THE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER
A FIELD GUIDE FOR TEACHERS
StageNOTES
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© 2002, Camp Broadway LLC
All rights reserved
This publication is based on the work of The Prince and the Pauper, A New Musical with
music by Neil Berg, book by Bernie Garzia & Ray Roderick and lyrics by Neil Berg and Bernie
Garzia. The content of the The Prince and the Pauper, A New Musical edition of
StageNOTES™ A Field Guide for Teachers is fully protected under the copyright laws of the
United States of America and all other countries with which the United States has reciprocal
copyright relations. All rights regarding publishing, reprint permissions, public readings, and
mechanical or electronic reproduction, including but not limited to, CD-ROM, information
storage and retrieval systems and photocopying, and the rights of translation into foreign
languages are strictly reserved.
Printed in the United States of America
First printing, September 2002
ISBN: 1-930504-08-X
Look for the original cast recording of The Prince and the Pauper on Jay Records
For more information on StageNOTES and other theater arts related programs for students,
contact:
Camp Broadway LLC
145 West 45th Street, 7th Floor
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Telephone: (212) 575-2929
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StageNOTES
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A FIELD GUIDE FOR TEACHERS
A Camp Broadway LLC Publication
Editor:
Associate Editor:
Art Director:
Jodi Simon Stewart
Lesley Mazzotta, Roseanne Saraceno
Joseph M. Pisarchick
Contributors:
Sascha Paladino is a writer, filmmaker and teacher. He writes for a number of children’s television
shows, including “Blue’s Clues,” an educational program for preschoolers on Nickelodeon. He also
writes about theater, film and popular culture for The Brooklyn Academy of Music. He has taught
performance and performance theory in public schools and prisons.
Nancy Valentino is an editor specializing in theater, film and fashion.
Special Thanks:
Dana Kenn, Set Designer
Sam Fleming, Costume Designer
Neil Berg, Bernie Garzia, John Glaudini, Ray Roderick, Gerard Canonico, Dennis Michael Hall,
Allison Fisher and Jimmy Dieffenbach – for giving their time to be interviewed for this publication
The Prince and the Pauper Logo Design: Eliran Murphy Group/Jon Bierman, Christine Shilosky
Production Photos: Carol Rosegg
Printed by: Royal Fireworks Press, Unionville, NY
A FIELD GUIDE FOR TEACHERS
StageNOTES
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C A M P
B R O A D W A Y
N E W
Y O R K
L L C
StageNOTES
2
The Prince and the Pauper
Letter from the
Producers
W
Dear Educator,
elcome to the exciting world of The Prince and the
Pauper, a new musical based on the legendary story
by Mark Twain. The story traces two boys as they
change places and thus change the destiny of a nation.
The world of our musical is heroes and villains, lords and
ladies, kings and princes combined with great music and
enough sword fighting to interest all students. Our stars are
two 13-year-old boys who have extraordinary talent and
charisma.
We knew we had to produce this musical when we heard the
song "Thrill of Adventure." In this song, we learn of each
boy’s desire to change places and see how the other lives. The
pauper sings, from the streets of the London slums, of his
dreams that don’t come true, while the prince, high behind
his castle walls, sings of his dreams to break out of his perfect
world.
How many of us have thought the grass is always greener on
the other side? Well, in The Prince and the Pauper, the boys
have that chance and through the switching of their clothes,
they learn what it truly means to walk in the other’s shoes.
The result is a newfound compassion for our prince who
decides that his reign will be one of compassion. Our pauper
learns that a life of luxury and power carries responsibility
and does not guarantee happiness.
In addition to Producers, Marion and I are also parents. I
have four daughters and Marion has a son. We believe this
message of compassion, fairness, and respect are lessons we
still need to teach in our high-tech world. The journey of
The Prince and the Pauper through song, sword fighting,
laughter and tears illustrates these timeless virtues. This piece
is as relevant for children of the 21st century as it was in the
19th century when Mark Twain wrote his beloved tale.
Our musical is a natural magnet for students and teachers.
This past summer, as we played to full capacities, we were
thrilled to find children of all ages loved this musical. We
met and talked with children as young as five and as old as
17 who fell in love with our world. Parents often commented,
“In the past, we have had to drag our boys to the theatre but
this was a new experience for them. They loved it!” and
“What a treat to see a classic piece of literature brought to life
so that now my children want to read the book.” Our
musical will make theatre lovers out of ALL your students.
We have dedicated performances for schools at special
student prices. We hope you take advantage of these
performances. We know you will have an unforgettable
experience.
“I’ve got this feeling inside me, it’s filled with magic
and mystery, oh, someone please tell me what it can be.
It is the Thrill of Adventure.”
Enjoy the adventure,
Carolyn Rossi Copeland
Marian Lerman Jacobs
The Prince and the Pauper
3
wo boys are born in
England on the
same day in 1537.
One is Edward, Prince of
Wales, son of King Henry
VIII. The other is Tom
Canty, son of John Canty, a
beggar and a thief who
treats his family with cruelty
and contempt. The lives of the boys couldn’t be
more different. Prince Edward is pampered and
every need is taken care of, but his life is full of
annoying responsibilities and he has no friends his
age. Tom begs for money on the street and imagines
he is the prince, fighting pretend duels with his
friends.
T
On both boys’ tenth birthday, Tom sees Prince
Edward pass through town. After begging outside
the palace gate, Tom is brought inside by Prince
Edward. The boys admit how fascinated they are
with each other’s lives. When they exchange clothes,
they discover they look almost identical. Wearing
Tom’s ragged clothing, Prince Edward runs outside
the palace to get a taste of freedom. Tom, wearing
Edward’s royal outfit, is treated like the prince.
When Edward tries to get back into the palace, no
one believes who he really is. The prince and the
pauper have traded identities.
When Tom tells everyone in the palace his true
identity, they think the prince has gone crazy. King
Henry, who is ailing, tells him how he ought to
behave as a member of the royal family. Tom must
also deal with Hugh Hendon, a royal attendant who
is scheming to seize power.
StageNOTES
The Story
Out on the street, Prince
Edward tells everyone his
true identity – and in return
is beaten and humiliated.
Luckily he meets Miles
Hendon, brother of Hugh, who
has returned from 10 years as a
prisoner of war to claim his
fiancée, Lady Edith. It turns out
that Hugh has double–crossed Miles and stolen his
wife. Miles becomes Prince Edward’s protector, saving
him from the harsh realities of life in the outside
world. Together they make their way back to the
palace. Along the way, Prince Edward witnesses the
poverty and cruelty that are a result of his father’s rule.
In the palace, Tom continues to make decisions that
surprise everyone – like showing compassion to
those who have broken the law. When King Henry
dies, preparations are made to crown Tom as the
new king. Prince Edward and Miles arrive at the
palace just in time. They prove that Edward is the
true prince, and overcome Hugh, who is about to
take control from the prince. Edward is restored to
his rightful place and crowned as the new King of
England. Tom and Edward agree that they will be
friends forever, and King Edward (who has learned
quite a bit in his short life as a pauper) promises to
be a compassionate king. ❂
4
It’s All About Compassion
StageNOTES
From Page to Stage: A Conversation
With The Creative Team
StageNOTES spoke with the
creators of The Prince and the Pauper
about what went into making the
musical. Neil Berg (Music and Lyrics),
Bernie Garzia (Book and Lyrics),
Ray Roderick (Book and Direction),
and John Glaudini (Music Supervisor)
talked about bringing Mark Twain’s
work to the stage.
StageNOTES: What was the inspiration
for creating a musical of The Prince and
the Pauper?
Neil Berg: The 1937 film version of The
Prince and the Pauper, starring Errol
Flynn, was one of my favorite movies
when I was a kid. I watched it with my
father when I was about 10 years old.
When I got out of school and was writing musicals, trying to get them done in
New York, I worried about being too
artsy and creating a new kind of theater.
Finally I just decided to go back to a
story that I was passionate about, that I
loved as a kid, which was The Prince and
the Pauper. We did a big reading of the
show, then went back to work on it. Over
the next two and a half years we did a ton
of readings – and rewrote the show.
Bernie Garzia: Between the respect and
trust that we had in the piece – and in
each other’s strengths – the four of us
were able to truly collaborate on every
rewrite that we did. All the reworking
absolutely strengthened the piece, every
step of the way.
John Glaudini: One major, positive
change was figuring out how to make the
show, originally written for a cast of 25,
work for a cast of 12. It made the piece a
lot more fun in an intimate setting, with
the audience seeing these incredible actors
create all these great characters.
SN: What kind of research went into
writing the show?
NB: When I first started writing the show,
I read the book about five or six times
straight through. We kept faithful to a lot
of aspects of the book, then took it out
and made it our own. Bernie had actually
lived in London, so he was one of our
resources.
BG: I am the oldest of the group, but I
didn’t live there in 1547! It’s interesting,
when people say research, there’s two
levels of research that I’ve found. There’s
actual historical research, and then there’s
research about the Twain story itself.
NB: Yeah, in some regards we were more
interested in how Twain wrote this piece
than what was going on during Henry
VIII’s time – which was actually an
allegory for what was going on in
America during Twain’s time.
SN: How did you choose the musical
style for this show?
NB: As a composer, I go in and think and
act and improvise as all the characters. As
I’m writing I’m trying to think of how
they’d say a line, or musicalize a line. But
my style is contemporary musical theater.
I knew I wanted it to be lively. Initially I
was going to make the score a pastiche
score – meaning that the lower class
people would all have lower class music,
like rock n roll, blues, gospel, things of
that nature; while the upper class would
have a classical sound – you know, a
more upper crusty sound. But we knew
the score had to have one voice. It really
just had to be honest. That’s how I
describe the music – from the heart, and
honest. Then in the second act, what
happens is the prince’s songs become a
little more complex and adult-like – as he
becomes a little more complex and
adult-like.
SN: How is the story of The Prince and
the Pauper relevant to today’s society?
NB: There’s a lot buried in the story. One
of the biggest things for me is about
politicians. They’re the richest people, but
why can’t they just go connect with real
people? Obviously that’s still true. For
example, you have President Bush, who
comes from an elite family, trying to
connect with the poor people in the
country, but does he really do it?
Ray Roderick: For me it’s a story about
two people who, in changing themselves,
change the world. Both the prince and
the pauper go through major changes
during the course of the show. But it’s not
only about the internal change that takes
place in each character. Because of these
personal changes, the world becomes a
better place.
NB: It’s also about breaking out of class
systems. In our society you’re taught you
can never break out of your class. And yet
in the show, Father Andrew gives Tom
some hope – that if he keeps to his books
and treats people well, who knows what
can happen.
BG: For me it’s all about compassion.
It’s about learning about who you are,
and who you can be, and who you
should be. And also about expectations
– things are not always what you think
they might be. ❂
Thrill of Adventure
A Chat With The Young
Stars of The Prince and the Pauper
StageNOTES spoke with the young
actors who bring The Prince and the
Pauper to life. Gerard Canonico (Tom
Canty), Dennis Michael Hall (Prince
Allison Fisher: Some days we don’t have
shows, so we go to school. On show days,
we have a tutor who comes in and works
with us.
SN: When do you do your homework?
Edward), and Allison Fisher (Lady
Jane/Jamie/Nan) are all 13 years old.
DMH: It’s hard. We do shows at night so
we get pretty tired.
Jimmy Dieffenbach (understudy for both
Tom Canty and Prince Edward) is 10
GC: Homework is not my most favorite
thing to do.
SN: What is the show about to you?
years old.
StageNOTES: What’s your favorite part
of doing the show?
Dennis Michael Hall: Performing in
front of different audiences. You get
pumped up and excited when the audience is into it.
Gerard Canonico: The audience reacts
to what you say. If a line you say makes
them laugh, it makes you feel really
good. It makes you happy or nervous,
depending on the audience. If you do
something wrong with the wrong crowd,
they’re like “Ew.”
SN: What’s your favorite moment in the
show?
GC: The song “Thrill of Adventure” is
fun to do because it says more about my
character instead of just me standing
there saying “Hi, I’m Tom Canty.” The
song really explains who the character is,
what he wants, and what he’s set out to
do. It’s really fun to do because it’s up
tempo, it’s just the two of us, the prince
and pauper, standing alone onstage in the
spotlight singing about what each other’s
worlds must be like.
SN: How does being in an off-Broadway
musical affect your schoolwork?
GC: At first, my character starts out
middle class. Because I’m living in a really
bad neighborhood, with a really bad
father, but I’m getting educated by a
priest, so I have some upper class
influence. But as the show goes on, I
get to hook into other people’s upper class
accents. It’s difficult when you’re doing the
show because there are so many things
you have to remember at one time: say
this line, sing this note, talk in this accent.
AF: We usually do it in the car on the
way to the theater.
SN: What are some funny things that
have happened during performances?
GC: At the beginning of the show, we’re
wearing tights with breeches. Backstage,
there’s a guy who tells us “Places,” then
he says “Standby.” “Standby” means we’re
going to go on stage in like five or ten
seconds. So one time I came down and
the guy said “Standby,” I looked down
and saw that I had no breeches on.
DMH: Pure terror on his face. He was just
wearing his tights.
GC: So I yelled, “Stop the show! I gotta
get my pants on!” It was the most
embarrassing thing I’ve done in my life.
DMH: It’s about maturity. The prince is
totally changing his whole personality. At
the beginning he’s this snotty kid that
doesn’t take orders from anybody. Then
during the show, he sees how horribly his
father treated the people and he changes
that.
GC: It’s also a lesson about not treating a
person badly if you don’t know who they
are. That’s what we learn from Hugh
Hendon. Because he knows that I’m not
the prince so he can throw me around.
But a lot of other people who find out
who I am still care enough to treat me
well. It’s really about compassion.
SN: Do you have any advice for other kids
who might want to act professionally?
GC: If you want to do it, go for it.
SN: How did you learn your British
accents?
AF: But don’t do it unless it’s fun.
GC: We had a dialect coach who came
and helped us with our accents. He read
through the whole script with us, and
when he didn’t like how we pronounced
something, he said “Okay, say it this way,
with this accent.”
JD: And never take it too seriously. You
get maybe one out of fifty auditions.
Jimmy Dieffenbach: It was hard, because
I had to have the most upper class accent
that you can find.
DMH: You have to expect anything. ❂
AF: There’s a lot of rejection.
GC: If you can’t take that, don’t do it.
StageNOTES
5
StageNOTES
6
About the Author:
Meet Mark Twain
S
and the Theater
amuel Langhorne
Clemens, who would
later take the name
“Mark Twain,” was born in
Florida, Missouri in 1835.
One of the most prominent
writers and philosophers of
his time, Twain has been
called America’s “best loved
citizen.” He is known for
his sense of humor, his very
American way of looking at the world,
and his novels, most famously, The
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. His
realistic style of writing, dialects, and
dialogue made his characters come to
life. He often used humor and irony to
get at political and cultural issues that
were important to him.
Clemens’ father was a lawyer and a
merchant. He moved the family to
Hannibal, Missouri a few years after Sam
was born. The small town atmosphere of
Hannibal would later show up in The
Adventures of Tom Sawyer. When
Clemens was 12 years old his father
died, and he and his siblings had to drop
out of school to work and support the
family. As he would later remark in one
of his many famous sayings: “I have
never let my schooling interfere with my
education.” Clemens became the
apprentice to a printer, starting a long
Other
Works
by Mark Twain
The Gilded Age (1873)
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876)
A Tramp Abroad (1880)
The Prince and the Pauper (1882)
Life on the Mississippi (1883)
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884)
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1889)
The Tragedy of Pudd’nhead Wilson (1894)
career working
with words.
When he was
15 years old,
Clemens’ older
brother, Orion,
bought a newspaper, The
Hannibal
Journal, and
Sam worked
there as a typesetter. When Orion was
away, Clemens would write and publish
humorous stories about local people
and events. Whenever Orion returned,
the young writer would usually be in
trouble.
Clemens felt trapped in his small town,
and set out into the world. In New
Orleans, he became a steamboat pilot.
He learned every curve of the 1200
miles of the Mississippi River between
St. Louis and New Orleans. During the
two and a half years he worked as a
pilot, he picked up the term “Mark
Twain,” a boater’s call meaning that the
river was only two fathoms deep, the
minimum depth for safe navigation.
During the Civil War, Clemens spent a
few unhappy months as a volunteer in
the Confederate Army. Then, after
working as a professional miner in
California, he became the editor of a
newspaper, The Virginia City Enterprise.
He walked 130 miles to take the job,
which paid $25 per week. He wrote
short sketches for the paper, oftenhumorous hoaxes, and oversaw the news.
He began signing his articles with the
name “Mark Twain,” and soon became
known in the area for his biting and
intelligent writing. One of his mottos
was “When in doubt, tell the truth.”
After becoming involved in a duel (which
grew out of one of his editorials), Twain
Mark Twain
Throughout his life, Twain was
concerned with social and cultural
issues. When he was in his 70’s,
he became involved with The
Children’s Theater for Immigrants,
organized by the Educational
Alliance on the Lower East Side of
Manhattan. In 1907, they performed a stage adaptation of The
Prince and the Pauper. The community worked together to build
the sets and costumes. The theater
rotated casts so that as many children as possible would get a
chance to perform. Twain said of
the Children’s Theater:
"This theater is an influence.
Everything in the world is accomplished by influences which train
and educate. When you get to be
seventy-one and a half, as I am,
you may think that your education
is over, but it isn’t…If we had forty
theaters of this kind in this city of
millions, how they would educate
and elevate!"
moved on to San Francisco. He wanted
his writing to reach a wider audience, and
had a few pieces published in literary
magazines. A short story of his, The
Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras
County, was published in The Saturday
Press in 1865. The comic story made him
famous, and was printed and reprinted in
various papers and languages. In 1866, he
traveled to Hawaii as a correspondent for
the Sacramento Union. In 1867 he
sailed around the world on a steamer.
His travel writing was published in
newspapers in New York and
California. It was considered fresh and
A Daughter Responds
original – both honest and hilarious.
When he returned home, Twain was
famous. These articles were collected in a
book, The Innocents Abroad (1869). It
was extremely successful, outselling every
other travel book. As Twain said, "All
you need in this life is ignorance and
confidence – and then success is sure."
Twain was known as an entertaining
talker, always quick with a funny line. A
friend suggested that he deliver a lecture.
It was a huge success, and Twain was
soon in demand to speak at various
events on both coasts. He was famous
for his spontaneous wit but, as he said,
“It usually takes more than three weeks
to prepare a good impromptu speech.”
Twain married Olivia Langdon, the
daughter of a wealthy New York coal
merchant. She was intelligent and edited
all of her husband’s writing until she
died. They settled in Hartford,
Connecticut. Their house was busy –
Twain soon had three daughters, and the
Clemens home also became a sort of
headquarters for writers, who would
stop by to see Mark Twain. To get some
quiet space to write, Twain would go to
his country home in Elmira, New York.
It was here that Twain wrote some of his
greatest works, The Adventures of Tom
Sawyer, The Prince and the Pauper, Life
on the Mississippi, The Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn, and A Connecticut
Yankee in King Arthur’s
Mark Twain dedicated The Prince and the Pauper to his
Court. These novels
daughters: “To Those Good-Mannered and Agreeable
explored themes of
Children, Susie and Clara Clemens, this book is affectionateadventure, growing up, and ly inscribed by their father.” Susie felt that the book
the hypocrisies of life. He
expressed her father’s ideas more purely than any of his other
liked exposing realities and
works. When she was 13 years old, she wrote:
poking holes in shams,
often through humor. Here "His Prince and Pauper is his most original, and best production; it
is an example from one of
shows the most of any of his books what kind of pictures are in his
his books: “Reader, suppose mind, usually. Not that the pictures of England in the 16th century
you were an idiot. And
and the adventures of a little prince and
suppose you were a
pauper are the kind of things he mainly
member of Congress. But I
thinks about; but that that book, and those
repeat myself.”
pictures represent the train of thought and
Twain made a number of
imagination he would be likely to be
bad investments that left
thinking of to-day, to-morrow, or next day,
him bankrupt after the
more nearly than those given in Tom
publication of Huckleberry
Sawyer or Huckleberry Finn."
Finn, but his next three
books helped him get back
on his feet financially. He
I wouldn’t know how.”
moved his family to Berlin for a few
years. When he returned to the U.S. in
Twain died in 1910. His work hit a chord
1903, it was a national event. Wherever
with people because his humor was
he appeared, masses of people welcomed always mixed with honesty. As he liked to
him. The next year his wife died. Her
say, “Always tell the truth. That way, you
death left him sad and bitter, and his
don’t have to remember what you said.”
writing, while still humorous, took on a
His writing provides a sincere look at how
darker tone.
human beings really behave, with all their
strengths and all their weaknesses. And,
Twain was given many honors late in his pretty often, it makes you laugh. As
life. In 1907 he received an honorary
Twain said, “The human race has one
doctorate in literature from Oxford
really effective weapon, and that is laughUniversity. His response was: “I don’t
ter.” Mark Twain is remembered as one of
know why they should give me a degree
the greatest of American writers. ❂
like that. I never doctored any literature.
The World According to Mark Twain
On The Prince and the Pauper:
“If I knew it would never sell a copy
my jubilant delight in writing it
would not suffer any diminution.”
that superstition than you can by
acting on your own better judgment.”
gone to a better world, I am moved to
lead a different life."
“If all men were rich, all men would
be poor.”
- Advice to Youth, April 15, 1882
- Pudd'nhead Wilson's Calendar, 1894
- Mark Twain's Notebook
- Letter to W. D. Howells, March 5, 1880
“The best way to cheer yourself up is
to try to cheer somebody else up.”
“Always obey your parents, when they
are present. Most parents think they
know more than you do; and you can
generally make more by humoring
- Mark Twain's Notebook
“Rise early. It is the early bird that
catches the worm. Don't be fooled by
this absurd saw; I once knew a man
who tried it. He got up at sunrise and
a horse bit him.”
“There are several good protections
against temptation, but the most
popular is cowardice.”
"When I reflect upon the number of
disagreeable people who I know have
- Mark Twain's Notebook
“When you cannot get a compliment
in any other way, pay yourself one.”
StageNOTES
7
StageNOTES
8
About the Era:
The World of The Prince
I
n 16th century England, the gap between the rich
nesting place for rats and insects. Inside the houses were
and the poor was large – and growing. In his 1577
dark and dingy. Light came from candles or torches,
book about English society, William Harrison,
which posed a major fire risk. The poor survived on
a country parson, describes the divisions between
a very basic diet: hunks of bread, hard cheese,
various social classes. “We in England divide our
sometimes meat or fish. There was no running
people commonly into four sorts.” The first are
water or real drainage. All waste was dumped
gentlemen (women were included in the class of
straight onto the street. Partly as a result, personal
their husbands and fathers), which covers everyone
hygiene was bad. Many of the commoners were
from nobles to professionals; next come the citizens
dirty and smelly.
of the cities, who are free men with special
privileges; next come the yeomen of the
Common people were expected to show respect and
countryside, such as farmers, tradespeople,
deference to those in the higher classes. Many
and craft workers; and finally the poor – day
of the poor were illiterate, which means that
laborers, servants and vagrants, who have
“neither voice nor authority.”
members of the clergy were relied on for the
spread of knowledge. In poor households, children
began helping out around the age of seven. Girls
While most societies have different economic
helped their mothers fetch water, clean clothes, and
levels, what is staggering about Tudor England is
watch younger siblings. Boys herded cattle, tended
the amount of people in each extreme. About 5%
geese and sheep, and collected firewood.
of the population were “gentlemen.” The majority of
English citizens, a whopping 80-90%, were poor – or,
All children were expected to obey the Fourth
as they were often called, “common people.”
Commandment of the Bible: “Honor thy father and
Between 1520 and 1600 the population of England
doubled – from 2 million to 4 million – widening
the gap between rich and poor even more as jobs
became harder to find.
On the Street
thy mother.” They often knelt to ask their parents
for their blessing. Parents prized obedience and
manners; as a result many children were raised
with harsh discipline.
Many diseases were rampant. Smallpox, syphilis,
and tuberculosis were common among all classes – but in the
The lives of the common people were full of hardships. Their
crowded areas where the urban poor live, these diseases were
homes were not much better than sheds. Usually there was
everywhere. One in every five newborn children died before
one dirt-floored room downstairs for living and cooking, and
reaching its first birthday. About 25% of children born
an upstairs for sleeping and storing hay. Windows had
between 1550 and 1600 didn’t live past 10 years old.
shutters but no glass. Thatched roofs were a fire hazard and a
and The Pauper
In the Palace
The strict hierarchy of Tudor England
was reinforced through customs
Things were different for the
and standards of behavior. For
select few who lived in the
palace. The royal family and
the well-to-do, social status
their courtiers had a full staff of
depended on appearances and
servants who waited on them.
hospitality. The rich entertained
Nobility was passed down from
gentlemen and women in their
generation to generation – and
lavish houses. Clothing also
with it, specific sets of customs and
expressed status and wealth.
traditions. Royalty and nobility
One law (enacted in 1463) even
wore lavish clothing. A fancy
said that velvet and satin can only
velvet dress might cost more
be worn by men above the rank
than a day laborer could earn in
of knight, and their wives. The
10 years of work. The palace
rich and powerful had large
chef prepared lavish meals for
households, with enormous
serving staffs. For example, in
the royal family – well-prepared
chicken or steak, as opposed to the bread and cheese of the
1521 the Earl of Northumberland supported 166 people –
commoners.
family, servants, and guests.
■
In times of inflation, some men and women do
a day's work for board and lodging, with no
payment.
■
In the 1550s, a laborer can
make 1 shilling a day.
■
Poor relief in some parishes is 6 pence a week.
■
The staple diet of the poor is a halfpenny loaf
of bread, which feeds two people.
■
■
A Tudor soldier's daily rations – if they
arrive – are 32oz of meat, 24oz of bread,
16oz of cheese and 5 pints of beer.
On January 6, 1508, to mark the end of the 12
days of Christmas, the Duke of Buckingham
gives a feast for 460 people. The menu includes
swans, herons and peacocks, 680 loaves,
260 flagons of ale, 400 eggs, 200 oysters,
12 pigs and 10 sheep. The total cost is
£7 – more than a year’s pay for a laborer.
■
In 1597, the year when the poor are in
greatest need because of widespread famine,
one courtier lavishes £2,000 on his mistress.
■
In 1550, Sir William Petre, one of Elizabeth I’s
officials, has 21 servants at his home,
Ingatestone Hall in Essex.
■
Begging licenses were only given to
the elderly and the sick during
Henry VIII's reign. Anyone without a
license was subject to terms in the stocks,
whipping, having their ears cut off, and, for
repeat offenders, death by hanging.
StageNOTES
9
StageNOTES
10
The Reign of King Henry
enry VIII was an
important and
influential English
monarch. Although
he is often remembered for his
six marriages, his achievements
are noteworthy. He helped
shape English society at a
crucial turning point.
As a result of the separation, much of
the land that had belonged to the
Church was put on the market and
thousands of ex-monks needed jobs.
Both events helped to widen the gap
between rich and poor in England, as
land and money went to the royalty
or the nobility, and new legions of the
unemployed fought for fewer jobs.
Henry VIII was born in 1491
to King Henry VII and
Elizabeth of York. His father
created a style of royal court
life that the young king
emulated and built upon.
Instead of always remaining in
the castle, Henry often
traveled to the countryside.
He left governmental business
to his nobles and clergy.
Henry became known as the
Supreme Head of the Church of
England, and he moved away from
the older, medieval idea of the ruler
as primary lawmaker. His rule
instead focused on a more modern
idea of the ruler as a figurehead and
symbol for the ideals and patriotism
of the state.
H
Not that Henry was lazy. As a young
king, Henry invaded France, defeated
Scottish forces at the Battle of
Foldden Field, and wrote a treatise
against the Reformist ideals of
Martin Luther, whose Protestantism
was at odds with England’s Roman
Catholicism. For this treatise, the
Pope gave Henry the title
“Defender of the Faith.”
In the 1530s, Henry became more
involved in governing England.
During this time, English society
– and all of Christianity – was
changed by the separation of the
Church of England from Roman Catholicism.
Henry initiated this change partly because his wife at the
time, Catherine of Aragon, had not given him a son.
Without a son, Henry would have no heir to the throne.
He became obsessed with having a son, and realized
that he needed to end his marriage to Catherine.
Because the Roman Catholic Church would not legally
end the marriage, Henry passed a series of laws that
separated the Church from the state.
In 1537 Henry finally
had a son, with his wife
at the time, Jane
Seymour. Henry was
relieved to know that his
son Edward VI (the
prince of The Prince and
the Pauper) would carry
on his legacy after he
passed away.
Although for the most
part Henry was well
loved by his subjects,
some commoners were
unhappy with him. One
uprising (The Pilgrimage of Grace) was spurred by some
counties that didn’t want to break with the Roman Catholic
Church, and resented the poverty that befell them as a result.
The Prince Becomes King
Henry VIII died in 1547, making nine-year-old Prince
Edward the King of England. Since he was still a minor,
Edward had to rely on nobles in his court to govern (as
“Protectors”) until he was the proper age. Various people
Life in the 1500s
Fun Facts from the 1500s
within the royal court
fought for control of the
crown, and, as a result,
Edward’s reign began with
many problems. Edward’s
uncle, Edward Seymour,
gained power and used the
Protectorship to further his
own interests and advance
his brand of Protestantism.
During Edward’s rule,
England’s economy fared
poorly, as did foreign
relations. The country had
trouble adjusting to the
effects of Henry VIII’s
religious reforms; unemployment skyrocketed and
England lost money.
Edward VI was intelligent
and pious. When he turned
16, he was diagnosed with
consumption. A frail boy,
he died soon after. Many
agree that if Edward had
lived into manhood, he
could have become one of
England’s greatest kings.
The novelist Jane Austen
wrote: “This Man was on
the whole of a very amiable
character.” Thomas Beckett
noted that Edward was “as
docile as a lamb, if indeed
his gentleness did not
amount to absolute
sheepishness.” ❂
ost people got married in June
because they took their yearly bath in
May and still smelled pretty good by June.
However, they were starting to
smell so brides carried a bouquet
of flowers to hide the body odor.
M
Baths consisted of a big tub filled with
hot water. The man of the house had the
privilege of the nice clean water, then all the
other sons and men, then women and finally
the children – last of all the babies. By then
the water was so dirty you could actually lose
someone in it. Hence
the saying, “Don’t
throw the baby out
with the bath water.”
Houses had thatched
roofs – thick straw –
piled high, with no
wood underneath. It was the only place for
animals to get warm, so all the dogs, cats and
other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the
roof. When it rained it became slippery and
sometimes the animals would slip and fall
off the roof - hence the saying “It’s raining
cats and dogs.”
The
wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread
thresh (straw) on the floor to help keep their
footing. As the winter wore on, they kept
adding more thresh until when you opened
the door it would all start slipping outside. A
piece of wood was placed in the entranceway, hence, a “thresh hold.”
In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen
with a big kettle that always hung over the
fire. Every day, they lit the fire and added
things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables
and did not get much meat. They would eat
the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the
pot to get cold overnight and then start over
the next day. Sometimes the
stew had food in it that had
been there for quite awhile.
Hence the rhyme, “peas
porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge
in the pot nine days old.”
Sometimes they could
obtain pork, which made them feel quite
special. When
visitors came over, they
would hang up their bacon to show off. It
was a sign of wealth that a man “could
bring home the bacon.” They would cut
off a little to share with guests and would all
sit around and “chew the fat.”
Most people did not have pewter plates, but
had trenchers, a piece of wood with the middle scooped out like a bowl. Often trenchers
were made from stale bread, which was so
old and hard that they could be used for
quite some time. Trenchers were never
washed and a lot of times, worms and mold
got into the wood and old bread. After eating off wormy, moldy trenchers, one would
get trench mouth.
Bread was divided according to status.
Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf,
the family got the middle,
and guests got the
top, or “upper
crust.”
Lead cups were
used to drink ale or
whiskey. The combination
would sometimes knock them out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road
would take them for dead and prepare them
for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen
table for a couple of days and the family
would gather around and eat and drink and
wait and see if they would wake up. Hence
the custom of holding a “wake.”
StageNOTES
VIII
11
StageNOTES
12
LessonIdeasforEducators
Writing Exercise
Discussion Exercise
Trading Places
Class Differences
OBJECTIVE: Students explore the concept of perspective
taking.
OBJECTIVE: Students learn about differences between rich
and poor in Tudor England, and connect it to today’s society.
TOM:
TOM:
…Sometimes I pretend to be you.
Didn’t mean to be no trouble, your Highness.
Honest. I was only beggin’ a bit. So me family
can eat.
PRINCE:
Why would you want to be me?
TOM:
It’s fun.
PRINCE:
All right, Canty, let’s play pretend. You be me
if you like, and I shall be…you.
EXERCISE:
If you could switch places with anyone in the world, who
would it be? Why would you want to switch places with him
or her? What would be the drawbacks to “being” this person?
A. Choose someone you’d like to switch places with. Write a
diary entry, in the first person, that describes a normal day in
your new life. What kinds of things do you do? How do
people treat you? How is it different from your old life,
down to the little details?
B. Imagine that you are switching places with a homeless
person. Write a diary entry, in the first person, that describes
a normal day for you. What does the world look like through
these eyes? How do people treat you? How do you feel about
yourself?
TEACHING TIPS:
What does it mean to see the world through someone else’s
eyes? What benefits can it provide? Why is it helpful to
understand other peoples’ perspectives? Who else would you
like to trade places with, and why? Who would you like to
take your place, and why?
Note: Students may use the accompanying Activity Guide to
write their diary entries.
PRINCE:
You have to beg for food?
TOM:
Well, I won’t steal it…so me Dad makes me beg.
EXERCISE:
Read about life in 16th century England. How were
conditions different in the palace than they were on the
street? Why did many of the peasants resent the nobility and
the royal family? How could tensions between the rich and
the poor have been eased? In what ways does the gap
between rich and poor express itself in American society
today? What contemporary groups are equivalent to “princes”
and “paupers?” Compare contemporary American society to
the society portrayed in The Prince and the Pauper. How is it
different? How is it the same?
TEACHING TIPS:
In today’s society, how can we tell the “haves” from the
“have-nots” – that is, what are the visual markers of class?
How is the concept of class handled differently in other
cultures? For example, compare U.S. class structures with
India’s caste system. How difficult is it for Americans to
change their economic status? How is this tied up with the
concept of “The American Dream?”
Experiential Exercise
Adaptation
OBJECTIVE: Students adapt a literary work into a stage piece.
"We dance and sing about the Maypole in Cheapside, we
play in the sand, each covering his neighbor up; and times
we make mud pastry – oh, the lovely mud, it hath not its
like for delightfulness in all the world – we do fairly wallow in the mud, sir, saving your worship’s presence!"
"Oh, prithee, say no more, ‘tis glorious! If that I
could but clothe me in raiment like to thine, and strip my
feet, and revel in the mud once, just once, with none to
rebuke me or forbid, meseemeth I could forgo the crown!"
"And if that I could clothe me once, sweet sir, as
thou art clad – just once – "
-From The Prince and The Pauper by Mark Twain
PRINCE:
IF I WERE YOU, I’D HAVE FRIENDS AND FREEDOM
I’D FIND SOME MUD, ALL THICK AND DRIPPING
GOO.
I WOULD JUMP IN WITH GLEEDOM.
YES, THAT IS WHAT I WOULD DO IF I WERE YOU.
TOM:
IF I WERE YOU, I’D RULE PEOPLE KINDLY.
I WOULD FEED THEM, AND PAY THEM TWICE
WHAT THEY WERE DUE
I KNOW THEY’D LOVE ME AND FOLLOW ME
BLINDLY.
YES, THAT IS WHAT I WOULD DO IF I WERE YOU.
-From The Prince and The Pauper, The Musical
EXERCISE
The creators of the musical, The Prince and The Pauper, took
Mark Twain’s original novel as a starting point and adapted it
for the stage. They wrote songs and made alterations to the
story and the language so it would work in the theater. What
do you think some of the challenges are in adapting a literary
work to the stage?
Split the class into groups of 4-5. Each group should choose
a short story (or fairy tale) they may have read in class.
Working together, adapt the story into a performance.
Keeping in mind what would make the story interesting to
watch, not just read, write a short script. Think about times
when the story can be told with visuals or movement rather
than with dialogue. Perform the short adaptation in front of
the class.
TEACHING TIPS:
What are some other adaptations you have worked with in
class – such as films adapted from books? Which ones were
most successful, and why? Do adaptations work best when
they remain completely faithful to the source material, or
can deviations from the original sometimes be useful and
productive? What makes something theatrical, as opposed
to literary?
StageNOTES
13
14
Extended Learning
StageNOTES
Using the Novel in your
Use the following activities and assignments to further explore Mark Twain’s The Prince and the Pauper.
Research Activities
Writing Exercise
Preparing to Read
A Novel Point of View
OBJECTIVE: Students research background information to
increase their enjoyment and understanding of the novel.
OBJECTIVE: Students look at the story from a different angle.
■ Research changes in the English language, especially in
spelling and pronunciation, from the 16th century to the
present day.
■ Research the Tudor royalty. The Prince and the Pauper
includes four characters who served as rulers of England:
Henry VIII, Lady Jane Grey, Mary, and Edward VI. What
were their reputations as leaders?
■ Research the differences in living conditions for common
people and nobility of 16th century England. Divide a piece
of paper in half, and on each side draw a picture of what you
imagine living quarters looked like in each section of society.
■ Research the different types of punishments used in 16th
century common life. How are they different from punishments used today?
TEACHING TIPS:
What movies or plays have you seen that depict 16th century
England? What images stick in your head about that time
period? What similarities can we find between contemporary
American society and Tudor England? What differences? In
what ways do class differences influence a culture?
The Prince and the Pauper is told in the third person. The
storyteller switches back and forth between the prince and
the pauper to see how each one is faring in his new identity.
Many other characters populate the book. How does the
action appear to them?
Choose a part of the novel and rewrite it from a new point of
view. For example, write from the perspective of Tom Canty’s
mother, talking to a friend about how strangely her son is
acting.
TEACHING TIPS:
What can we learn from taking a different perspective? Why
did Mark Twain choose to write the novel in the third
person? How would the novel be different if he had chosen a
narrator from within the story? Who do you think would
have made a good narrator to tell the entire story?
Classroom
Experiential Learning
Experiential Learning
Hugh Hendon on Trial President for a Day
OBJECTIVE: Students learn to debate and defend a given
point of view.
OBJECTIVE: Students explore making political policies that
affect large groups of people.
Create a courtroom trial for Hugh Hendon. He is accused of
taking his brother’s property and stealing his fiancée, Lady
Edith. Assign students the roles of Hugh, Miles, Edith,
Father Andrews, and other servants as witnesses. Two
students should be the lawyers, and one should be the
judge. Others may be jurors, reporters, spectators, etc.
In The Prince and the Pauper, Tom Canty imagines all the
things he would do if he were prince. Since he lives on the
street, he suffers the effects of the royal laws. He therefore has
a unique perspective on how they should be changed –
whereas the royalty is so separate from the common people
that they have no idea what really goes on in society. When
Tom is mistaken for the prince and gets to make political
decisions, his experience affects these decisions.
Each side should make its case as convincingly as possible,
using "eyewitness testimony." In the end, the jury should
make a decision on the case, and the judge should hand out
a sentence, if the defendant is guilty.
TEACHING TIPS:
Why did Hugh Hendon do what he did? What did he hope
to gain? How did his actions affect other people? Did any of
his actions have positive effects? To whom or what did Hugh
show loyalty? If you were the judge, how would you sentence
him?
Writing Exercise
Interview
OBJECTIVE: Students use journalism skills to imagine
Edward’s first days as king.
Write a newspaper or magazine interview with Edward, just
after he has become king. Come up with a list of questions,
then write out Edward’s answers yourself, as you think he
would respond to the questions. Based on his experiences,
what kind of ruler do you think Edward will turn out to be?
TEACHING TIPS:
What kinds of questions lead to good answers? What are
some techniques that journalists use when conducting
interviews? How would Edward speak, in terms of the
vocabulary he would use?
What kinds of decisions would you make if YOU were
given that kind of power? Imagine that you have been
elected President of the United States. What kinds of laws
would you propose to make society run better – from your
perspective? First, research some of the recent policy
decisions by the current president. Then, write a speech
outlining your goals and how you plan to achieve them.
For example, do you have any solutions for the homeless
problem?
Read your speech in front of the class. The class should then
respond to your ideas, and you may be asked to defend your
views.
TEACHING TIPS:
What are the goals of speeches such as this one? What does
the president hope to accomplish in one of his big speeches? What are the elements of a good speech? How is speech
writing related to debating? How does the president’s
perspective affect the decisions he makes? Are your views on
certain issues in line with the majority way of thinking, or
do they differ in some way? How do we form our own
opinions on political and social issues? Where do your
opinions come from?
StageNOTES
15
StageNOTES
16
Resources
BOOKS:
Astington, John H. English Court
Theatre, 1558-1642. Cambridge
University Press: England, 1999.
Beer, Barrett L. Rebellion and Riot:
Popular Disorder in England during
the Reign of Edward VI. Kent State
University Press: Ohio, 1982.
Budd, Louis J., ed. Critical Essays on
Mark Twain, 1867-1910. G.K. Hall
and Co: Boston, 1982.
Hill, Hamlin. Mark Twain's Letters to
his Publishers: 1867-1894.
University of California Press:
Berkeley, 1967.
Jordan, W.K., ed. The Chronicle and
Political Papers of King Edward VI.
Cornell University Press: Ithaca,
1966.
Mayhew, Henry and John Binny. The
Criminal Prisons of London and
Scenes of Prison Life. Frank Cass
and Co. Ltd: London, 1968.
Miller, Robert Keith. Mark Twain.
Frederick Ungar Publishing Co:
New York, 1983.
Thurley, Simon. The Royal Palaces of
Tudor England: Architecture and
Court Life, 1460-1547. New Haven:
Yale University Press, 1993.
Twain, Mark. The Prince and the
Pauper. Penguin Books: New York,
1882, 1997.
VIDEOS:
The Prince and the Pauper. Warner
Brothers, 1937. Directed by William
Keighley. Starring Errol Flynn (Miles
Hendon) and Claude Rains (Earl of
Hertford). 120 minutes, b/w.
The Prince and the Pauper. Disney,
1962. Directed by Don Chaffey.
93 minutes, color.
Crossed Swords. Fox, 1978. Directed
by Richard Fleischer. Starring Raquel
Welch (Lady Edith), Ernest Borgnine
(John Canty), George C. Scott
(Ruffler), and Charlton Heston
(Henry VIII). 121 minutes, color.
The Prince and the Pauper. Hallmark,
2001. Directed by Giles Foster.
Starring Aidan Quinn (Miles Hendon)
and Alan Bates (Henry VIII). 100
minutes, color.
Paine, Arthur Bigelow. Mark Twain: A
Biography. Harper and Brothers:
New York, 1912.
Salomon, Roger B. Twain and the
Image of History. Yale University
Press: New Haven. 1961.
Smith, Lacey Baldwin. Henry VIII: The
Mark of Royalty. Houghton Mifflin Co:
Boston, 1971.
WEBSITES:
www.boondocksnet.com/twainwww/prince_pauper.html
Lesson plans for studying the book
www.lib.berkeley.edu/BANC/Exhibits/MTP
Mark Twain at Large
www.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown
The Children's Literature Web Guide
www.marktwainhouse.org
The Mark Twain House
www.channel4.com/history/microsites/H/history/guide16/part05.html
Information about Tudor England
www.lepg.org/sixteen.htm
Information about the 16th century
www.calvin.edu/academic/engl/346/proj/lew/debweb4.htm
Historical information about the time period