The Wood Beyond the World · Chapter
XIII: Now Is the Hunt Up explained
Walter, having endured four days of neglect, is summoned by the Lady to serve as her squire in the hunt.
What happens
Walter, having endured four days of neglect, is summoned by the Lady to serve as her squire in the hunt. The Lady treats him with newfound friendliness, while the Maid appears, and the Lady playfully draws attention to her beauty. Walter struggles to conceal his feelings for the Maid, aware of the dangers posed by the Lady and the King's Son. The Lady warns the Maid about the King's Son's advances, then departs with Walter into the woods, leaving the Maid behind.
Themes in this chapter
Love and Betrayal
Walter's concealed love for the Maid and the Lady's ambiguous, potentially treacherous kindness highlight the tension between genuine affection and deceit.
Gender and Power
The Lady exerts authority over both Walter and the Maid, controlling their interactions and using her status to manipulate, while the Maid's thralldom underscores her vulnerability.
Fate and Free Will
Walter feels trapped in the 'house of guile and lies,' yet chooses to serve the Lady, hoping for deliverance through the Maid, reflecting a struggle between destiny and personal agency.
Characters to notice
- Golden Walter
Walter is appointed squire to the Lady and joins her on a hunt, struggling to hide his love for the Maid.
- The Lady
The Lady shifts from coldness to warm familiarity, appointing Walter as her squire and teasing him about the Maid, while warning the Maid about the King's Son.
- The Maid
The Maid appears with the hounds, maintaining a composed demeanor despite her inner turmoil, and receives a warning from the Lady about the King's Son.
- The King's Son
Mentioned as a dangerous suitor to the Maid, with the Lady warning her to avoid his traps.
Key passages
“Lo thou, Squire! is not this a lovely thing to have grown up amongst our rough oak-boles?”
The Lady presents the Maid to Walter as a beautiful treasure nurtured in their wild surroundings.
The Lady uses the Maid's beauty to test and manipulate Walter.
“I will above all things take thee away today: for there be other eyes, and they nought uncomely, that look at whiles on my fair-ankled thrall; and who knows but the swords might be out if I take not the better heed”
The Lady insists on taking Walter hunting to prevent conflict with the King's Son, who also desires the Maid.
The Lady reveals the jealous rivalry surrounding the Maid.
“He is a hot lover forsooth, but a hard man; and whiles evil is his mood, and perilous both to thee and me.”
The Lady warns the Maid that the King's Son is passionate but dangerous, posing a threat to both of them.
The Lady positions herself as the Maid's protector against the King's Son.