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
As Hendon and Edward push through the crowds toward London Bridge, they hear the calls all around that King Henry VIII has died. Edward hears and, although many considered Henry a tyrant, he cries because his father was always kind to him. Then he feels a swell of pride as he realizes that he is now king. At this time, London Bridge is like its own small world—there are bakeries and tailors, homes and hotels, and some people live here their whole lives without stepping foot off of it. As Hendon and Edward approach Hendon’s lodgings there, John Canty grabs Edward and cries out that he won’t escape again. Hendon stops John and asks what’s going on. John replies that he’s the boy’s father, but Hendon declares that John is too rough and he refuses to let John take Edward. They argue until John relents and he angrily storms off.
Edward’s complicated feelings upon hearing that his father is dead highlight the unique relationship between monarchs and their heirs. Edward undoubtedly loves Henry, but Henry is the only thing that stands between him and the throne. When Henry dies, Edward is free to step into his destined place as King of England. Similarly, Henry loved Edward, but he couldn’t look at Edward without thinking of his own death. This is part of why Henry was so determined to make sure nobody would question Edward’s claim to the throne—he didn’t want his finals days to be full of uncertainty and fear that the Tudors would lose power over England after fighting so hard for it.
Themes
Hendon brings Edward into his shabby lodgings and orders some food. Edward is exhausted and drags himself to the only bed, telling Hendon to let him know when the food arrives. Hendon watches Edward; in his thoughts, he notes that Edward must be insane but he admires how well he pretends to be a prince. Hendon decides that he loves Edward like a brother and he wants to help him get his sanity back. Hendon covers Edward with his own coat and he notes that it will be strange to still have this “Prince of Wales” when the person who really was prince yesterday become the king today. He doubts that Edward will have enough reason to start calling himself king. Hendon’s mind wanders to his father, who, if he’s still alive, will welcome Edward. Hendon also thinks his older brother Arthur will be happy but he worries about Hugh interfering.
Hendon means well, but he, like everyone else, rushes to conclusions about Edward’s sanity because his clothes are too shabby and dirty to belong to a real king (which Edward claims to be). Hendon finds it so easy to love Edward because he thinks Edward is helpless and in need of protection. Like Edward, Hendon enjoys helping people and doing the right thing, but he puts more importance on his own preconceived notions of what a prince is supposed to look like than on Edward’s words and all the evidence that he’s telling the truth.
Themes
Edward wakes up as the servant sets food on the table. Hendon cheerfully tells Edward that he’ll feel better once he eats something. Edward is grateful to Hendon for giving up his coat but he gets a little impatient when Hendon doesn’t immediately step up to pour out the water and hold a towel for Edward to wash himself. Hendon is amused by this and he does it without complaint. However, when Hendon tries to sit next to Edward to eat, Edward chastises him for sitting in the presence of a king, and Hendon is stunned—it seems Edward’s madness has kept up with the news even though Hendon didn’t think it was possible. Still, Hendon is amused by the boy’s apparent madness and he decides to wait upon him like a good servant.
Despite Hendon’s prediction that Edward would continue claiming to be the Prince of Wales even after Henry’s death proves false (when Henry dies, the Prince of Wales becomes the King of England; because nine-year-old Edward VI obviously has no children, there is no Prince of Wales anymore). Edward’s new assertion that he is the king shows that his reasoning is intact and he’s therefore not insane, but Hendon ignores this and persists in believing that because Edward is dressed in rags, he can’t possibly be a prince. Again, this demonstrates just how staunchly people will cling to what they perceive to be true rather than questioning the underlying reality.
Themes
Satisfied with the meal, Edward says he wants to know Hendon better and he guesses that Hendon must be a nobleman. Hendon confirms and he explains that his father is Sir Richard Hendon, a baronet in Kent. Hendon shares a brief account of his life story: he is Richard’s second son and he has two brothers, an older one named Arthur and a younger one named Hugh. Arthur is kind, but Hugh is a selfish liar. Hugh is also Richard’s favorite son. Hendon grew up alongside a beautiful orphaned cousin and heiress named Lady Edith. Although Edith and Hendon loved each other, Richard wanted her to marry Arthur. Hugh lusted after Edith’s fortune and he convinced Richard that Hendon planned to kidnap her, so Richard forced Hendon to become a soldier for three years. Hendon was taken captive for a time and he has just returned after seven years away.
Sir Richard’s cruel refusal to let Edith, Arthur, and Miles marry whom they love is one example of corruption in the upper classes. Like many noblemen, Sir Richard wants to give the best of everything to his oldest son because, at this time, the oldest son was the legal heir to any of their father’s titles, land, or estates. Richard, then, wants Arthur to marry Edith because he wants his oldest son to get Edith’s fortune and pass down to his oldest son, thus making sure the greatest possible wealth and privilege stays with the title and builds from one generation to the next.
Themes
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After hearing Hendon’s story, Edward vows to make it all right and he tells Hendon about his own misfortunes. To himself, Hendon admits that Edward has an extraordinary mind and he decides to keep Edward with him as a comrade. He is confident that Edward will become sane again. Edward tells Hendon that for saving his life, Hendon can request anything of him. At first, Hendon plans to make some excuse without asking for anything, but after thinking about it for a moment he asks Edward for the right for him and his heirs to sit in the king’s presence. Edward agrees and he makes Hendon a knight. To himself, Hendon says that he’s now a “Knight of Dreams and Shadows,” which is odd but flattering and reflective of Edward’s generous spirit. Hendon laughs as he imagines Edward calling him by his new title in public because his clothes don’t match his rank.
Hendon calls himself a “Knight of Dreams and Shadows,” which means he is only a knight in a made-up world, not in the real one like Edward says. His request to be allowed to sit in the presence of a king is meant to be comedic, but it also highlights one of the more ridiculous rules about how people are supposed to act in the presence of royalty. At the time, it was considered disrespectful and even illegal for anyone to sit in a monarch’s presence without express permission, to wear a hat around them, or even for someone to turn their back on the king or queen as they leave the room.
Themes
Literary Devices
