Princess Flavia is a character from the novel entitled The Prisoner of Zenda, written by Anthony Hope. She is the only female character who is not directly involved in the conspiracies, which pervade the entire atmosphere of the novel. She is the cousin and fiancée of King Rudolf Elphberg and is the immediate inheritor to the throne. She bears a bewitching personality and fascinates the readers by the elegant attitude.

Her appearance can be perceived by Rudolf Rassendyll’s saying:

Princess Flavia is a young, captivating and decent lady. She possesses a character full of virtues and commands great respect and admiration among the people of Ruritania. They wish to see her as the future queen of the country. She is a noble and kind-hearted woman.

Princess Flavia is a wise woman. Her wisdom keeps her aware of the evil desires of Black Michael, who is not a good man. She very intelligently keeps herself away from all sorts of intrigues. She is a sensible person who has the courage to face the realities of life.

Her intelligence is enlightened when she said to Rassendyll:

Princess Flavia is a lady with elements of love in her heart. These elements increase the fascination and temptation in her character. She sincerely and quite confidently admits her inclination towards Rassendyll, being impressed by his personality. She was bold enough to propose Rassendyll but her sensibility restricted her to perform any action below dignity. She gave heart and soul to Rudolf Rassendyll considering him to be the real king. She never mourns her decision even after coming to know that he is a pretender. She confessed that Rudolf Rassendyll was acceptable to him even if he was a beggar.

The princess was a sincere and devoted lady, always worried about the security of Rassendyll. She advised him time and again to be cautious of the wicked plans of Duke Michael. When Black Michael was successful in injuring Rassendyll, she at once reached Zenda to look after him. This action reflects her sense of responsibility and devotion towards the man whom she loved from the depths of her heart.

She said to Rassendyll:

Princess Flavia is a responsible lady. She very loyal to her country and knows the difference between love and duty. She sets an example of the greatest sacrifice by giving up her love at the altar of duty. This aspect of her character shows that she is not the slave of her passions.

Here sense of duty is enlightened when she says to Rassendyll:

In order to maintain peace in Ruritania and not to disgrace the royal family, Princess Flavia took a sensible and daring step. She sacrificed her love for the sake of her homeland and parted with Rassendyll forever. It was a noble and graceful decision in the interest of Ruritania and the Royal family.

Princess Flavia proves to be not only the leading female character of the novel but also the most lively and integral personality. She holds the attentions of the readers because of her charm, duty and incredible virtues. She respected the wishes of the people and the country and gave up her love for the sake of her country. She is a complete symbol of love, beauty and sacrifice, which makes her an admirable character.

Among the leading characters of the novel, Prisoner of Zenda," there are only two belonging to the fair sex, which are of paramount significance. Princess Flavia gains more prominence being the heroine of the novel but lady Mauban is of no less importance for the development of the plot.

Antoinette De Mauban is described as:

It is pointed out that:

Rudolf Rassendyll speaks of her handsome face and proud smile. She is rolling in wealth and is known to be very ambitious.

Antoinette De Mauban is a wealthy widow and a very popular figure in the aristocratic circles of the society. She is not a Ruritanian by birth. She comes to Ruritania to attend the coronation ceremony of Rudolf Elphberg. She is a political adventuress, that is why she takes stocks of the political situation of Ruritania and wants to exploit it.

She is interested in outward glamour and superficial things of life. This is the reason that she is impressed by the outward appearance of life and people. On her way to Zenda, she refuses to be introduced to Rudolf Rassendyll, because he is shabbily dressed.

Regarding this, George says to Rassendyll:

She love to be in the lime light all the time:

Antoinette De Mauban is an over ambitious lady. She loves Black Michael in the hope of becoming the queen of Ruritania by marring him. Black Michael is a hypocrite and not sincere to her. He has no genuine love for her. He makes her tool for carrying out his evil designs. But there comes time when she becomes aware of the fact that black Michael does not love her and is exploiting her for political motive, and actually he wants to marry Princess Flavia in order to become the King of Ruritania. In retaliation she, then, helps Rassendyll in rescuing the real king of Ruritania.

It is said that:

This saying holds true for Antoinette De Mauban. When she comes to know that Black Michael has diverted his attention towards Princess Flavia in order to fulfil his evil plans, she warns Rassendyll and Flavia about the evil intentions of Black Michael. She is not ready to allow Black Michael to marry Princess Flavia.

She said to Rassendyll about Black Michael:

She is kind-hearted, sympathetic and helpful. She cannot see others engulfed in troubles and storms of life. She is very helpful in the attempts made by Rassendyll to rescue the real king of Ruritania. She not only acquaints him with the evil nature and evil designs of Black Michael but also saves his life at the Summer House. She says to Rassendyll:

Antoinette De Mauban loves Black Michael with the core of her heart. Her love is based on sincerity. She trusts him and for quite sometime believes that he is going to marry her. Then her innocent and tender heart has to sustain a severe shock as she realizes that Black Michael is not faithful to her. He is over ambitious and wants to get the throne as well as, Princess Flavia. However, she does not give up her claim over Michael and keep striving to possess him for ever. She is a woman of strong nerves and unshaken will power.

Beyond only shadow of doubt and without any exaggeration Mauban is a paragon of beauty. Mauban’s presence in the castle adversely affects the cause of Black Michael. Rupert, one of his strongest supporter, is attracted by Mauban’s ravishing beauty and wants to make love to her but she repulses him. This is something which is also not bearable for Michael. There develops a conflict between him and Rupert. Rupert fights with Black Michael in order to win her and stabs him to death.

Rudolf Rassendyll says about her beauty:

A deep study of her character reveals that despite loving a villain like Black Michael, she herself is not a villainous character. Her character is very interesting and absorbing and holds our attention throughout the novel. Her only weak point is her love and irresistible desire for glamour, fame and high status. In short, she occupies a significant position in the female gallery of characters created by mighty pen of Anthony Hope.

The masterpiece of adventure and romance The Prisoner of Zenda, written by Anthony Hope Hawkins, has a number of prominent and impressive characters. Colonel Sapt is one of these great characters.

Sapt is one of the dedicated and royal followers and personal attendants of King Rudolf. He is described as:

He is an experienced military man, faithful and devoted to monarchy. The spirit of patriotism is always alive in him, and he does not hesitate to put his life at the sake for safeguarding the throne.

Colonel Sapt is one of the strongest supporters of the real king of Ruritania. He is a monarchist and serves the cause of the king with great devotion. He leaves no stone unturned to liberate his master from the cruel clutches of Michael. He is not at all a stonehearted man as people think about him. He is always calm, composed and calculated. He stands as firm as a rock and never gives way to any kind of pressure.

Sapt is imbibed with a keen sense of duty and dedication. It is he who thinks of the plan to have Rudolf Rassendyll take the king’s place for his one desire in life is to see his master on the throne. He is always ready to stake his life for the sake of duty. Rassendyll pays tribute to Colonel Sapt by saying:

Colonel Sapt is a brave, chivalrous, faithful and courageous soldier and is extremely devoted to king Rudolf Elphberg. He always remains by the side of Rassendyll, and is prepared to encounter the enemy on the spur of the moment. He accompanies Rassendyll to the Summer House, and remains alert and vigilant in case any harm come to the fair cousin of his King.

Colonel Sapt does not hold good views about women. He considers them the cause of all the destruction in the world. When Rudolf Rassendyll talks about the beauty of Princess Flavia, Colonel Sapt says to him:

He has no faith in the fair sex, and thus he openly asserts:

Colonel Sapt has a good knowledge of human psychology and possesses a rich and varied experience of the ways of the world. He has a profound insight into Rassendyll’s character and declares:

He is familiar with the fluctuations of fortune, and fears that if he fails to defend the throne, all the evil plans of Duke Michael will become feasible. Sapt is rather a cold, unemotional, harsh person, but as Rassendyll states:

Colonel Sapt is a good companion, an intelligent and reliable guide and a sober advisor to both Rudolf Rassendyll and Fritz. The mastermind behind all the plots and counter plots is that of Sapt. He is the one who decides that Rassendyll should impersonate the king, and in the light of his rich experience points to Rassendyll:

He gives full guidance and support to Rassendyll from coronation to the final clash with the villain’s gang. He once encouraged Rassendyll by saying:

Colonel Sapt is a sincere and devoted friend of Rudolf Rassendyll. After the restoration of the throne to the real king of Ruritania. When Rassendyll is about to leave Zenda, Colonel Sapt becomes very sad and despondent. It is rightly said:

Colonel Sapt is not a slave to his passions. He is never swept away by his emotions and always avoids taking hasty, irrational decisions. He exercises a lot of restraint and self-control and is gifted with the ability of adjusting himself to any given situation.

To sum up, it can be said that Sapt is an old, experienced soldier who proves his worth in every sphere of life. His wordly wisdom is unmatched, his gallantry outstanding, his devotion to his master and his sense of duty unblemished and his friendship remarkable. He is indeed an embodiment of truth, loyalty, dedication, sincerity, wisdom and co-operation.

Rudolf Rassendyll is the hero and central character of the novel entitled The Prisoner of Zenda, written by Anthony Hope. The integral character of Rassendyll holds the attention of the readers throughout the exciting events of the novel. Rassendyll possesses a prime personality and is linked with the main incidents of the novel in one way or the other.

Rudolf Rassendyll is a tall, young and handsome man, who belongs to a noble family in England. He is an educated man of twenty-nine, who has perfect command over German and French. He is bold, cultural and knows the art of becoming popular. He has red hair, straight nose, blue eyes and a beard. His physical appearance bears striking resemblance to that of the real king, though there M were some points of differences. Rassendyll himself pointed out:

However, in spite of these differences, Colonel Sapt could not help mentioning to Rassendyll:

Rudolf Rassendyll is very fond of adventures and loves to roam about instead of sticking to a job. He is also a good mastermind who handles difficult situations seeming effortless. The desire to participate in sensational events is always there in his heart. This desire was fulfilled by his play-acting of King Rudolf Elphberg, who was very identical to him. His likeness with the king of Ruritania helped him to make his mission a success. He pledges in strong and unequivocal terms:

Rudolf Rassendyll proves himself to be a man of outstanding attributes and full of wisdom. He plays the role of the king very intelligently. Once he gets entangled in Ruritanian politics, he becomes conscious not only of the significance of his royal position but also of the responsibility, which lies on his shoulders. He is a wise, cool minded and responsible man.

Rudolf Rassendyll is a sincere man. He does not want to keep the throne to himself. He carries out all his responsibilities with firmness and confidence. He realizes that it is his duty to restore the real king to the throne and he never tries to take undue advantage as a pretender. His veracity and sincerity is outstanding as he declares:

Rudolf Rassendyll is supposed to be gifted with extraordinary courage and chivalry, and does not fall short of our expectations in this matter. He is an expert rider and an excellent sword man. When time and fate offered Rassendyll a challenge, he accepted him as a brave man. His stay in Ruritania unfolds his marvelous sense of responsibility, boldness and wisdom. The role played by him in Ruritania to save the throne from Black Michael was really an act of gallantry and wisdom.

The romantic aspect of Rassendyll’s personality shows that his heart throbs for Princess Flavia but the sense of duty and devotion to the throne is far stronger in him. The circumstances urge him to express love to Princess Flavia but bot to feel it. Being deeply conscious of his responsibility and dedication, he declares:

In order to maintain peace in Ruritania and not to disgrace the royal family, Rudolf Rassendyll took a sensible and daring step. He sacrificed his love at the altar of duty and left Ruritania with tears of regret in the eyes of Princess Flavia, words of gratitude on the lips of king, applause and appreciation from all the countrymen and feeling of satisfaction on his own part.

Rudolf Elphberg is one of the central character of the novel entitled The Prisoner of Zenda created by Anthony Hope. He is the prisoner in the castle of Zenda. He is son of late king of Ruritania and heir to throne.

Rudolf Elphberg is a young, tall and handsome man. He is an educated man. He has red hair, straight nose, blue eyes and a beard. His physical appearance bears striking resemblance to that of Rudolf Rassendyll, though there were some points of differences, which are pointed by Rudolf Rassendyll:

However, in spite of these differences, Colonel Sapt could not help mentioning to Rassendyll:

Rudolf Elphberg, the king is a happy-go-lucky type of young man. He is a pleasure loving man and wishes to pass a happy and care free life. He is devoid of a sense of responsibility and lacks even common sense. He is indiscreet and trusts even his half brother, Black Michael. He does not care even the coronation and drinks excessively. He also drinks the wine sent by his wicked brother. He does not even think or suspect about it. It is well known to the people of Ruritania that Black Michael intends to get through the access to the throne and wants to marry Flavia, but Elphberg is not aware of this fact.

He has not the quality to face the dangers and odds boldly. His behaviour in prison throws a shadow upon his person. He becomes completely demoralized and losses all gril. His health suffers and he becomes partially insane. He requests Detchard to persuade his brother, Black Michael to kill him. He becomes hopeless and sobs on his fate.

Rudolf Elphberg cannot, however, be called a bad man. He may be a weak king, but as a man, he has some very good qualities. He is a pleasant tempered man, a sincere and good friend. He stands by his friends and has a great trust and faith in them. There is in him a peculiar charm of personality, which inspires confidence in the heart of those who come into contact with him. He loves and admires Flavia. He is sincere, kind and open-hearted.

Although he remains captive throughout the novel and we cannot see him in action, but the whole story revolves round him. He attracts our attention in the forest as a charming and gay person. He reigns in the readers mind although remains behind the scene.

Black Michael is the villain of the novel entitled The Prisoner of Zenda created by Anthony Hope. He is stepbrother of King Elphberg. He is not the legal heir to the throne because he is the son of the king’s second and morganatic marriage. Black Michael is the owner of castle of Zenda and the surrounding estate. Being the favourite of the late king of Ruritania, he was appointed as the Duke of Strelsau. He is schemer and evil by nature.

Black Michael is a selfish man. He loves Princess Flavia just to get the throne. He is a hypocrite and makes a false show of love towards Madam Mauban. He has become popular among a small number of people of the country by his hypocrisy. He is over ambitious and greedy.

Black Michael is a sinful man. He makes plot to get the throne with the help of his companions, but always tries to delude them. That is why his followers betray him, when he is expecting complete victory. He invites Rassendyll to the Summer House through a conspiracy, but fortunately Rassendyll survives. This sharp and evil act shows his wickedness.

Black Michael is indeed a cruel person. When the king has been in his noose, he treats him in a very harsh and inhuman manner. He does not feel pity for his brother even. Black Michael is a coward man. He wants to save his life at any cost. He does not come out to handle the situation at any time.

Black Michael is a wicked but a cool minded and genius criminal. When he sees that Rassendyll has impersonated the king of Ruritania he does not make it known to the people to keep his villainy secret. We see that even Rupert’s interest and love for Mauban do not irritate him. It shows that he is a controlled emotion criminal.

Black Michael becomes utterly blind for power. At any rate he wants to usurp the sovereignty form his brother. His lust for power corrupts him and brings his decline.

Black Michael always deceives his close companions. That is why he is killed by one of his own followers. Thus, the villain of the novel receives a tragic end.

Fritz Von Tarlenheim is an important supporting character of the novel, The Prisoner of Zenda, created by Anthony Hope. He belongs to a rich and aristocratic family of Strelson. He is an army man. He is young and athletic.

Fritz is a slender young fellow, of middle height and bearing himself with grace and distinction. He is a gentleman accustomed to more in good society, but not viewed to military life either.

He has unlimited love for the king and when he learns that dangers threaten the king’s life and position, he becomes impatient and cannot brook even a moment’s delay. In fact, his worry for his friend, who is also his king, is the greatest. As long as the king remains a prisoner in the castle of Zenda. Fritz cannot devote attention to anything else except forming plans and schemes for the deliverance of the king.

Fritz has love and regard for Rassendyll whom he finds a friend, who can be relied upon in the hours of need and who happily braves every kind of danger. They has worked in union for liberating the king from the prison. This connection between the two soon becomes a lasting and intimate friendship, which is kept up by the two even after Rassendyll leaves Ruritania and goes to England.

He is a young man and is passionately in love with countess Helga. He meets her off and on, at the residence of Princess Flavia. At last, after the political crisis of Ruritania elapsed, he married her and passes a very happy marital life.

He is brave and courageous man. In the face of difficulties he puts up a brave fight. He is a soldier by professional and is ever ready to discharge his duties with responsibility and care. During the melodramatic fights, which occur in the story, we always find him in the thick of the fight.

Fritz is a lovable character. He is youthful and has pleasant and affable manner. He proves himself sincere, loyal, dutiful and brave with a simple nature and thus receives the admiration of the readers.