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Mowgli
Shere Khan is the most feared animal in Mowgli’s jungle. He is a powerful tiger who does not adhere to the Law of the Jungle like the other animals. Shere Khan is also cunning and manipulative. At the end of “Mowgli’s Brothers,” he manages to turn the wolves against Mowgli, and he retains power over them until his death. Although Shere Khan is smart, Mowgli is smarter and manages to outwit Shere Khan and bring about his death. After Shere Khan dies, Mowgli skins him and claims his pelt as a trophy.
Shere Khan Quotes in The Jungle Book
The The Jungle Book quotes below are all either spoken by Shere Khan or refer to Shere Khan. 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:
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1. Mowgli’s Brothers Quotes
The Law of the Jungle, which never orders anything without a reason, forbids every beast to eat Man except when he is killing to show his children how to kill, and then he must hunt outside the hunting grounds of his pack or tribe. The real reason for this is that man-killing means, sooner or later, the arrival of white men on elephants, with guns, and hundreds of brown men with gongs and rockets and torches. Then everybody in the jungle suffers. The reason the beasts give among themselves is that Man is the weakest and most defenseless of all living things, and it is unsportsmanlike to touch him. They say too—and it is true—that man-eaters become mangy, and lose their teeth.
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In this passage, which comes from one of the three Mowgli stories, Father Wolf explains why the animals of the jungle refrain from killing humans—a moral code that Shere Khan, a tiger, plans to break. Among the animals of the jungle, Shere Khan is one of the few that does not respect the Law of the Jungle and intends to kill Mowgli. This quote explores the theme of human and animal relationships, which is present throughout The Jungle Book. Generally speaking, humans and animals live in harmony, and largely leave one another alone. However, the animals of the jungle know 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 es
‘And it is I, Raksha [The Demon], who answers. The man’s cub is mine, Lungri—mine to me! He shall not be killed. He shall live to run with the Pack and to hunt with the Pack; and in the end, look you, hunter of little naked cubs—frog-eater—fish-killer—he shall hunt thee! Now get hence, or by the Sambhur that I killed (I eat no starved cattle), back thou goest to thy mother, burned beast of the jungle, lamer than ever thou camest into the world! Go!’
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This quote conveys Father Wolf’s message to Shere Khan when Shere Khan tries to take Mowgli. Father Wolf calls Shere Khan “Lungri,” which means “lame one.” Additionally, this quotation serves as a prophecy that Mowgli ultimately fulfills in “Tiger! Tiger!” It is a significant moment for Mowgli’s characters because it marks the beginning of his coming-of-age journey. Only once he triumphs over Shere Khan will he become a full-fledged man. Meanwhile, Father Wolf’s words only make Shere Khan angrier. In this moment, Mowgli becomes Shere Khan’s mortal enemy, and he does everyone he can to ensure Mowgli does not become 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. N
‘Ay, roar well,’ said Bagheera, under his whiskers, ‘for the time will come when this naked thing will make thee roar to another tune, or I know nothing of man.’
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Bagheera says these lines under his breath while Shere Khan roars into the night sky. Shere Khan is frustrated because he failed to get his hands on Mowgli. Notably, Bagheera is especially qualified to speak about humans because humans raised him in captivity. Bagheera’s words in this section echo the prophetic words Mother Wolf uttered earlier in the story. Bagheera is suggesting that Mowgli will kill Shere Khan one day because it is in his nature. Although the Pack has just taken in Mowgli, Bagheera’s words illustrate that, no matter how hard they try, Mowgli will always be a man 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. Ex
5. ‘Tiger! Tiger!’ Quotes
‘Lead us again, O Akela. Lead us again, O Man-cub, for we be sick of this lawlessness, and we would be the Free People once more[,]’ [cried the Pack.]
‘Nay,’ purred Bagheera, ‘that may not be. When ye are full-fed, the madness may come upon you again. Not for nothing are ye called the Free People. Ye fought for freedom, and it is yours. Eat it, O Wolves.’
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This passage occurs when Mowgli returns to Council Rock with Shere Khan’s pelt. The pelt signifies Mowgli’s triumph over the most fearsome animal in the jungle. This feat makes Mowgli the new most frightening animal in the jungle, and the wolves bow to him in hopes he will spare them his wrath. In this scene, the wolves realize that a system built around hierarchy and rules is necessary for their survival. This is a lesson Kipling returns to throughout the stories of The Jungle Book. Here, Kipling, through Bagheera, criticizes liberal forms of government that challenge the existing social order. 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. Volupta
6. Mowgli’s Song Quotes
I am two Mowglis, but the hide of Shere Khan is under my feet.
All the Jungle knows that I have killed Shere Khan. Look – look well, O Wolves!
Ahae! My heart is heavy with the things that I do not understand.
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“Mowgli’s Song” is a thematic epilogue to “Tiger! Tiger!” and rehashes many of the same themes present in the story. In particular, this section of the song illustrates Mowgli’s dual nature. On the one hand, he has climbed to the top of the social hierarchy in the jungle, having proven his strength and power by killing Shere Khan. He becomes the jungle king and seems to complete his character arch. However, in the final words of “Tiger! Tiger”, Kipling reveals Mowgli will one day return to live among humans. That revelation and the “heavy” sentiment this passage portrays suggest that 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
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Shere Khan Character Timeline in The Jungle Book
The timeline below shows where the character Shere Khan appears in The Jungle Book. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
1. Mowgli’s Brothers
...to hunt. Before he departs, he speaks with Tabaqui, a jackal, who tells him that Shere Khan , a tiger, has decided to hunt in Father Wolf’s territory. Tabaqui’s news upsets Father...
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Right on cue, Shere Khan roars loudly into the night sky, drawing the attention of Mother Wolf and Father Wolf....
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Moments later, Shere Khan arrives looking for the man cub. Luckily, he cannot get inside the wolves’ cave because...
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...deal, Bagheera kills one of his bulls, and Mowgli gets to join the Pack. Meanwhile, Shere Khan is furious that he did not get his paws on Mowgli.
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...Bagheera worries that, without Akela, it will be challenging to keep Mowgli safe. He knows Shere Khan has been trying to poison other members of the Pack against Mowgli by claiming that...
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...to the human village and take some of their “Red Flower” (fire) to use against Shere Khan .
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...of aging, no one dares to challenge Akela as Pack leader. During the same meeting, Shere Khan shows up and asks that the Pack hand Mowgli over to him. He claims Mowgli...
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...and lights a branch on fire. He waves the burning branch at the wolves and Shere Khan , frightening them. Shere Khan and the wolves retreat; they fear Mowgli’s fire and do...
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After Shere Khan and the other wolves are gone, Mowgli cries. He does not understand why the wolves...
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...asks them to always remember him because he plans to return and get revenge on Shere Khan one day. Father Wolf and Mother Wolf tell Mowgli that they love him and will...
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5. ‘Tiger! Tiger!’
...of the wolf pack still loyal to Mowgli, approaches him. Grey Brother warns Mowgli that Shere Khan will likely return to cause more problems in the jungle. At first, Mowgli does not...
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...he mocks Buldeo, the village hunter, to his face because he tells a story about Shere Khan .
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Apparently, Buldeo once knew a money-lender with a limp who died in the forest. Because Shere Khan has a lame foot, Buldeo thinks the spirit of the money-lender possesses Shere Khan. Of...
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...tending to the buffalo, Grey Brother pays him a visit. Grey Brother warns Mowgli that Shere Khan still wants revenge on him. He believes Shere Khan will try to attack and kill...
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Mowgli learns that Shere Khan recently ate a pig, meaning that he will not be as spry as he normally...
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After Shere Khan is dead, Mowgli skins him. As he does, Buldeo approaches him and demands that Mowgli...
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...people. At first, Mowgli thinks the villagers plan to celebrate him; after all, he killed Shere Khan , a tiger they feared. However, instead, the villagers throw rocks at Mowgli and order...
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...leave the village for his own sake. Before he leaves, Messua thanks him for killing Shere Khan . Mowgli asks his wolf friends to herd the buffalo back to the village. If...
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Mowgli returns to Council Rock and shows the other animals Shere Khan 's pelt. Many of the wolves are in attendance, and they ask Mowgli and Akela...
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6. Mowgli’s Song
Mowgli sings a song to all of the animals at Council Rock, celebrating Shere Khan ’s death. His song talks about how he is the man who killed Shere Khan...
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