The Last Man · Chapter
Chapter III explained
Lionel Verney attempts to console his sister Perdita after the death of Lord Raymond, praising Raymond's heroism and urging her to find solace in their daughter Clara.
What happens
Lionel Verney attempts to console his sister Perdita after the death of Lord Raymond, praising Raymond's heroism and urging her to find solace in their daughter Clara. Perdita, however, is consumed by grief and insists on remaining near Raymond's tomb in Greece. Lionel retrieves Raymond's body, and after a solemn procession, Raymond is interred in a tomb on Hymettus. Perdita's grief remains unyielding as Lionel prepares to return to England.
Themes in this chapter
Grief and Memory
Perdita's intense grief and her desire to preserve Raymond's memory through his tomb dominate the chapter, illustrating how loss shapes identity.
Love and Sacrifice
Raymond's sacrificial death for Greece is celebrated, and Perdita's unwavering devotion to his memory reflects the theme of love transcending death.
Isolation and Solitude
Perdita chooses isolation in Greece, rejecting Lionel's offer of family comfort, and finds solace only in the solitary presence of Raymond's tomb.
Characters to notice
- Lionel Verney
Narrator and brother to Perdita; he delivers a eulogy for Raymond and tries to persuade Perdita to return to England.
- Perdita
Raymond's widow, consumed by grief; she refuses to leave Greece and insists on staying near Raymond's tomb.
- Clara
Daughter of Raymond and Perdita; she is deeply affected by grief and seeks comfort from Lionel.
- Lord Raymond
Deceased hero; his body is retrieved and buried in a tomb on Hymettus, and his memory is eulogized by Lionel.
Key passages
“Alas, for us," I cried, "who have lost this latest honour of the world! Beloved Raymond! He is gone to the nations of the dead; he has become one of those, who render the dark abode of the obscure grave illustrious by dwelling there.”
Lionel laments that Raymond, the greatest of men, has died and now makes even the grave famous by his presence.
Lionel's eulogy elevates Raymond to a heroic, almost mythic status.
“I can live here only. I am a part of this scene; each and all its properties are a part of me.”
Perdita insists she can only survive in Greece, as the landscape itself has become inseparable from her being.
Perdita's declaration shows her complete identification with the place of Raymond's death.
“What though like a weed flung from the fruitless sea, he lay the prey of corruption—still that was the form she had caressed, those the lips that meeting hers, had drank the spirit of love from the commingling breath;”
Even though Raymond's body is decaying, Perdita still cherishes it as the physical form she loved.
The narrator describes Perdita's desperate attachment to Raymond's corpse.