Hop-Frog

by

Edgar Allan Poe

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Hop-Frog Character Analysis

Hop-Frog is a dwarf jester who is captured during the conquest of his native country and sent to the king’s court as a gift. At the beginning of the story, Hop-Frog is inclined to perform his role as jester dutifully; during his meeting with the king and his ministers, Hop-Frog calmly handles his abuse, attempting to help his tormentors with their costumes despite their cruel behavior. But when the king strikes his companion Trippetta, Hop-Frog’s disposition fundamentally changes. Before, Hop-Frog used his inventiveness for humor, but now, he employs it for subversive, violent ends; he devises a brutal scheme and then executes it with Trippetta’s help. So, though Hop-Frog performs his final fiery jest and escapes his bonds by his own wits, he is moved to do so only by the cruel acts of the king.

Hop-Frog Quotes in Hop-Frog

The Hop-Frog quotes below are all either spoken by Hop-Frog or refer to Hop-Frog . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Cruelty and Comeuppance Theme Icon
).
Hop-Frog Quotes

But although Hop-Frog, through the distortion of his legs, could move only with great pain and difficulty along a road or floor, the prodigious muscular power which nature seemed to have bestowed upon his arms, by way of compensation for deficiency in the lower limbs, enabled him to perform many feats of wonderful dexterity, where trees or ropes were in question, or any thing else to climb.

Related Characters: Hop-Frog
Page Number: 284
Explanation and Analysis:

It happened to be the poor dwarf's birthday, and the command to drink to his 'absent friends' forced the tears to his eyes. Many large, bitter drops fell into the goblet as he took it, humbly, from the hand of the tyrant.

‘Ah! ha! ha!’ roared the latter, as the dwarf reluctantly drained the beaker. – ‘See what a glass of good wine can do! Why, your eyes are shining already!’

Related Characters: The King (speaker), Hop-Frog
Page Number: 285
Explanation and Analysis:

Hop-Frog also laughed although feebly and somewhat vacantly. […]

"I am endeavoring to think of something novel," replied the dwarf, abstractedly, for he was quite bewildered by the wine.”

Related Characters: Hop-Frog (speaker), The King
Page Number: 285
Explanation and Analysis:

Hereupon the dwarf laughed (the king was too confirmed a joker to object to any one's laughing), and displayed a set of large, powerful, and very repulsive teeth. Moreover, he avowed his perfect willingness to swallow as much wine as desired.

Related Characters: Hop-Frog , The King
Page Number: 286
Explanation and Analysis:

Soon after this, the king and his seven friends having reeled about the hall in all directions, found themselves, at length, in its centre, and, of course, in immediate contact with the chain. […] The dwarf, who had followed noiselessly at their heels, inciting them to keep up the commotion, took hold of their own chain at the intersection of the two portions which crossed the circle diametrically and at right angles. Here, with the rapidity of thought, he inserted the hook from which the chandelier had been wont to depend[.]

Related Characters: Hop-Frog , The King
Related Symbols: Chains
Page Number: Hop-Frog
Explanation and Analysis:

“I now see distinctly” he said, “what manner of people these maskers are. They are a great king and his seven privy-councillors,--a king who does not scruple to strike a defenceless girl and his seven councillors who abet him in the outrage. As for myself, I am simply Hop-Frog, the jester--and this is my last jest.”

Related Characters: Hop-Frog (speaker), The King
Page Number: 289
Explanation and Analysis:
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Hop-Frog PDF

Hop-Frog Quotes in Hop-Frog

The Hop-Frog quotes below are all either spoken by Hop-Frog or refer to Hop-Frog . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Cruelty and Comeuppance Theme Icon
).
Hop-Frog Quotes

But although Hop-Frog, through the distortion of his legs, could move only with great pain and difficulty along a road or floor, the prodigious muscular power which nature seemed to have bestowed upon his arms, by way of compensation for deficiency in the lower limbs, enabled him to perform many feats of wonderful dexterity, where trees or ropes were in question, or any thing else to climb.

Related Characters: Hop-Frog
Page Number: 284
Explanation and Analysis:

It happened to be the poor dwarf's birthday, and the command to drink to his 'absent friends' forced the tears to his eyes. Many large, bitter drops fell into the goblet as he took it, humbly, from the hand of the tyrant.

‘Ah! ha! ha!’ roared the latter, as the dwarf reluctantly drained the beaker. – ‘See what a glass of good wine can do! Why, your eyes are shining already!’

Related Characters: The King (speaker), Hop-Frog
Page Number: 285
Explanation and Analysis:

Hop-Frog also laughed although feebly and somewhat vacantly. […]

"I am endeavoring to think of something novel," replied the dwarf, abstractedly, for he was quite bewildered by the wine.”

Related Characters: Hop-Frog (speaker), The King
Page Number: 285
Explanation and Analysis:

Hereupon the dwarf laughed (the king was too confirmed a joker to object to any one's laughing), and displayed a set of large, powerful, and very repulsive teeth. Moreover, he avowed his perfect willingness to swallow as much wine as desired.

Related Characters: Hop-Frog , The King
Page Number: 286
Explanation and Analysis:

Soon after this, the king and his seven friends having reeled about the hall in all directions, found themselves, at length, in its centre, and, of course, in immediate contact with the chain. […] The dwarf, who had followed noiselessly at their heels, inciting them to keep up the commotion, took hold of their own chain at the intersection of the two portions which crossed the circle diametrically and at right angles. Here, with the rapidity of thought, he inserted the hook from which the chandelier had been wont to depend[.]

Related Characters: Hop-Frog , The King
Related Symbols: Chains
Page Number: Hop-Frog
Explanation and Analysis:

“I now see distinctly” he said, “what manner of people these maskers are. They are a great king and his seven privy-councillors,--a king who does not scruple to strike a defenceless girl and his seven councillors who abet him in the outrage. As for myself, I am simply Hop-Frog, the jester--and this is my last jest.”

Related Characters: Hop-Frog (speaker), The King
Page Number: 289
Explanation and Analysis: