Genre
Fantasy fiction
Setting and Context
Set in Backeep Castle and written in the context of Fitz's discovery journey.
Narrator and Point of View
First-person narration
Tone and Mood
Cheerful, optimistic, and enlightening
Protagonist and Antagonist
Fitz is the protagonist of the novel.
Major Conflict
There is a major conflict between Fitz and his family members. At first, Fitz does not know that he is a bastard child of the prince, and everyone treats him coldly because he is an illegitimate child.
Climax
The climax comes when Fitz grows up to become an assassin apprentice in the royal family, and everyone depends on him for safety.
Foreshadowing
Being born out of wedlock foreshadows all the tribulations that Fitz goes through in his life.
Understatement
The royal family underestimated the significance of Fitz because he was a bastard. However, later the king realized that the boy was intelligent, and he grew up to become a vital asset to the royal family.
Allusions
The story alludes to the mistreatment children born out of wedlock go through outside. Any child born out of wedlock is mistreated. Children born out of wedlock should be cared for because nobody knows their potential.
Imagery
The description of Backeep Castle is described using sight imagery. The reader sees the beauty and elegance of the royal palace. The imagery is significant because it shows the distinction of the loyal family from the ordinary subjects under the king’s rule.
Paradox
The main paradox is that the royal family initially underestimated Fitz's significance because he was an illegitimate child. However, Fitz ends up becoming an important man who ensures the entire family is safe by gathering intelligence and assassinating anybody who poses a threat to the royal family.
Parallelism
There is a parallelism between Chivalry’s decision to leave the royal palace and the people’s rumors that he ran away to avoid shame.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
Animals in the royal family are personified as having the ability to communicate with Fitz.