Black Michael was the half brother of the king. He was favourite of his father who had made him the Duke of Strelsau. As his mother was a woman of humble birth, therefore he was not entitled to the crown. He did not in inherit the red hair. His hair was black, therefore he was called Black Michael. He wanted to become the king and tried his best to defeat his brother.

Michael is the villain of the novel who creates the whole problems for Ressendyll. He makes various schemes and plays an evil role in the novel. He keeps himself in the background and uses his six string men. He exploits the weakness of hid half brother and makes him senseless by sending him a bottle of drugged wine. He invites Ressendull to the Summer House because he wants to kill him. He is very cruel and treats the king in a cruel manner when he is in his hands.

Michael was a wicked schemer. When his first plan failed, he tried to invent another. He kidnapped the king from the shooting lodge and imprisoned him in the castle of Zenda. Michael had no principles. He was deceitful and untrustworthy. He was a coward and could not face Ressendyll bravely. He always used his six men. Michael’ s cruel and wicked nature caused his ruin. He intended to marry Princess Flavia after getting the throne. He was deceitful and selfish even in love. In the beginning he loved Lady Mauban, and promised to marry her, but later on he diverted his attention to Princess Flavia, realizing that Lady Mauban was an ordinary woman, while Flavia was a Princess. Because of his selfishness, Lady Mauban turned against him and took active part in the schemes of Ressendyll made for the release of the king.

Lady Mauban is a rich and attractive widow. She was come to Ruritania to marry Michael. Rupert also falls in love with her, but she is very careful and does not give lift to anybody else. She loves Michael. She does not like Princess Flavia because Michael wants to marry her. She knows that if Michael succeeds in getting the throne of Ruritania, she will lose him. As she wants to win the Duke therefore she helps Rassendyll. She does not want that Michael should become the king and marry Princess Flavia. Therefore she informs Ressendyll about the prison of Zenda and also about Michael’s company. In her letter to Ressendyll, she clearly admits that it is only out of her jealousy that she wants to tell him about some secrets of the Summer House. She also writes letters to Princess Flavia because she does not like Duke’s attachment to her.

She wants to marry a person of no less importance than Duke and ready to do anything to win him. She follows him to Ruritania and stays with him after the imprisonment of the real king only to watch Michael’s activities. When she comes to know that she can not get marry with Michael, therefore she joins hands with Ressendyll. It is through her co-operation that a successful attack is made on Zenda and the king is released.

Madam De Mauban loves Michael from the depth of her heart. When she finds that he is unfaithful and wants to marry Princess Flavia, she becomes sad. Meanwhile Rupert tries to make love to her but she remains loyal to the Duke. She even tries to kill Rupert with a pistol after he murdered her lover. It shows that she does not have revengeful feeling for Michael, although he proves faithless to her.

Lady Mauban is a kind hearted and sympathetic woman. In the last scene of the novel, when the wounded king is brought to Michael’s room, she washes his wounds.

Mansoor Ali Shah.