable that he is indeed the best character to emulate.

Saturday, May 8, 2010