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E

T e a c h e rs n o t e s

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The Prisoner of Zenda

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by Anthony Hope
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UPPER
INTERMEDIATE

S U M M A R Y
he Prisoner of Zenda was first published in April
1894, and received immediate acclaim as an
exciting, adventurous romance. Three film versions
of the story have been made, in 1937, 1952 and 1979, and
hundreds of thousands of copies of the book have been
sold. The hero of the book, Rudolf Rassendyll, is a true
English gentleman who has too much money and no
motivation to work. He decides to visit the mythical country
of Ruritania to watch the coronation of its King. While
walking in the Forest of Strelsau he meets the king and
discovers that he is his double. The kings evil brother,
Michael, wants the throne for himself. He drugs his
carefree, fun-loving brother on the night before the
coronation. Rudolf saves the day by becoming king so
that the coronation can take place, but Michael takes the
real king prisoner in the forbidding fortress at Zenda. It
becomes Rudolfs task to free the king whilst acting as
king, and ensuring that the duplicity remains a secret from
the people of Ruritania.

ABOUT ANTHONY HOPE

Anthony Hope Hawkins was born in 1863. He was
educated at Marlborough and at Balliol College, Oxford. He
was a model student and classic all-rounder, emerging
from Oxford with first class degrees in the classics,
philosophy and ancient history. In 1887 he was called to
the Bar, where he worked as a junior barrister for H.H.
Asquith, the Liberal politician and future Prime Minister.
Hope maintained a great interest in politics throughout
his life. In 1892 he stood for Parliament as a Liberal
candidate in South Bucks, but was not elected. He enjoyed
the company of politicians, and joined a political club,
whose members included Winston Churchill and Lloyd
George.
Some of his contemporaries thought Hope could have
been Lord Chancellor if The Prisoner of Zenda had not got
in the way.
Hope published around thirty fictional works in his
lifetime, but it wasThe Prisoner of Zenda that made him
famous, enabling him to give up law, and become a full
time writer and literary man. Hope was an efficient and
quick writer. The first draft of The Prisoner of Zenda and its
sequel, Rupert of Hentzau were completed in just a month.
In 1903 Hope was returning from a lecture tour in the
States, when he met 18 year old American, Miss Betty

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Somerville. They fell in love and were married in the

summer of that year.
They had two sons and a daughter and lived in rural
Surrey. Hope was knighted in 1919 for his work during the
First World War, when he wrote pamphlets to offset
German propaganda. Hope died in 1933.

BACKGROUND AND THEMES

The Prisoner of Zenda was published towards the end of
the Victorian era which stretched from the Coronation of
Queen Victoria in 1837 to her death in 1901. The Victorian
age was a time of great change. The Industrial Revolution
brought about the rapid development of industry, railways,
commerce and engineering. Along with this came
revolutionary scientific theories which shocked many
people. Darwins Origin of Species, published in 1859, put
forward the theory of evolution, and so questioned the
Christian beliefs that had been dominant until then. Many
wealthy Victorian families also felt threatened by the rise of
the new class of rich factory owners, who capitalised on
the poor, particularly women and children. These unsettling
social developments forced writers to react against the
romanticism of early novelists and turn their attention to
realistic portrayals of social problems and relationships.
Authors such as Dickens, Charles Kingsley and William
Makepeace Thackeray stirred the Victorian conscience
with their in-depth observations of social plights. However,
as the century drew to a close, another group of young
novelists reacted against this realism. Robert Louis
Stevenson, Rudyard Kipling and Joseph Conrad tried to
bring back the spirit of romance into the novel. They
achieved this by setting their stories in exotic places, and
by developing their themes through action packed,
adventurous plots. Novels became shorter, faster and more
appealing to the general public. Robert Louis Stevenson
paved the way with his racy tales of adventure in Treasure
Island (1883) and Kidnapped (1886).
The Prisoner of Zenda is a swashbuckling tale of honour
and chivalry. It became an immediate bestseller when it
was published, and was read and enjoyed by all sections
of society. A friend of Hopes, A.E.W.Mason, wrote of the
novel, the debonair chivalry of its hero, the fresh, vivid
narration and the tenderness of the love story more than
took the town by storm. Robert Louis Stevenson, abroad
in Samoa, began a letter to Hope which was found
unfinished, on his desk after he died. He praised the novel
as a very spirited and gallant little book. Shortly after the

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T e a c h e rs n o t e s
book was published, Hope was invited to dinner with the
newly-appointed Prime Minister, Lord Roseberry, where
great interest was shown in the politics of Ruritania the
mythical, central European country where the adventure
takes place.
The main theme that runs through the book is the age-old
fascination with mistaken identity. Rudolf Rassendyll has
the same startling red hair and looks as the King of
Ruritania. The public accept him as the same person, the
enemy knows he is not the king but is unable to display
their knowledge for fear of giving away the fact that they
have kidnapped the real king. Flavia, the kings intended,
falls in love with Rudolf, thinking he is the king who has
suddenly become a person she can love.
The other major theme running through the book is the
conflict between love and honour. Our hero must choose
between his love for the real kings intended bride, and his
honour and loyalty to the king. Rudolf has the opportunity
to leave the king languishing towards certain death in the
Castle of Zenda, whilst he takes his place as King of
Ruritania. But honour and chivalry are the foundations of life
in the romantic mythical country. Rudolf Rassendyll was
warmly welcomed by the Victorians, as a hero who gives
the impression of being indolent and uncaring, but who
becomes a fearless fighter when events demand. By the
end of the book the English gentleman has displayed
qualities fit for a king, and shown the real king the way to
behave.

Communicative activities
The following teacher-led activities cover the same sections
of text as the exercises at the back of the reader, and
supplement those exercises. For supplementary exercises
covering shorter sections of the book, see the
photocopiable Students Activities pages of this Factsheet.
These are primarily for use with class readers but, with the
exception of discussion and pair/group work questions, can
also be used by students working alone in a self-access
centre.

ACTIVITIES BEFORE READING THE BOOK

Divide the students into small groups. Students write down
as many types of books as they can think of, e.g. historical,
crime, adventure, etc. Then, without letting them know the
title, write all the chapter titles from the reader on the
board. Groups decide what type of book this is and report
their thoughts and reasons to the class.

ACTIVITIES AFTER READING A SECTION

Chapters 13
Divide students into small groups. Give each group the
name of one of the characters in the book. Muddle the
letters up. Students work out who their character is and
then write down as many adjectives as they can think of to
describe this person. Groups read their words to the rest of
the class who must guess the character. Groups then write
down what they think of their character so far.

Chapters 46
Divide students into small groups. Ask each group to
decide on a scene in these chapters that they thought was

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special in some way exciting, romantic, silly, etc. The

groups then form a tableau creating a still picture of that
scene. The other groups guess what is happening.

Chapters 710
Show the class newspapers that have been written in
different styles. Discuss the words they use and who their
readers are. Divide the class into small groups. Give each
group a different newspaper and ask them to write in the
style of their newspaper:
a) the report on Page 35 about the Kings marriage, or
b) a report on the wounding of the King on page 48,

Chapters 1113
As a whole class activity, brainstorm ideas for what should
be included in a wanted/missing person poster. Write ideas
on the board. Collect together some missing/wanted
person posters and show the class. Did they miss anything
out? Students work in pairs and design a wanted or
missing poster for Rassendyll or the King. Display the work
afterwards if possible.

ACTIVITIES AFTER READING THE BOOK

Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a
chapter title or two, so that all the chapters are accounted
for. Students write down a few sentences about what
happens in their chapters. Groups take it in turns to read
their sentences to the class, starting with Chapter 1, until
they have told the story of the book. Has anything
important been left out?

Glossary
It will be useful if your students know these new words. They are
practised in the Before You Readsections at the back of the book.
(Definitions are based on the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary
English.)
Chapters 13
bow (v) to bend the top part of your body forward to show respect to
someone important
carriage (n) a vehicle with wheels that is pulled by a horse
cellar (n) a room under a building used for storing things
Chancellor (n) the chief minister of some countries
Colonel (n)a high rank in the army
coronation (n) the ceremony in which someone is made king or queen
crown (n) a circle made of gold and decorated with jewels worn by
kings and queens
drawbridge (n) a bridge that can be pulled up to stop people from
entering or attacking a castle
Duke (n) a man with the highest social rank outside the royal family
earnest (adj) very serious and believing that what you say is very
imprtant
fierce (adj) a fierce person or animal is angry or ready to attack
inch (n) a measurement of distance equivalent to 2.54 centimetres
lodge (n) a small house built on the land of a large country house
Majesty (n) title used when talking to the king or queen
Marshal (n) an officer with the highest rank in the army or air force
merry (adj) cheerful and happy
moat (n) a deep wide hole usually filled with water around a castle
rank (n) a position or level in the police or armed forces
revolver (n) a small gun that has a revolving container for bullets
scorn (n) the feeling that someone is stupidor not as good as other
people
sire (n) a way of addressing a king
throne (n) a special chair used by a king or queen

Publis hed and d is tribu ted by Pearson Education

F act s heet wri tt en by W S Fowler
Factsheet series developed by Louise James

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Students activities

The Prisoner of Zenda

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Photocopiable

These activities can be done alone or with one or more

other students. Pair/group-only activities are marked.

Activities before reading the book

1 Read the introduction and answer these questions
(a) What is the name of the book that has some of
the same characters as The Prisoner of Zenda?
(b) What did Anthony Hope do before he was an
author?
(c) How long after Hope left Oxford was The
Prisoner of Zenda published?
(d) How old was Hope when he died?
(e) What were The Dolly Dialogues about?
(f)

Why did he become Sir Anthony Hope Hawkins?

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(d) Josef is left to .....
(e) Sapt tells Rassendyll about the Kings life
while ....
(f) The Duke of Strelsau meets Rassendyll ....
(g) Rassendyll asks the Marshal not to surround him
with guards, because ....
2 Have you ever pretended to be someone else? What
do you think would be the most difficult part? Discuss
with another student.

CHAPTER 4
1 Close your book and answer these questions.

Activities while reading the book

CHAPTER 1
1 Answer these questions?
(a) Who is to be made an ambassador?
(b) Who is travelling on the same train as
Rassendyll?
(c) Who speaks German and French, as well as
English?
(d) Why does Rassendyll decide to stop at Zenda?
(e) Which two people look surprised when they see
Rassendyll?
2 Rassendyll says to his brothers wife, opportunities
are duties. What do you think he means by this? Do
you think this idea will be important to the story?
Discuss with another student.

CHAPTER 2
1 Who says these things? Who to? What are they
talking about?
(a) Open it! Its the very last one.
(b) Id give a thousand pounds to see Brother
Michaels face when he sees a pair of us!
(c) What the devil have we got here!
(d) Yes, Ill go.
(e) Then we are all brothers of the sword.
2 Sapt says to Rassendyll, Chance sent you here. Do
you think chance has had an effect on your life?
Discuss with another student.

CHAPTER 3
1 Finish these sentences.
(a) Marshal Strakencz is ...........
(b) Sapt ties Johanns mother up with a cloth in her
mouth because .....
(c) The guards close round Rassendyll as they enter
the Old Town, because ....

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(a) What happens after the coronation?

(b) What happens where the road divides?
(c) What has happened at the lodge?
(d) What does Sapt persuade Rassendyll to do?
Why?
2 Work in pairs. One student is Duke Michael, the other
a messenger telling Michael that the real king has
been discovered at the lodge. Have the conversation.

CHAPTER 5
1 Find sentences that show:
(a) that Rassendyll finds it difficult being king.
(b) that Michaels six are loyal to him.
(c) that Rassendyll is glad he was shot in the hand.
(d) that Rassendyll finds Flavia attractive.
(e) that Flavia recognises a change in the king.
(f) that the king is still alive.
(g) that Michael doesnt trust anyone not even his
six.
2 How do you think Rudolf and Flavia feel about each
other? Discuss with another student.

CHAPTER 6
1 Answer these questions.
(a) Why does Sapt think the King is in the Castle of
Zenda?
(b) Why doesnt Rassendyll throw the letter away?
(c) What is Michaels plan?
(d) How does Rassendyll escape from the summer
house?
2 Why do you think Antoinette de Mauban tells
Rassendyll about Michaels plans? Discuss with
another student.
3 Which person, do you think, shows themselves to be
the most honourable in this chapter? Discuss.
4 What do you think of Rassendyll now, compared with
what you thought of him in Chapter 1?

UPPER
INTERMEDIATE

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Students activities
(e) If Rassendylls plan does not work Marshal
Strakencz must announce that he is engaged to
be married to Flavia.

CHAPTER 7
1 Who says? Who is meant by the word in italics ?
(a) You must offer her marriage when you speak to
her tonight.
(b) Whatever you were, I should love you just the
same.
(c) Unless you want me to become a criminal as
well, let us go to Zenda and crush him.
(d) I wont share in any plan to make a fool of her
(e) I love you more than life or truth or honour!

(f)

CHAPTER 11
1 Put these sentences into the order in which they
happen.
(a) Rassendyll kills de Gautet and Bersonin.
(b) Rassendyll fights Detchard.
(c) Rassendyll watches Rupert swim across the
moat and into the castle.

2 Every movement we made was, and had to be, quite

public. Would you like to be famous? What are the
good/bad points? Discuss with another student.

(d) The king is cut down by Detchard.

(e) Antoinette calls for help.
(f) The doctor dies.

CHAPTER 8
1 Put these events into the order in which they happen.
(a) Rassendyll takes Fritz to dine at the small hotel
he stayed at on his first night in Ruritania.
(b) Duke Michael offers Rassendyll one hundred
thousand pounds to leave the country.
(c) Rassendyll meets Rupert Hentzau for the first
time.
(d) Johann falls into the trap.
(e) Rassendyll is wounded.
2 Work in pairs. Student A is Johann, Student B is
Rassendyll. Discuss the King, life in the Castle of
Zenda, and Michaels plans for the King.

CHAPTER 9
1 These sentences are wrong. Correct them.
(a) Rassendyll kills the man who guards the room
where the King is prisoner.
(b) Rupert escapes on his horse into the forest.
(c) Princess Flavia travels to Zenda because the
leading doctors are not allowed to look after the
wounded King.
(d) The Chief of the Strelsau Police thinks that
Rassendyll may have left the country.
(e) Rassendyll wants to free the King because he
wants to go home to England.
2 Write down or discuss with a friend: What qualities
make Rassendyll seem like a king?

CHAPTER 10
1 These sentences have the wrong endings. Put the
endings in the right place.
(a) Rupert makes a proposal to Rassendyll that his
plan will succeed.
(b) The king is the only person not to know that
Flavia is Queen.
(c) Michael locks Antoinette de Mauban in her room
because he is very sick.
(d) Rassendyll and his men decide to try to free the
king, because he doesnt want Rupert to get into
the room.

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Rassendyll does not think on the day of

Lauengrams funeral.

(g) Rupert arrives on the drawbridge.

(h) Rupert leaps from the window into the moat.
2 Work in pairs. One student play the part of Rupert, the
other Michael. Act out the scene where Michael finds
Rupert with Antoinette.

CHAPTER 12
1

Answer these questions without looking at the book.

(a) Who shoots at Rupert?
(b) Who is graceful but without honour?
(c) Why does Rupert come back to the castle?
(d) Why is Rupert able to run faster that Rassendyll?
(e) Who jumps into the moat?
(f)

Why doesnt Rassendyll shoot Rupert when he

has the chance?

2 Work in pairs. Two servants who were in the castle on

the night Duke Michael dies talk about what they saw.
Have the conversation.

CHAPTER 13
1 Match these speeches with ones in the book that
have the same meaning. Who says them? Who to?
(a) The people must not know.
(b) I have learned from you how to behave.
(c) You will always be the only one I love.
(d) If love were the most important thing, I would
not stay.
(e) The person who is best suited to the job,
doesnt always get it.
2 Work in pairs. One student take the part of
Rassendyll, the other of his brother. Have a
conversation where Rassendyll describes Ruritania.
and his brother asks questions.

Activities after reading the book

Did you enjoy readingThe Prisoner of Zenda? Why?
Why not? Discuss with another student.

Pub lished a nd dist ributed by P ear son E duc atio n

Fact sh eet wr it ten by W S Fow ler
F act sh eet s eri es devel o ped by L ouise J am es

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