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
Edward comments that this is all very strange. Hendon that it’s not that strange—Hugh has always been a villain. Edward says he’s not talking about Hugh, but the fact that nobody seems anxious to find out where the King of England is and that life is carrying on as usual. Edward has a solution: he will write three letters in Greek, Latin, and English, and Hendon can deliver them to Hertford in the morning. Hendon tries to say that it would be better to wait until Hendon gets his own rights back first, but Edward tells him that Hendon’s problems aren’t as serious as his because the whole country depends on Edward. Furthermore, as king, Edward can right Hendon’s wrongs immediately. Hendon notes that if it were dark, he might think a king did just speak and he resigns himself to the idea that he’ll have to pretend to go to London the next day.
Just as Hendon realizes that Hugh has usurped his rightful place as baronet of Hendon Hall, Edward realizes that someone must have usurped his place as King of England. Hendon’s observation that if it were dark and he heard Edward speak then he might believe Edward is a king reveals that Hendon’s belief that Edward is a mad beggar is entirely based on opinion. He is ignoring all the clear signs that Edward belongs at least to the nobility, if not the royal family. This includes Edward’s letters, which are written in languages that only someone who’s had the best education would be able to recognize and interpret.
Themes
Hendon is so absorbed in his own thoughts that he pockets Edward’s letters without realizing it. He thinks of Edith and her strange manner—she must have recognized him but she claimed she didn’t, and Hendon knows she’s not a liar. Hendon realizes that Hugh must have threatened Edith, and Hendon decides to find her. Just then, Edith herself walks in. She tells Hendon that although she can’t persuade him to drop his mad delusions, she can warn him. She says he’s in danger because he looks so much like Miles Hendon. Hugh is very powerful, and nobody will dare go against him by openly saying they recognize Hendon. Hendon admits he knows this is true. Edith says she’s Hugh’s slave and she urges Hendon to flee. Before Hendon goes, he asks her one more time if she recognizes him, and she says she doesn’t. Then, officers burst into the room and arrest Hendon and Edward.
People say Edward can’t be a king because he doesn’t look like one. However, it is dangerous for someone who isn’t the king to claim to be the king, so Edward’s danger lies in the fact that he doesn’t look kingly at all. Hendon’s is just the opposite—he is in danger precisely because he looks like himself, and this will make it harder for Hugh to prove that Hendon is an impostor. Both Edith and Hendon realize that this won’t stop Hugh, who has become the terror of the neighborhood.
Themes
