The Last Man · Chapter
VI explained
The plague reaches London, causing panic.
What happens
The plague reaches London, causing panic. Lionel Verney describes the sudden end of a joyful fair at Windsor as news spreads. Adrian confronts the cowardly Lord Protector Ryland, who renounces his office in terror. Adrian accepts the Protectorship, dedicating himself to fighting the plague and helping the afflicted, while Lionel is consumed by fear for his family.
Themes in this chapter
Isolation and Solitude
The illusion of England as a safe haven is shattered; the characters confront the failure of geographical isolation to protect them from the plague.
Ambition and Power
Ryland's cowardly renunciation of the Protectorship contrasts with Adrian's selfless acceptance of the role, redefining ambition as service in the face of death.
Grief and Memory
Lionel's retrospective narration and his vision of death at the fair highlight the interplay between joyful memory and impending loss.
Fate and Free Will
Adrian's decision to face the plague actively asserts free will against the seemingly inevitable spread of disease and death.
Characters to notice
- Lionel Verney
Narrator; returns from London with news of the plague, experiences a vision of death during the fair, and struggles with fear for his wife and children.
- Adrian
Earl of Windsor; confronts Ryland, accepts the Protectorship, and resolves to fight the plague with courage and self-devotion.
- Idris
Adrian's sister; anxious about her brother's plans and watches over her children during the fair.
- Ryland
Lord Protector; panics upon learning the plague is in London, renounces his office, and flees.
- Clara
Lionel and Idris's daughter; drawn to listen to an Italian lad's tale of horror during the fair.
- Alfred
Lionel and Idris's son; his birthday is celebrated at the fair, and he listens intently to the Italian's story.
- Evelyn
Lionel and Idris's child; tries to draw Clara away to play but is caught up in the spreading alarm.
- Perdita
Appears in Lionel's vision of death, sitting ashy pale with Raymond.
Key passages
“the plague, though in London, was not among us.”
The plague had reached London but had not yet spread to our location.
Sets the stage for the chapter's central conflict: the plague's arrival in England.
“I can enchain the plague in limits, and set a term to the misery it would occasion; courage, forbearance, and watchfulness, are the forces I bring towards this great work.”
I can contain the plague and limit the suffering it causes through courage, patience, and vigilance.
Adrian's declaration of his mission to fight the plague.
“The man, says Lord Bacon, who hath wife and children, has given hostages to fortune.”
As Francis Bacon said, a man with a family has given up his freedom to fate.
Lionel reflects on how his love for his family makes him vulnerable to fear.
“It were no mighty leap methinks from Calais to Dover.”
The distance from Calais to Dover is not so great as we had imagined.
Lionel laments the false security of the English Channel.
“Duties! speak rationally, my Lord!—when I am a plague-spotted corpse, where will my duties be? Every man for himself!”
Duties? Be reasonable—when I'm dead from the plague, what use are duties? It's every man for himself!
Ryland's cowardly rejection of his responsibilities in the face of danger.
