Essay Questions

Why is the grandfather dropping Fitz off at the guards?

The grandfather argues that he is tired of taking care of the bastard son of Prince Chivalry. The prince is irresponsible and does not take his parental responsibilities seriously. To avoid responsibility, the prince has left his son with his grandfather. The grandfather is old and tired now. He can no longer continue struggling to care for a young boy who should be getting his father's attention. The grandfather tells the guard to hand over the boy to his father.

How does identity crisis emerge as one of the main themes discussed in Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb?

Fitz is an illegitimate child of prince Chivalry who is trying to find his rightful place in the world. Firstly, his grandfather tells Fitz that he is tired of him and should go and live with his father. The royal family does not recognize Fitz as a legitimate son. Instead, everyone around calls Fitz a bastard, which makes him very uncomfortable, and he asks himself many questions about his identity. The boy gets cold treatment from the rest of the family. Consequently, identity crisis is one of the main themes the author focuses on in this novel.

What is the primary role of Fitz in the royal family when he grows up?

When the king notices that Fitz is an intelligent child, he commands that the boy remains within the royal family under his watchful eye. As Fitz grows, he shows his interest in sword fighting and horsemanship, in which he becomes an expert in future years. Fits is assigned the duty of intelligence and his primary role is to be watchful of anyone threatening the royal family. When Fitz finds any suspicious person, he kills him to ensure the royal family is safe. Therefore, Fitz becomes the assassin apprentice in the royal family.