In a moment of dramatic irony, John Canty’s band of outlaws mocks Edward for his offer to pardon Yokel with his authority as King:
“Long live Foo Foo the First, King of the Mooncalves!” followed by hootings, catcalls, and peals of laughter.
“Hale him forth, and crown him!”
“Robe him!”
“Scepter him!”
“Throne him!”
[...] almost before the poor little victim could draw a breath he was crowned with a tin basin, robed in a tattered blanket, throned upon a barrel, and sceptered with the tinker’s soldering iron.
It is no surprise that the thieves believe Edward to be insane. Though he claims to be royalty, he appears to be a totally average boy. But the irony is that Edward is actually the King and can pardon them of their crimes. In their ignorance, the thieves mock Edward mercilessly for his claims and so actually act against their own best interest, given his status.
The dramatic irony in this scene is not only funny, it also underscores the core theme of appearances vs. reality in The Prince and the Pauper. It is only Edward’s appearance, now tattered and dirty, that convinces these men that he is not a king. His manner of speaking, personality, and behavior haven’t changed at all. The judgment these people have made based on his looks alone has actually put them in danger, because Edward is (technically) the absolute monarch of the state, and can do anything he likes to them.
This scene also contains situational irony, as Edward has been raised to believe he and his father are adored by most people. When he announces his title to the thieves, he expects support and love from his subjects, only to receive scorn and mockery. In this section, and across Chapter 17, the monarchy and the law are mocked by the thieves and beggars, who have been victims of the injustice of both.
In a moment of dramatic irony, Edward and a peasant woman both think themselves generous for eating with the other at dinner:
The goodwife had intended to feed this young tramp [...] in the corner, like [...] a dog; but she was so remorseful for the scolding she had given him, that she did what she could to atone for it by allowing him to sit at the family table and eat with his betters, on ostensible terms of equality with them; and the king, on his side, was so remorseful for having broken his trust, after the family had been so kind to him, that he forced himself to atone for it by humbling himself to the family level [...]
The peasant woman, having mistaken the disheveled Edward for a tramp, intends to make him eat in the corner (“like a dog”). She believes that her slight class advantage over Edward (as “Tom”) gives her the right to treat him like an animal, and deny him even the courtesy of eating at a table.
Likewise, Edward normally would force this woman to clear her own table, and allow him to eat there alone while she remained standing. In Edward’s opinion, his “birth and dignity” entitle him to a position of authority in someone else’s home. It is only their respective guilty consciences that allow Edward and the goodwife to sit in one another’s presence.
It is ironic that the housewife, not knowing she is in the presence of royalty, believes she is complimenting Edward by treating him with basic respect. However, Edward’s arrogance is also ironic: he is unaware that, now that he is stripped of his royal robes and status, this woman has the right to treat him in almost any way she chooses. Edward’s childhood has left him ignorant of the ways of the world: he has even fewer rights as a “tramp” than he imagines. In this way, this scene mocks the superficiality of the class system in pre-Elizabethan England, which allows appearance to dictate the dignity with which people are treated.
