Zusammenfassung
Zusammenfassung von The Prince and the Pauper
Für wen es gedacht ist
For readers who love adventure with a moral heart, parents looking for a story to share with children, and anyone curious about Tudor England as Twain imagined it.
Worum es in diesem Buch geht
The Prince and the Pauper is a novel by Mark Twain, first published in 1881. It is set in London in the middle of the sixteenth century, in the last weeks of the reign of Henry the Eighth. Twain wrote it for young readers, though he meant it for grown people too. He dedicated it to his own daughters, and he built it as a tale he could tell to children while still poking at the way England was run.
The idea is simple. Two boys are born in London on the same day. One is Edward, Prince of Wales, heir to the throne. The other is Tom Canty, who lives in a filthy alley called Offal Court and is beaten by his father. They look exactly alike. By a chance meeting at the palace gate, they swap clothes, and each is taken for the other.
What follows is a story of two boys thrown into lives they know nothing about. One must learn how a king lives. The other must learn how the poor survive. Along the way, you meet cruel laws, kind strangers and a few brave friends. Let us begin with Tom Canty, the boy who dreams of kings.
In dieser Zusammenfassung
- 1Tom Canty dreams of princesFree
- 2A prince and a pauper meet
- 3Edward is cast out as a beggar
- 4Tom learns to be a king
- 5Edward meets Miles Hendon
- 6The road shows the cruelty of the law
- 7Tom grows into a gentle ruler
- 8What the story says about rank and justice
- 9How Twain tells the tale
Punkt 1 von 9
Tom Canty dreams of princes
The story opens with Tom Canty, born into a poor family in Offal Court, a crowded and dirty lane near London Bridge. His father, John Canty, is a thief and a drunk who beats him and sends him out to beg. His grandmother is no kinder. Only his mother and his two sisters, Nan and Bet, show him any tenderness.
Tom has one escape, and it is books. A kindly old priest, Father Andrew, has taught him to read a little and has filled his head with tales of giants, fairies, dwarfs and kings. Tom reads whatever he can find. Slowly he begins to dream of royal life, of fine clothes, rich food and the power to do good.
These dreams change how Tom behaves. He starts to talk like a prince and to act with a courtly manner. He plays at being royal with the other boys of the lane, who enjoy the game and call him their prince. They give him a mock court, with officers and ladies, and he rules it with grave dignity.
Twain uses this opening to set up the whole book. Tom is poor in everything but imagination, and his imagination prepares him for what is coming. The reader sees early that a boy can be fit for a throne without being born to one. The idea is gentle at first, but it will grow into the book's sharpest point.
That’s 1 of 9 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
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Who’s who
- Tom Canty
- A poor boy from Offal Court, Tom resembles Edward and dreams of the royal life described in books.
- Edward, Prince of Wales
- The sheltered son of Henry the Eighth, Edward looks exactly like Tom despite their vastly different circumstances.
- Miles Hendon
- A soldier returning from war and captivity, Miles protects Edward while doubting the boy's claims to royal rank.
- John Canty
- Tom's violent father is a thief who forces his son to beg and treats him cruelly.
- Lord Hertford
- Edward's uncle protects the boy at court whom he believes to be the prince suffering from illness.
- Henry the Eighth
- England's gravely ill king is Edward's father and wants his son prepared for the responsibilities of ruling.
- Hugo
- A young thief belonging to a wandering gang, Hugo cruelly mistreats Edward when he appears in rags.
About this edition
Every format is free to start, and print and large print are at cost.
- LengthAbout 72,000 words
- Reading timeAbout 4 h 45 min
- FormatseBook, large-print eBook, audiobook, 15-minute summary; paperback, hardcover and large print at cost
- LanguagesEnglish and 14 other languages
Questions about The Prince and the Pauper
What is The Prince and the Pauper about?
It tells of two look-alike boys in sixteenth-century London, Prince Edward and the beggar Tom Canty, who swap places. Each learns how the other half lives, and Twain uses their adventures to criticize cruel laws and rigid rank.
Is The Prince and the Pauper a true story?
No. It is fiction, published in 1881. Twain used a real setting, the last days of Henry the Eighth and the start of Edward the Sixth's reign, but the exchange of the two boys is invented.
Who is Miles Hendon in The Prince and the Pauper?
Miles Hendon is a kind soldier who returns to England after years away. He meets the lost prince, protects him and humors his royal claims, becoming his steadfast friend through many dangers.
Is The Prince and the Pauper a children's book?
Twain wrote it for young readers and dedicated it to his daughters, but adults enjoy it too. It mixes adventure and humor with serious comment on poverty, justice and the abuse of power.
What is the main message of The Prince and the Pauper?
Twain argues that rank does not make a person better, that rulers should know how ordinary people live, and that kindness and mercy matter more than birth. Sympathy grows from shared experience.