Previous
Hop-Frog
The king is a sadistic joker who is aided by seven cruel ministers. The king wields significant power in his court and abroad; in the past, his generals conquered foreign lands and sent gifts to earn his favor. When he enlists Hop-Frog’s help in designing a costume for a masquerade ball, the king unknowingly brings about his own demise by cruelly striking the defenseless Trippetta. Despite his frequent abuse of Hop-Frog, he expects only willful compliance from the jester, evidenced by his unhesitating approval of Hop-Frog’s masquerade act. Even moments before his death at Hop-Frog’s hands, he still believes that Hop-Frog is just performing his part in an astonishing act. Though the king’s arrogance and naiveté prevent him from doubting his jester’s intentions, his cruelty is the primary cause of his undoing.
The King Quotes in Hop-Frog
The Hop-Frog quotes below are all either spoken by The King or refer to The King. 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:
).
Hop-Frog Quotes
I NEVER knew anyone so keenly alive to a joke as the king was. He seemed to live only for joking. To tell a good story of the joke kind, and to tell it well, was the surest road to his favor.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
In this passage, the narrator describes the king’s insatiable impulse to joke. The king’s actions in the story can be explained almost entirely by his fixation on joking, as he appears to be motivated only by his urge to joke. These first lines establish the importance of jokes to the story. The king, the main antagonist, is very inclined to joke. Consequently, he surrounds himself with other jokers. Although Hop-Frog, the protagonist, ultimately opposes the king and resists his authority, he, just like the king, is a committed joker, albeit one whose jokes are subversive. Naturally, as both Hop-Frog and Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asper
About the refinements, or, as he called them, the 'ghost' of wit, the king troubled himself very little. […] Over-niceties wearied him. He would have preferred Rabelais' 'Gargantua' to the 'Zadig' of Voltaire: and, upon the whole, practical jokes suited his taste far better than verbal ones.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
In this passage, the narrator explains that the king’s humor is crude and that he favors practical jokes to verbal ones. The narrator associates the king with the vulgar satire of French writer Rabelais over the philosophical writings of Voltaire. The king’s preference for vulgar practical jokes explains many of his actions during the story. Hop-Frog manages to convince the king to partake in his masquerade act by appealing to his preferences: Hop-Frog explains that his act is a prolonged practical joke that would frighten women. The king is so delighted by this confluence of things he enjoys that he Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque err
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:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
In this passage, the king cruelly forces Hop-Frog to drink wine, a beverage which makes him unpleasantly mad, after he summons the jester to help him create a masquerade act. Hop-Frog obliges at first so as to avoid being severely punished by the king. The personality of the king is made much clearer by this passage. The king is motivated to perform sadistic acts on his subjects not primarily by wrath, but by his twisted sense of humor. The tyrannical behavior of the king is a product of his general interest in pulling mean-spirited practical jokes. The narrator explains just Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde eni
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:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
In this passage, Hop-Frog, confused by the alcohol the king has forced him to drink to excess, aloofly responds to the king’s request for an idea for a masquerade act. Hop-Frog does not immediately produce a suggestion due to his inebriation, angering the king, who then forces him to drink more wine. Hop-Frog’s behavior in this passage reveals that he is poised despite his captivity and mistreatment. Instead of responding to his torment with justified anger, Hop-Frog placidly answers the king’s questions. The jester’s behavior in response to his own abuse contrasts starkly with his attitude when, a little later, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas
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:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
In this passage, Hop-Frog placates the king by first laughing at his suggestion that it may have been Hop-Frog who made the harsh grating noise (actually him grinding his teeth), and then agreeing to consume as much wine as the king desires. Hop-Frog shrewdly responds to the king’s concern with reassuring remarks so as to mask his intention to retaliate. In this quotation, the transformation of Hop-Frog’s disposition is evident. At the beginning of his confrontation with the king, he responds tranquilly to the king’s abuse, but once the king strikes Trippetta, he becomes enraged. He reveals his anger in Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut
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:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
This passage describes the way Hop-Frog lures the king and his seven ministers into a trap during the masquerade. In order to execute his scheme, Hop-Frog has the group tied together with a chain, ostensibly as part of their act. Then, during the masquerade, he moves them around in a particular fashion, inciting the watching crowd, so that he can sneakily attach the chains connecting the group to the chandelier-chain. Once the men are attached to this fixture descending from the skylight, he can hoist them into the air and perform his spectacle. The extent of Hop-Frog’s resourcefulness is revealed Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea.
“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:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
In this passage, Hop-Frog announces his motives for brutally murdering the king and his ministers. After he attaches the bound king and seven ministers to the chandelier-chain and hoists them into the air, the jester pretends to examine their features with a torch. He then sets fire to the bound group in front of the horrified audience of masqueraders. Hop-Frog clearly intends for his final act to be a spectacle; instead of burning his unsuspecting captors outside of the hall or using a less conspicuous method such as poison, he chooses to prepare an audience and then kill his tormentors Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit ea
Get the entire Hop-Frog LitChart as a printable PDF.
"My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." -Graham S.
The King Character Timeline in Hop-Frog
The timeline below shows where the character The King appears in Hop-Frog. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Hop-Frog
The story’s narrator describes a king who is unusually fond of jokes. The king seems to live only to perform jokes,...
(full context)
...movement that resembles both a leap and a wiggle. His strained movements endlessly entertain the king. Though Hop-Frog’s legs are underdeveloped, his arms have sizable muscles and considerable strength. The narrator...
(full context)
The king plans an elaborate masquerade for a grand state occasion. Hop-Frog has a talent for inventing...
(full context)
The king is in a bad mood and, as a practical joke, forces Hop-Frog to drink wine....
(full context)
The king asks the maddened Hop-Frog to assist him in creating characters for the masquerade. Hop-Frog, confused...
(full context)
Trippetta’s audacity stuns the king. He’s briefly at a loss as to what he should do, but then he violently...
(full context)
...suggests that the noise came from a parrot outside the room. Hop-Frog laughs at the king’s suggestion that it could have been the grinding of his teeth. He then says he’s...
(full context)
The king delights at the apparent coincidence that the act is for eight people, and that he...
(full context)
...in order to represent the beasts’ hair. Finally, he ties a long chain around the king’s waist and chains him to an adjacent minister, before doing the same with this minister,...
(full context)
...outside the room, it normally hangs from a chain that descends from a skylight. The king and ministers, dressed as orangutans, wait until midnight before rushing into the hall. They terrify...
(full context)
...the chain that normally holds the chandelier descends to three feet off the ground. The king and his ministers soon find themselves at the center of the hall, surrounded by a...
(full context)
...he now “sees distinctly” what sort of people the masked people were: they are a king who would strike a defenseless girl and ministers who would assist him in the act,...
(full context)
