Gulliver’s Travels · Chapter
Chapter IX explained
Gulliver departs Glubbdubdrib with two companions and sails to Luggnagg, where he is examined by a customhouse officer and confined until orders from court arrive.
What happens
Gulliver departs Glubbdubdrib with two companions and sails to Luggnagg, where he is examined by a customhouse officer and confined until orders from court arrive. He is eventually admitted to the king's court, where he must crawl and lick the floor as a sign of respect. He stays three months in Luggnagg, enjoying the king's favor, but ultimately decides to return to his wife and family.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Rising action.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This excerpt marks the dramatic climax because Gulliver reaches the emotional and psychological peak of his mi…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Satire of Politics and Government
The absurd and dangerous court rituals in Luggnagg, including licking the floor and the use of poisoned powder, satirize the arbitrary and cruel nature of absolute monarchy.
- Abuse of Power
The king's power to execute nobles by poisoning the floor and the severe punishment for minor infractions highlight the capricious and oppressive use of authority.
- Human Pride and Vanity
The elaborate and degrading ceremonies required to approach the king expose the vanity and self-importance of rulers and the absurdity of courtly deference.
Characters to notice
- Lemuel Gulliver
Narrator and protagonist; travels to Luggnagg, is confined, and eventually granted audience with the king.
Key passages
“I was commanded to crawl upon my belly, and lick the floor as I advanced; but, on account of my being a stranger, care was taken to have it made so clean, that the dust was not offensive.”
Gulliver was ordered to crawl on his belly and lick the floor while approaching the king, though the floor was cleaned for him as a special courtesy.
Highlights the humiliating and absurd nature of court protocol in Luggnagg.
“when the king has a mind to put any of his nobles to death in a gentle indulgent manner, he commands the floor to be strewed with a certain brown powder of a deadly composition, which being licked up, infallibly kills him in twenty-four hours.”
The king can execute nobles by having poison spread on the floor, which they unknowingly lick up during their audience.
Satirizes the cruelty and hypocrisy of monarchs who claim to be merciful while using covert methods of execution.
