Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Prince and the Pauper, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Appearances vs. Reality
Wealth, Poverty, and Morality
Justice
Nature vs. Nurture
Summary
Analysis
Tom, Lady Elizabeth, and Lady Jane Grey float down the Thames and under bridges full of revelers until they reach a spot near Guildhall. They disembark and make a short march to Guildhall for the feast. Inside, Tom stands up, takes a drink from a loving-cup, and passes it to Elizabeth. The cup is passed down the table and the feast begins. At the height of the party, dancers come out to entertain the crowd. Meanwhile, Edward is outside at the gate, trying to convince a jeering crowd that he is the real prince. Most of the crowd mocks him, but a man named Miles Hendon steps up and offers to protect Edward. When someone in the crowd grabs Edward, Hendon pulls out his sword and swats at them. The mob is about to attack when a messenger breaks it up. Hendon grabs Edward and runs.
Miles Hendon steps up to protect and befriend Edward even though it means incurring the wrath of the mob, which testifies to his selflessness and desire to do what’s right even when it’s not popular. This is a sharp contrast to Edward’s father, King Henry VIII, who is selfish to the point that he planned to kill Norfolk, an innocent man, to ensure his own royal legacy.
Themes
Literary Devices
Back inside Guildhall, the messenger announces that King Henry VIII has died. Suddenly everyone bows to Tom, crying “Long live the king!” Tom is stunned at first but he leans toward Hertford and asks a question: if Tom (as Edward) gives a command, would everyone obey, and nobody question it? Hertford assures Tom that his word is law now. Tom announces that the law will be one of mercy rather than blood from now on and orders someone to go and announce that Norfolk will not be executed. Hertford rushes off to send word while the crowd cries out that the “reign of blood” is finally over.
In real life, King Henry VIII died on January 28, 1547, when Edward was nine years old. This presumably makes both Edward and Tom nine years old (coincidentally, they not only look alike but share a birthday) during the book’s events. That Tom (as Edward) is essentially responsible for a man’s life at such a young age demonstrates just how much undue power the royals are imbued with. By contrast, that Edward (as Tom), also a nine-year-old, was so cruelly beaten by John and Grammer Canty in the previous chapter shows just how disempowered the real Tom is in comparison.
Themes
