Novel: Rupert of Hentzau

Overview

Anthony Hope's Rupert of Hentzau resumes the swashbuckling Ruritanian saga three years after The Prisoner of Zenda. The novel revisits the tangled triangle formed by the brave Englishman Rudolf Rassendyll, the regal but conflicted King Rudolf V, and the beautiful Queen Flavia. A seemingly settled monarchy is soon disturbed when Rupert of Hentzau, the rakish antagonist believed dead, reappears to set in motion a fresh campaign of intrigue and danger.
Hope delivers the tale with the same brisk storytelling and ironic wit that characterized the first book, blending romantic tension with political plotting and dashes of comic bravado. The narrative explores duty and desire, testing the loyalties of its central characters as Rassendyll is again drawn into impersonation, espionage, and perilous gambits to protect the throne and the woman he loves.

Main Plot

The story opens with Rassendyll's life back in England, still haunted by his unfulfilled love for the married Queen Flavia. When events in Ruritania make Rassendyll's presence desirable, he returns at the queen's discreet request, only to find the court shadowed by new conspiracies. Rupert of Hentzau, whose recklessness and charm made him a dangerous wild card the first time, has returned and begins to exploit the royal household's vulnerabilities.
Rupert's machinations lead to abductions, betrayals, and a sequence of stratagems that force Rassendyll to assume the king's identity once more. The double life that suited him as an adventurous masquerade now becomes a bitter burden: each act of heroism further binds him to a role that bars him from claiming the true object of his affection. Allies from the earlier struggle, loyal men of honor and quick wits, reappear, and fresh episodes of gallantry and narrow escapes escalate toward a tense, mournful climax.

Characters

Rudolf Rassendyll returns as a more world-weary but still gallant figure, torn between passion and principle. His courage is matched by an introspective melancholy about the cost of duty. Queen Flavia remains regal and sympathetic, compelled by loyalty to her husband and to the crown, yet painfully aware of the love she cannot return. King Rudolf V, though central to the power at stake, is often overshadowed by Rassendyll's inner turmoil and Rupert's disruptive energy.
Rupert of Hentzau himself is charismatic, unpredictable, and ruthlessly entertaining, a villain whose charm makes him all the more dangerous. Supporting figures from the royal household provide steadfast loyalty and pragmatic cunning; their presence grounds the narrative and dramatizes the theme of honor in small, human acts.

Themes and Tone

At its heart, Rupert of Hentzau interrogates sacrifice. The novel probes the moral landscape where personal longing collides with public duty, asking whether one can reconcile love and honor. Hope's prose alternates between brisk adventure sequences and elegiac reflection, producing a tone that is both thrilling and melancholic. The romance is never sentimentalized into easy resolution; instead, it is treated as part of a larger social and ethical web.
Identity and disguise remain central motifs. The act of impersonation that made Rassendyll a hero in the first tale gains moral complexity here, spotlighting the consequences of living behind a crown that is not one's own. Political stability, personal honor, and the price of heroism are woven together in an exploration of what each character is willing to surrender.

Conclusion

Rupert of Hentzau closes on a note that is both dramatic and poignant, affirming Hope's appetite for adventure while refusing easy romantic closure. The novel secures its place as a darker, more reflective companion to The Prisoner of Zenda: it keeps the page-turner momentum but directs its energy toward the emotional costs exacted by loyalty and courage. The result is an entertaining and ultimately moving portrait of love constrained by duty, rendered with the novelist's characteristic charm and moral clarity.