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Zuleika Dobson · Theme

Artifice and Performance

How Zuleika Dobson develops 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.

Where it surfaces

  • Note to the 1922 Edition

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

  • II

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

  • III

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

  • Chapter IX

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

  • The Concert and the Aftermath

    Zuleika's conjuring act and her theatrical curtseys emphasize the theme of performance and artifice in social interactions.

  • XI

    The narrator discusses the artificial nature of historical writing versus the performative truth of novels, and Clio's desire to blend the two.

  • Chapter XIV

    Both the Duke and Zuleika engage in elaborate performances—the Duke as avenging angel, Zuleika as penitent—masking their true motives.

  • XV

    The Duke's sermon and his theatrical gestures (e.g., addressing 'Smith,' invoking Nellie's portrait) reveal the performative nature of his moral crusade.

  • XVI

    Both Zuleika and the Duke engage in theatrical behavior—Zuleika's exaggerated poses and the Duke's calculated cruelty—revealing the artificiality of their emotions and social roles.

  • XVII

    The Duke's theatrical questioning of Katie and the gift of the pearls are acts of performance, masking his true intentions.

  • XVIII

    The Duke's dressing is described as a performance, and his kiss to Katie is a calculated gesture, emphasizing the theatricality of his actions.

  • XIX

    The Duke's dramatic plunge and the crowd's theatrical reactions underscore the performative nature of his suicide.

  • XX

    Mrs. Batch's theatrical grief and Clarence's pride in his role as messenger highlight the performative nature of mourning.

  • Chapter XXII

    Katie's public display of the earrings and Noaks' pretense of being dead highlight the performative nature of love and honor in this society.

  • XXIV

    Zuleika considers her art as solace and purpose, planning to perfect her act for Paris.