Jurgen · Chapter
X: Pitiful Disguises of Thragnar explained
Jurgen and Princess Guenevere encounter a woman who appears to be Dame Lisa, but Jurgen suspects it is the Troll King Thragnar in disguise.
What happens
Jurgen and Princess Guenevere encounter a woman who appears to be Dame Lisa, but Jurgen suspects it is the Troll King Thragnar in disguise. After a conversation in which the woman admits fault and offers freedom, Jurgen decapitates her with Caliburn, though he is troubled by the accuracy of the impersonation, including Lisa's crooked little-finger. Later, they defeat a black knight and a boy with a dung fork, and Jurgen reflects on his age and his growing affection for Guenevere.
Themes in this chapter
Illusion vs. Reality
Thragnar's disguises blur the line between appearance and truth, leaving Jurgen uncertain whether he has slain his wife or the Troll King.
Self-Deception and Identity
Jurgen's rationalizations about his marriage and his attraction to Guenevere reveal his self-deception regarding his own desires and identity.
Aging and Youth
Jurgen reflects on his age and feels flattered by Guenevere's perception of him as not old, highlighting his preoccupation with youth.
Characters to notice
- Jurgen
Jurgen suspects Thragnar's disguises, slays the apparent Lisa and a black knight, and begins to feel affection for Guenevere.
- Dame Lisa
Appears as a woman claiming to be Lisa, but Jurgen believes it is Thragnar in disguise; she admits fault and offers Jurgen his freedom.
- Dame Guenevere
Accompanies Jurgen, encourages him to slay the disguised Thragnar, and later rides the horse of their defeated assailant.
- Thragnar
The Troll King who disguises himself as others; Jurgen believes he has slain Thragnar but remains uncertain.
Key passages
“You are perfectly right, my dear, from your way of thinking. However, I could not very well help getting older.”
The woman claiming to be Lisa agrees with Jurgen's criticism but notes that aging is inevitable.
Highlights the theme of aging and the inevitability of change.
“I could wish there were some surer sign of that. I would have preferred that the pavilion and the decapitated Troll King had vanished with a peal of thunder and an earthquake and such other phenomena as are customary.”
Jurgen wishes for dramatic proof that Thragnar is truly dead, rather than the unsettling realism of the corpse.
Emphasizes Jurgen's uncertainty and the theme of illusion vs. reality.