The Feather of Love explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• The Illusion of Success

  Manuel achieves the quest through deception, using a goose-feather instead of the real feather, yet is celebrated as a hero.

• Love and Disillusionment

  Manuel marries Alianora but feels misery, and Niafer's love persists as a blind longing, highlighting the bittersweet nature of love.

• Appearances vs. Reality

  The court accepts a goose-feather as the magical feather, and Alianora publicly declares it genuine to maintain appearances.

Characters to notice

• Dom Manuel

  Manuel returns to Alianora with a goose-feather, successfully deceiving the court. He marries Alianora, but feels misery despite his triumph.

• Alianora

  Alianora recognizes the goose-feather but declares it genuine to protect Manuel. She persuades her father to burn the robe, choosing love over magic.

• Raymond Bérenger

  Raymond Bérenger, King of Arles and Count of Provence, is convinced by Alianora to burn the robe, agreeing that a husband would not want his wife flying about.

• Niafer

  Niafer's ghost wanders in the paradise of the pagans, her love for Manuel persisting as a blind longing despite having forgotten him.

• Suskind

  Suskind waits in her low red-pillared palace with an old thought for company.

Key passages

• “You are the Unattainable Princess, whose loveliness recalled me from vain grieving after Niafer, within a half-hour of Niafer's loss. Yes, you are she whose beauty kindled a dream and a dissatisfaction in the heart of a swineherd, to lead him forth into the wide world, and through the puzzling ways of the wide world, and into its high places: so that at the last the swineherd is standing—aglitter in satin and gold and in rich furs—here at the summit of a throne; and at the last the hand of the Unattainable Princess is in his hand, and in his heart is misery.”

  Manuel tells Alianora that her beauty inspired him to leave his life as a swineherd and seek adventure, but now that he has achieved his goal, he feels only misery.

  Manuel expresses the paradox of achieving his dream yet feeling empty.

• “I know now that you, who are to be my husband, and who have brought wisdom into one kingdom, and piety into another, have brought love into the third kingdom: and I perceive that this third magic is a stronger and a nobler magic than that of the Apsarasas. And it seems to me that you and I would do well to dispense with anything which is second rate.”

  Alianora declares that the love between her and Manuel is more powerful than the magic of the Apsarasas, and they should burn the robe to focus on their love.

  Alianora chooses love over magical power, symbolizing her commitment to Manuel.