Jurgen · Chapter
XIV: Preliminary Tactics of Duke Jurgen explained
Jurgen, now Duke of Logreus, is at the court of King Gogyrvan Gawr in Glathion, where he is hopelessly in love with Princess Guenevere, who is soon to marry another.
What happens
Jurgen, now Duke of Logreus, is at the court of King Gogyrvan Gawr in Glathion, where he is hopelessly in love with Princess Guenevere, who is soon to marry another. He composes a sirvente in her praise, using the conventional pseudonym 'Phyllida' and engaging in the courtly love rituals of the court. Jurgen methodically advances his romantic relationship with Guenevere through philosophical arguments and physical intimacies, all while feeling a curious emotional detachment. He is troubled by an unaccountable shadow that only he can see, and finds the courtiers' chivalric ideals perplexing.
Themes in this chapter
Love and Marriage
Jurgen's calculated romantic pursuit of Guenevere, who is betrothed to another, explores the tension between courtly love conventions and genuine emotional connection.
Illusion vs. Reality
Jurgen's awareness of the artificiality of his poetic praises and his emotional detachment contrast with the romantic illusions he maintains, while the unaccountable shadow hints at a deeper unreality.
Self-Deception and Identity
Jurgen deceives himself about the depth of his feelings, prodding his emotions and finding them inadequate, yet veiling this inadequacy with 'very moving fervors.'
Characters to notice
- Jurgen
Now Duke of Logreus, he is amorously pursuing Princess Guenevere at the court of Glathion, composing verses and employing tactical romantic advances, yet feels emotionally detached and troubled by a shadow only he can see.
- Dame Guenevere
The beautiful young princess of Glathion, with corn-floss yellow hair and gray eyes, whom Jurgen loves hopelessly and who is soon to be married to another.
- King Gogyrvan
The hook-nosed tall old King of Glathion, who seems to be schooling himself to patience under some private annoyance and revolving a private jest; Jurgen finds him queer but not meddlesome.
- Mother Sereda
Mentioned as being greatly impressed by young Duke Jurgen's erudition, along with the courtiers of Gogyrvan Gawr.
- Earl Giarmuid
Referenced as the former owner of the horse Jurgen now rides; Jurgen claims to have killed Giarmuid in a fight and given him proper interment.
Key passages
“Analogues are all very well, and they have the unanswerable sanction of custom: none the less, when I proclaim that my adored mistress's hair reminds me of gold I am quite consciously lying. It looks like yellow hair, and nothing else: nor would I willingly venture within ten feet of any woman whose head sprouted with wires, of whatever metal.”
Jurgen admits that poetic comparisons like 'hair of gold' are conventional lies, as real hair just looks like hair, not metal.
Jurgen critiques the artificiality of romantic poetry while still participating in it.
“If only I could feel like a cold-blooded villain, now, I would at worst be classifiable. But I intend the girl no harm, I am honestly fond of her. I shall talk my best, broaden her ideas, and give her, I flatter myself, considerable pleasure: vulgar prejudices apart, I shall leave her no whit the worse.”
Jurgen wishes he could be a straightforward villain, but instead he genuinely likes Guenevere and plans to seduce her without harming her, rationalizing his actions as harmless pleasure.
Jurgen's self-justification reveals his moral ambiguity and emotional detachment.