Artifice and Performance

Zuleika's identity as a conjurer symbolizes the theme of illusion and performance in life, as characters adopt roles—the Duke as a tragic hero, Zuleika as a heartless enchantress—blurring reality and theater.

The author's concern over the correct pronunciation of Zuleika's name reflects the performative and constructed nature of her identity.

Zuleika's life is a performance—her conjuring tricks, the press's symbolic drawings, and her carefully curated public persona all underscore the theme.

The Duke's outward nonchalance masks his inner turmoil; Zuleika's trance and the Duke's flight highlight the performative nature of social interactions.

Zuleika's dramatic change of attire and the theatrical nature of the Duke's planned death underscore the performative aspects of their romance.