The Non-Existent Knight: Analysis of Major Characters
"The Non-Existent Knight" is a novel that explores the complexities of identity and existence through its major characters, primarily set against the backdrop of Charlemagne's army. Agilulf, the titular knight, epitomizes the themes of appearance versus reality. His character is defined by his immaculate armor and adherence to the code of chivalry, yet he is devoid of life and true humanity, embodying both tragic and absurd qualities. Bradamante, a skilled female warrior who disguises herself as a man, contrasts Agilulf by embracing both her warrior aspirations and her femininity, ultimately falling in love with the idealized knight. Sister Theodora serves as the enigmatic narrator, guiding readers through the narrative while revealing her own inner struggles and desires. Other characters, such as the impulsive Raimbaut, the earthy Gurduloo, and the cynical Torrismund, enhance the exploration of chivalric values and personal motivations. Together, these characters create a rich tapestry that questions the nature of nobility, love, and self-definition, inviting readers to reflect on the meaning of existence beyond mere appearances.
The Non-Existent Knight: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Italo Calvino
First published: Il cavaliere inesistente, 1959 (English translation, 1962)
Genre: Novel
Locale: France
Plot: Fable
Time: During the reign of Charlemagne, 768–814
Agilulf, a knight in Charlemagne's army. Agilulf's appearance is the most important thing about him because, in a sense, he is only appearance. He exists only as his armor (white except for a thin black line running along the seams), his shield (on which is a coat of arms showing a shield sporting a coat of arms with a shield, ad infinitum), and his voice. He is a hollow man who has given himself up to forms of life—the code of chivalry and military conduct—so completely that he is divorced from life in its human, corporeal aspects. He is at once absurdly comic and tragic, not a shallow but an engagingly complex character. He is the greatest warrior in this novel of warfare. He is virtuous. He is desired by many women and pursued by one, Bradamante, throughout the book. Ultimately, though, he can enjoy none of the fruits of his many excellent qualities, and the end finds him to be simply inanimate armor.
Bradamante, a female soldier. Bradamante is a beautiful young woman, but she wears armor and passes for a man throughout much of the action. In a sense, then, she is like Agilulf in that her armor represents what she desires to be: a great warrior. Whereas Agilulf is only his desires, however, Bradamante is also a woman and cannot deny that facet of her personality. She falls in love with Agilulf because of his knightly perfection and spends much of the novel pursuing the non-existent knight.
Sister Theodora, the narrator. Sister Theodora reveals herself to the reader gradually over the course of the novel. At first, it is not clear that the novel has a narrator; then the reader is informed by Sister Theodora that the abbess has assigned her the task of writing the tale for the health of her soul. The novel can be seen, then, as essentially a dramatization of Sister Theodora's hopes and fears (love, adventure, duty, the subjection of one's self to forms, and so on). It is not always clear, and perhaps not important, whether the events described actually happened or are invented by Sister Theodora. Much the same can be said for her claim at the end that she is really Bradamante and that she occasionally rides out on adventures, when not cooped up in her cell.
Raimbaut (raym-BOH), a young knight. Raimbaut is as young and handsome as Bradamante is young and beautiful, but he is impetuous and foolhardy, whereas Agilulf is proper and in all things correct. Raimbaut's mission early in the novel is to avenge his father's death, but after encountering Bradamante, his obsession becomes proving himself to her, thereby winning her hand.
Gurduloo, an idiot. The rags that Gurduloo wears are an earthen color with green patches, colors that indicate his close connection to nature. If Agilulf is empty form, Gurduloo is a man so dominated by his sensory, physical relationship to his surroundings that he is virtually without thought and without form. He spends most of the novel as Agilulf's companion, which is appropriate because the two are opposite sides of the human coin.
Torrismund, a young knight. In this novel of paired characters, the cynical Torrismund is perhaps best seen as the foil of the idealistic, impetuous Raimbaut.