# Chapter XXI explained — The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

> Chapter companion for The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain.

## What happens

Huck describes the Duke and King's preparations for a Shakespearean performance, including rehearsals and the printing of show bills. They arrive near a small Arkansas town, where they post advertisements for a show featuring Romeo and Juliet, a sword fight from Richard III, and Hamlet's soliloquy. Huck observes the dilapidated town, its lazy loafers, muddy streets, and the arrival of old Boggs for his monthly drunk.

## Themes in this chapter

### Deception and Identity

The Duke and King's fraudulent Shakespearean performance exemplifies their ongoing deception, pretending to be famous actors to swindle the townspeople.

### Hypocrisy of Society

The townspeople's lazy, violent, and crude behavior contrasts with the pretentious cultural performance, highlighting societal hypocrisy.

## Character check-ins

### Huckleberry Finn

Narrates the chapter, observing the Duke and King's antics and the town's atmosphere.

### The King

Rehearses Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet's soliloquy, learning lines from the Duke.

### The Duke

Directs rehearsals, prints show bills, and teaches the King his parts.

### Jim

Stays behind on the raft while Huck, the King, and the Duke go to town.

### Boggs

Mentioned as arriving in town for his monthly drunk, greeted by loafers.

## Key lines

> To be, or not to be; that is the bare bodkin That makes calamity of so long life; For who would fardels bear, till Birnam Wood do come to Dunsinane, But that the fear of something after death Murders the innocent sleep, Great nature's second course, And makes us rather sling the arrows of outrageous fortune Than fly to others that we know not of.

The Duke recites a garbled version of Hamlet's soliloquy, mixing lines from different Shakespeare plays.

_The Duke's mangled soliloquy underscores the fraudulence of their performance and the theme of deception._

> The stores and houses was most all old shackly dried-up frame concerns that hadn't ever been painted; they was set up three or four foot above ground on stilts, so as to be out of reach of the water when the river was overflowed.

The town's buildings were old, unpainted, and raised on stilts to protect against river flooding.

_Huck's description highlights the poverty and impermanence of the river town._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/huckleberry_finn_se/chapters/xxi
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/huckleberry_finn_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/huckleberry_finn_se/chapters