The Prince and the Pauper

by

Mark Twain

The Hermit Character Analysis

A crazed former Catholic priest who tries to kill Edward Tudor. The hermit lives alone in the forest and claims that he is an archangel but that he should have been Pope. His livelihood and ambitions were destroyed during King Henry VIII’s Reformation (under which Catholic establishments were dissolved and raided as Henry established the Protestant Church of England) and he seeks to get revenge against Henry by killing Edward. Ironically, the hermit is the only character who believes Edward when he says he’s the real Prince of Wales. The hermit’s plan is foiled when Miles Hendon tracks Edward to the house. The hermit draws Miles away, but then John Canty comes in and kidnaps Edward for the second time.

The Hermit Quotes in The Prince and the Pauper

The The Prince and the Pauper quotes below are all either spoken by The Hermit or refer to The Hermit. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Appearances vs. Reality Theme Icon
).
Chapter 20 Quotes

“His father wrought us evil, he destroyed us—and is gone down into the eternal fires! Yes, down into the eternal fires! He escaped us—but it was God’s will, yes it was God’s will, we must not repine. But he hath not escaped the fires! no, he hath not escaped the fires, the consuming, unpitying remorseless fires—and they are everlasting!”

[…]

“It was his father that did it all. I am but an archangel—but for him, I should be Pope!”

Related Characters: The Hermit (speaker), Edward Tudor, Prince of Wales / King Edward VI, John Canty / John Hobbs, King Henry VIII, Hugo
Page Number: 153
Explanation and Analysis:
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The Hermit Quotes in The Prince and the Pauper

The The Prince and the Pauper quotes below are all either spoken by The Hermit or refer to The Hermit. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Appearances vs. Reality Theme Icon
).
Chapter 20 Quotes

“His father wrought us evil, he destroyed us—and is gone down into the eternal fires! Yes, down into the eternal fires! He escaped us—but it was God’s will, yes it was God’s will, we must not repine. But he hath not escaped the fires! no, he hath not escaped the fires, the consuming, unpitying remorseless fires—and they are everlasting!”

[…]

“It was his father that did it all. I am but an archangel—but for him, I should be Pope!”

Related Characters: The Hermit (speaker), Edward Tudor, Prince of Wales / King Edward VI, John Canty / John Hobbs, King Henry VIII, Hugo
Page Number: 153
Explanation and Analysis: