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The Red Queen
The egg-shaped individual from the nursery rhyme "Humpty Dumpty." He sits high on a wall when Alice meets him. Humpty Dumpty is rude, imperious, and self-important. He insists that he can make words mean whatever he wants them to (though he pays them more for extra work) and he reprimands Alice for not being properly polite. Helpfully, he does agree to decode the first verse of the poem "Jabberwocky" for Alice, though more than anything, this is an opportunity for Humpty Dumpty to lord his knowledge and expertise over Alice. Humpty Dumpty takes major issue with the fact that Alice didn't stop growing up at age seven and allowed herself to age six months. He offers her riddles when Alice insists that she can't stop growing. As in the nursery rhyme, Humpty Dumpty falls off his wall after Alice leaves him, while the White King sends all his horses and men except two to help him.
Humpty Dumpty Quotes in Through the Looking-Glass
The Through the Looking-Glass quotes below are all either spoken by Humpty Dumpty or refer to Humpty Dumpty. 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:
).
Chapter 6: Humpty Dumpty
Quotes
"My name is Alice, but—"
"It's a stupid name enough!" Humpty Dumpty interrupted impatiently. "What does it mean?"
"Must a name mean something?" Alice asked doubtfully.
"Of course it must," Humpty Dumpty said with a short laugh: "my name means the shape I am—a good handsome shape it is, too. With a name like yours, you might be any shape, almost."
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"Seven years and six months!" Humpty Dumpty repeated thoughtfully. "An uncomfortable sort of age. Now if you'd asked my advice, I'd have said 'Leave off at seven'—but it's too late now."
"I never ask advice about growing," Alice said indignantly.
"Too proud?" the other enquired.
Alice felt even more indignant at this suggestion. "I mean," she said, "that one ca'n't help growing older."
"One ca'n't, perhaps," said Humpty Dumpty; "but two can. With proper assistance, you might have left off at seven."
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"But 'glory' doesn't mean 'a knock-down argument,'" Alice objected.
"When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less."
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"As to poetry, you know," said Humpty Dumpty, stretching out one of his great hands, "I can repeat poetry as well as other folk, if it comes to that—"
"Oh, it needn't come to that!" Alice hastily said, hoping to keep him from beginning.
"The piece I'm going to repeat," he went on without noticing her remark, "was written entirely for your amusement."
Alice felt that in that case she really ought to listen to it; so she sat down, and said "Thank you" rather sadly.
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Humpty Dumpty Quotes in Through the Looking-Glass
The Through the Looking-Glass quotes below are all either spoken by Humpty Dumpty or refer to Humpty Dumpty. 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:
).
Chapter 6: Humpty Dumpty
Quotes
"My name is Alice, but—"
"It's a stupid name enough!" Humpty Dumpty interrupted impatiently. "What does it mean?"
"Must a name mean something?" Alice asked doubtfully.
"Of course it must," Humpty Dumpty said with a short laugh: "my name means the shape I am—a good handsome shape it is, too. With a name like yours, you might be any shape, almost."
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Explanation and Analysis:
"Seven years and six months!" Humpty Dumpty repeated thoughtfully. "An uncomfortable sort of age. Now if you'd asked my advice, I'd have said 'Leave off at seven'—but it's too late now."
"I never ask advice about growing," Alice said indignantly.
"Too proud?" the other enquired.
Alice felt even more indignant at this suggestion. "I mean," she said, "that one ca'n't help growing older."
"One ca'n't, perhaps," said Humpty Dumpty; "but two can. With proper assistance, you might have left off at seven."
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"But 'glory' doesn't mean 'a knock-down argument,'" Alice objected.
"When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less."
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"As to poetry, you know," said Humpty Dumpty, stretching out one of his great hands, "I can repeat poetry as well as other folk, if it comes to that—"
"Oh, it needn't come to that!" Alice hastily said, hoping to keep him from beginning.
"The piece I'm going to repeat," he went on without noticing her remark, "was written entirely for your amusement."
Alice felt that in that case she really ought to listen to it; so she sat down, and said "Thank you" rather sadly.
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