Cue For Treaon: Peter Brownrigg As A Hero

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A hero is a person that has acquired admiration from others for their dignified qualities. Heroes can be found everywhere, but there is one particular hero from the book Cue for Treason by Geoffrey Trease that looms in the crowd. The story is told from the perspective of a 14-year old boy from Cumberland named Peter Brownrigg. As Peter wanders through sixteenth century England, we quickly discover that he is a hero. His actions of bravery, determination, and intelligence throughout the novel clearly demonstrate this matter.

Peter’s heroism is exemplified through his brave deeds. In his pursuit to save the Queen, he overcomes his fears and demonstrates his bravery. For example, Peter retrieves the play from the yellow gentleman’s house …show more content…

He explains that “each time [he] put [his] weight on a fresh dagger, [his] heart went into [his] mouth and [he] nerved [himself] for the splash below.” (132) From this, we can evidently understand that he is afraid of falling into the water below. However, he urges himself to continue, for the play was far more important than a meaningless fear. He could have also been caught as he is going up the house or when he enters through the window, considering he does not know what to expect. Additionally, he could have simply gone to Shakespeare and told him what had happened, but he decides to fix the problem he created himself. Peter puts his life in jeopardy, thus justifying his bravery and being reason for him saving the Queen. An example is when he and Tom Boyd come back to Cumberland to spy on the peel tower, and Tom sneaks inside to get a closer look. Tom had not come out after some time, after which Peter makes the decision to go in and find him. This is despite the fact that “Tom had once told [them] that, if anything happened to him, [they] were to go to the nearest …show more content…

This is proven when he discovers the information regarding the conspiracy against the Queen, and uses it to save her. For example, Peter was one to decipher the clue of the sonnet and suggest that the conspirators were going to meet in the peel tower. He said, ”’Mightn’t it be one of the peels in Cumberland - maybe Sir Philip Morton’s?’” (153) This shows Peter’s intelligence because, if he had not suggested it, they would not have known the plans of Sir Philip Morton and the other men, and the Queen would have been dead. Not only that, but there were several other adults in the room with the same information, yet he was the one to put the pieces together and figure it out. Furthermore, Peter and the other men in the room were all part of the Secret Services, and he was the only one of them to use his wits and think back to the peel in Cumberland. Peter’s quick wit provides explanation as to how he was able to keep the Queen alive. For example, he escapes from the ropes that Sir Duncan binds him with. He “dashed the bottle against the stone...bent forward and searched the grass for a suitable fragment” (196) to “saw at the cord round [his] ankles.” (197) This shows true intelligence for he has to think of it on the spot, and is a plan that he actually manages to carry out. There is also additional stress and pressure since Duncan could have came and seen him at any moment. Undoubtedly, Peter is a very

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