The Prince and the Pauper (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: Mark Twain
- First Published: 1881
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Social satire
- Time of Work: Sixteenth century
- Setting: England
- Genres: Long fiction, Social realism, Historical fiction, Satire
- Subjects: Maturation or coming of age, Family or family life, Prisons, Mistaken or secret identity, Friendship, Poverty or poor people, England or English people, Robbery or robbers, Kings, queens, or royalty, Adventure, Sixteenth century, Wealth, Boys, Begging or beggars, Nobility, Princes or princesses, Impostors or imposture
- Locales: London, England
Characters Discussed
Edward, prince of Wales and son of Henry VIII. When a ragged waif named Tom Canty invades the royal grounds, Edward, curious about life outside the confines of the palace, invites the boy to his quarters. They change clothes as a prank and discover that they are identical in appearance. When the prince appears in the courtyard dressed in Tom’s rags, guards mistake him for the intruding waif and throw him into the streets. Protesting time and again that he is the real prince of Wales, he is ridiculed and thought mad by skeptical London crowds. After many...
[The entire page is 570 words long]
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