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
By the time Hendon gets safely off London Bridge, pickpockets have stolen all his money and he’s in worse condition than he was when he entered London. However, this doesn’t matter to him if he can find Edward. Hendon believes that Edward will make a spectacle of himself by calling himself king, which will attract a crowd. Hendon begins searching for large crowds, expecting to find Edward at the center of one. His plan is to rescue Edward and never lose him again. Hendon searches for hours, but to his surprise he can’t find Edward anywhere. Hendon searches along the coronation procession’s route but he can’t find Edward there either. Hendon keeps wandering until he realizes London is behind him. He finds a spot near the Thames and, exhausted and starving, falls asleep to the sound of cannons announcing that the new king has been crowned.
Even though Hendon has been preoccupied with theories and hopes for getting his rightful title and estate back (and thus revenge against Hugh), he loses sight of all these things in his anxiety to find Edward. This shows that Hendon genuinely loves Edward. With Arthur and his father dead and Lady Edith under Hugh’s control, Edward is the closest thing Hendon has to family now. Although Hendon might get his title, it is worthless if he doesn’t also have companionship and love.
Themes
The next morning, Hendon decides to go to Westminster and seek out his father’s old friend and ask to borrow some money. When he reaches the palace, Hendon sticks out like a sore thumb because of how dirty his clothes are. Fortunately, Humphrey Marlow spots him he and realizes Hendon must be the person the new king is so worried about. Hendon approaches Humphrey and asks if he can tell Humphrey Marlow (Humphrey’s deceased father) that Sir Richard Hendon’s son needs to speak to him. Humphrey decides to bring this name to the king and leaves. While he’s gone, some halberdiers spot Hendon and they arrest him for prowling. They find the letters Edward wrote in Hendon’s pocket and they disgustedly remark that there are a lot of false claimants to the throne. One of them brings the letters in to Edward. Hendon fears he’ll be executed as an impostor.
Humphrey Marlow the whipping boy he is apparently named after his deceased father, Humphrey Marlow. Hendon doesn’t know this at first, and Humphrey notably doesn’t try to clear up the confusion. The halberdiers remark about there being a lot of false claimants to the throne is Hendon’s first indication that Edward might actually be in trouble—if he claimed to be the rightful king in front of the wrong crowd, he may have been arrested and might even be executed for it because it’s an act of treason. Hendon realizes he might face a similar fate because the halberdiers think he is the one who wrote the letters.
Themes
The halberdier comes hurrying out of the palace, orders the guards to let Hendon loose, bows, and asks Hendon to follow him inside. The halberdier leads Hendon to the palace entrance, where a court official takes over and leads Hendon into a room full of nobility. The official reminds Hendon to take his hat off and then leaves him in the middle of the room. Hendon notices the king sitting on the throne talking to someone and he thinks he’s only been brought into the room to be condemned to death by the king himself. Once he gets a clear view of the king’s face, however, he realizes that it’s Edward. Stunned, Hendon wonders if it’s the same mad boy he’s been caring for. Hendon gets an idea—noticing a chair in the corner, he brings it to the middle of the floor and sits on it.
Hendon knows that it’s a grave offense to sit in the presence of an actual monarch, but during the first night he and Edward spent together, Edward agreed to grant Hendon (and his heirs) the right to do so. By sitting down now, Hendon is testing the king to find out if he’s Edward or just someone who looks like Edward. In this instance, Hendon isn’t willing to make a judgment based solely on appearances.
Themes
All the people in the room start shouting about Hendon’s blatant show of disrespect for King Edward VI and they grab him. Edward, however, orders them not to touch Hendon. Edward explains that Hendon has been made the Duke of Kent, so Hendon and his heirs have a right to sit in the presence of the king. Coincidentally, Hugh and Lady Edith come in while Edward is talking and confusedly look from Hendon to Edward. Hendon, however, doesn’t notice them because he’s staring hard at Edward and he is appalled to realize that he once thought the king was a lunatic pauper. Edward spots Hugh and he orders the guards to strip him of his title and lock him away.
Edward not only restores Hendon to his rightful place in Hendon Hall, but he essentially promotes him to a duke (the highest title anyone can hold without being a prince, princess, or monarch). This means that even if Hugh were to somehow keep his title as baronet, Hendon dramatically outranks him.
Themes
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Tom Canty, dressed in nice clothes, comes into the room, and Edward makes another announcement: Tom will head the group in charge of Christ’s Hospital (which will teach as well as feed children from now on), and he will be known by his unique outfit and shown the respect due to those who have been king. Tom will be known as the King’s Ward and enjoy the throne’s support and protection all his life. Tom kisses Edward’s hand and he runs to tell his mother and sisters.
As King’s Ward, Tom can enjoy the privileges of wealth and rank but also the freedom to acknowledge his family without shame. In fact, Tom’s new title enables him to make a better life for his sisters and mother, thus returning the kindness they showed him through years of trying to protect him from John’s abuse.
Themes
