Gulliver’s Travels · Chapter
Chapter V explained
Gulliver prevents an invasion of Lilliput by capturing the Blefuscu fleet using a clever stratagem.
What happens
Gulliver prevents an invasion of Lilliput by capturing the Blefuscu fleet using a clever stratagem. He is rewarded with the title of Nardac. Ambassadors from Blefuscu arrive to sue for peace, and Gulliver later extinguishes a fire in the empress's apartment by urinating on it. His refusal to help the emperor conquer Blefuscu creates enemies at court.
Themes in this chapter
Satire of Politics and Government
Gulliver's capture of the fleet and the subsequent peace negotiations satirize the petty ambitions and manipulations of political leaders.
Abuse of Power
The emperor's desire to conquer Blefuscu and enslave its people, and the court's intrigue against Gulliver for refusing, illustrate the abuse of power.
Human Pride and Vanity
The Lilliputians' pride in their language and the emperor's ambition to be sole monarch highlight human vanity.
Characters to notice
- Lemuel Gulliver
Devises and executes the plan to capture the Blefuscu fleet; receives the title of Nardac; extinguishes the palace fire; refuses to help conquer Blefuscu.
- Flimnap
Whispers to the emperor that Gulliver's interactions with Blefuscu ambassadors show disaffection.
- Skyresh Bolgolam
Along with Flimnap, represents Gulliver's dealings with the ambassadors as a mark of disaffection.
- Reldresal
Mentioned as part of the ministry; the wisest part of the ministry agrees with Gulliver's refusal to enslave Blefuscu.
Key passages
“I communicated to his majesty a project I had formed of seizing the enemy’s whole fleet; which, as our scouts assured us, lay at anchor in the harbour, ready to sail with the first fair wind.”
Gulliver told the emperor about his plan to capture the entire enemy fleet, which was anchored and ready to sail.
Gulliver proposes his plan to prevent the invasion.
“The enemy was so frightened when they saw me, that they leaped out of their ships, and swam to shore, where there could not be fewer than thirty thousand souls.”
The enemy soldiers were terrified by Gulliver's appearance and jumped overboard, swimming to shore in great numbers.
Gulliver's size causes panic among the Blefuscudians.
“I then took my tackling, and, fastening a hook to the hole at the prow of each, I tied all the cords together at the end.”
Gulliver attached hooks to each ship's prow and tied all the ropes together.
Gulliver prepares to tow the ships.
“His majesty desired I would take some other opportunity of bringing all the rest of his enemy’s ships into his ports. And so unmeasureable is the ambition of princes, that he seemed to think of nothing less than reducing the whole empire of Blefuscu into a province...”
The emperor wanted Gulliver to capture the remaining enemy ships, revealing his boundless ambition to conquer Blefuscu entirely.
The emperor's ambition is exposed.
“I plainly protested, “that I would never be an instrument of bringing a free and brave people into slavery.””
Gulliver firmly stated that he would not help enslave a free and courageous people.
Gulliver refuses to participate in the conquest.
“I was alarmed at midnight with the cries of many hundred people at my door; by which, being suddenly awaked, I was in some kind of terror.”
Gulliver was awakened at midnight by the shouts of hundreds of people at his door, causing him alarm.
The palace fire is discovered.
