XXI explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Vanity and Self-Absorption

  Zuleika's bath and her reflection on her past as a governess highlight her self-absorption, even as she feels lonely and questions the meaning of her triumphs.

• Death and Sacrifice

  The chapter alludes to the deaths of the undergraduates, with Zuleika's melancholy and the empty Hall underscoring the sacrifice.

• Tradition vs. Modernity

  The dons' adherence to routine (grace, bump-supper) contrasts with the unprecedented tragedy, and the false quantities in the Latin grace highlight the tension between tradition and the absurd.

Characters to notice

• Zuleika Dobson

  Lies in her bath, reflecting on her past and the day's events; feels lonely and melancholy as she watches the dinner from the gallery.

• The Warden

  Unaware of the tragedy, he leaves for the bump-supper; maintains dignity despite the empty Hall.

• Mélisande

  Brings Zuleika warmed towels after her bath.

• Mr. Pedby

  The Junior Fellow who reads grace with many false quantities, causing amusement among the dons.

• The Sub-Warden

  Attempts to inform the Warden of the events but fails; giggles nervously.

Key passages

• “Her face lay upturned on the water’s surface, and round it were the masses of her dark hair, half floating, half submerged. Her eyes were closed, and her lips were parted. Not Ophelia in the brook could have seemed more at peace.”

  Zuleika floated serenely in the bath, her hair spread around her face, eyes closed and lips parted, resembling the peaceful Ophelia from Shakespeare's Hamlet.

  This passage emphasizes Zuleika's calm and detachment after the day's events, drawing a literary parallel to Ophelia's death.

• “She thought of last night, and of all the buoyant life that this Hall had held. Of the Duke she thought, and of the whole vivid and eager throng of his fellows in love. Her will, their will, had been done. But, there rose to her lips the old, old question that withers victory⁠—'To what end?'”

  Zuleika recalls the lively Hall from the previous night and the Duke and his fellow suitors, realizing that despite achieving her will, she feels a hollow sense of victory, questioning its purpose.

  This moment captures Zuleika's existential crisis and the theme of vanity, as her triumph leaves her feeling empty and alone.

• “The false quantities he made were so excruciating and so many that, while the very scouts exchanged glances, the dons at the high table lost all command of their features, and made horrible noises in the effort to contain themselves.”

  Mr. Pedby's reading of the Latin grace was so full of errors that even the servants exchanged looks, and the dons struggled to suppress their laughter.

  This humorous incident highlights the dons' reaction to the absurdity of the situation, contrasting with the solemnity of the day's events.