The Prince and the Pauper · Chapter
Epigraph explained
The epigraph quotes a passage from Shakespeare's 'The Merchant of Venice' on the theme of mercy, suggesting that mercy is a divine quality that blesses both the giver and the receiver, and is especially fitting for a monarch.
What happens
The epigraph quotes a passage from Shakespeare's 'The Merchant of Venice' on the theme of mercy, suggesting that mercy is a divine quality that blesses both the giver and the receiver, and is especially fitting for a monarch.
Themes in this chapter
Mercy and Redemption
The epigraph directly introduces the theme of mercy as a blessed, powerful force that ennobles both the giver and receiver, particularly a monarch.
Key passages
“The quality of mercy … is twice bless’d; It blesseth him that gives, and him that takes; ’Tis mightiest in the mightiest: it becomes The throned monarch better than his crown.”
Mercy is doubly blessed: it benefits both the person who shows mercy and the person who receives it. It is most powerful when exercised by the most powerful, and it suits a king even more than his crown does.
This epigraph foreshadows the novel's exploration of mercy, justice, and true kingship.