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
Hendon is released from the pillory and ordered to leave the area on the donkey and mule he and Edward came in on. On the road, Hendon struggles to decide what to do and where to go next. He wonders if the new king—who is supposed to be fond of justice and mercy—would be willing to help him. Hendon remembers that an old friend of his father’s, Humphrey Marlow, might be able to help him get an audience with the king. However, Hendon worries that Edward won’t want to return to London, a city full of sad memories. Hendon decides to ask Edward where he wants to go and he is happily surprised when Edward says he wants to go to London. Their trek is uneventful. They reach London on the 19th (the day before the coronation), but unfortunately they get separated in a drunken crowd on London Bridge.
Hendon is so confident that Edward is not the real King of England that he doesn’t recognize how going to the palace could definitively prove or disprove Edward’s identity. As it is, this is the same reason why Edward wants to go to London and the palace. At this point, the only way for Edward to prove his identity is to confront whoever has stolen it and usurped his throne.
Themes
