# Epigraph explained — The Prince and the Pauper

> Chapter companion for The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain.

## 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 lines

> 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._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_prince_and_the_pauper_se/chapters/epigraph
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_prince_and_the_pauper_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_prince_and_the_pauper_se/chapters