The Beggar and the

King
by: Winthrop Parkhurst
Winthrop Parkhurst
• October 15, 1891-
September 1983)
• has been criticised for his
Bohemian outlook on life
and appreciated for his
sympathy for the
oppressed.
• His plays are full of subtle
wit and humour.
• The play "The beggar and
the king" is from The
Atlantic Book of Modern
 THE BEGGAR AND THE KING
• a one-act play written by Winthrop Parkhurst
o-A one-act play is a play that has only one act,
as distinct from plays that occur over several
acts. One-act plays may consist of one or
more scenes.
oSome common characteristics of most one-act
plays are
• they are written in a concise manner, there
are no breaks in the action.
• They have fewer characters than a full-length
play.
 oAt some distance in the direction
indicated; over there.
yonder
An Early Modern English pronoun and
archaic or dialect form of you, as the
singular subject of a verb.
thou
An Early Modern English possessive
pronoun and archaic or dialect form of
your.
thy
 An Early Modern English pronoun and
archaic or dialect form of you, as the
singular object of a verb or preposition.
thee
The tough outer part of a loaf of bread.
crust
Very severe or serious.
grievous
The Beggar and the
King
by: Winthrop Parkhurst
Characters:
The King
The Beggar
 The
Servant
oThe speaker in the story is the
king, the servant and the beggar
who speak mainly through
dialogue.

oThey reflect the theme and

move of the story.
 Summary:
oThe story starts with the King
complaining about the noise of a
beggar outside his window. This
irritates the king because the beggar has
been visiting the castle each day to beg
for food.

oThe king tells his servant to torture and

kill the beggar, but the servant replies
that they have tortured and killed the
servant but he continues to return.
oThe King asks to see the beggar in
his chamber. Once in his presence,
the king demands the beggar to
bow to him but the beggar
refuses.

oInstead, the beggar demands that

the king remove his crown and
throw it into the streets.
oWhen the king refuses, the beggar
tells him that his voice will haunt
him and his nights will be full of
horrors.

oThe King then orders the beggar

to be seized, but as the beggar
walks out, none of the King’s
servants can move.
 oThe beggar leaves and
continues crying for bread,
while the King is left to think
about the decision to throw
away his crown.
 Theme
oPride leads to the downfall
of man
 “I have commanded thee not to beg
anymore, for the sound of thy voice is
grievous unto my ears, touch thy
forehead now to the floor…Refuse, and
thou wilt be sorry…”
-King

oThe king threatens the beggar that if he

does not stop, he will be punished.
 “Now therefore do I likewise command thee
to remove thy crown from thy forehead and
throw it from yonder window into the street.
For when thou hast thrown thy crown into the
street, then will I no longer be obliged to beg.”
–Beggar

oThe beggar told the king that he will stop

begging if only the king will throw the crown
to the street.
 “Fft!Thou commandest me! Thou, a
beggar from the streets, commandest
me,a king, to remove my crown
from my forehead and throw it from
yonder window into the street!”
-King

oThe king clearly doesn’t want to

remove his crown because it his
symbol of his power.
 “No! To feed a beggar is always
foolish. Every crumb that is given to
a beggar is an evil seed from which
springs another fellow like him.”
-King

oFoolishly, the wicked king refuses

to satisfy the beggar's hunger, citing
that aiding him essentially breeds
more unproductive members of
society.
“Perhaps, it were wise to humor him, O king.
After thou has thrown thy crown away I can
go outside and bring it to thee again.”
- Servant
“No! I will not throw my crown from that
window… Shall I obey the orders of a
beggar? Never!”
-King

• The king shows that he simply does now

want to take orders from a beggar, and his
arrogance causes the beggar to threaten to
haunt the king.
 “I will only cry aloud in the streets for
bread wherewith to fill my belly. But
one day I will not be so kind to thee.”
“On that day my mouth will be filled
with a rushing wind and my arms will
become as strong as steel rods.”
-Beggar
oThe beggar warns the king that one
day he will recall the noble's lack of
compassion and complement the act
with cruelty of his own.
 Theme
oMorality and compassion
towards the poor and lowly
is paramount, for it is
unknown when oneself will
depend on the charity of
others.
"Thisfellow is exceedingly hungry. Dost
thou not command me to fling him just
one small crust from the window?“-
Servant

oFurthermore, the servant's willingness

to aide the beggar underscores the
wickedness of the King and the moral
aptitude of the common man.
 Diction
oThe play follows chronological order
and does not include flashbacks,
dreams, or futuristic occurrences.
oThe dialect in the story reflects the
time period. The story’s time period
is never described, but we assume it
was during Middle Ages when castles
and kings were common.
oThe words used reflects the education
of the king and the time period the
story takes place in.

“He is very unwise to annoy me on

such a warm day. He must be punished
for his impudence. Use the lash on
him.” -King
 IRONY
oIt is ironic that the king
is made powerless to
the beggar.
SYMBOLISM
 CROWN
oSymbolizes the king’s authority and
power.

oAlso represents the king’s pride and

arrogance, which in the end he
refuses to throw away.
 BREAD
orepresents compassion.

oThe servant asks the king to feed

the bread to the beggar, but the
king prevents him from doing so.
Figures of Speech
“The spears of thy soldiers are as straws
against my body.”
oSimile

“With one breath of my mouth I can

blow over this whole palace.”
oHyperbole

“Every crumb that is given to a beggar is

an evil seed.”
oMetaphor
 “Ha, ha, ha! “
Onomatopoeia

"My arms will become as strong as steel rods."

Simile

"All the bones in thy foolish body I will snap

between my fingers"
Hyperbole
 Genre
oHistorical Fiction
A work with a historical setting
including fictitious characters
functioning in a manner befitting to the
era.
The play takes place in the Middle Ages
time period. Also, the story contains
characters such as kings and servants.
THANK YOU!!!
 ACTIVITY:
Give your opinion about the following questions
and justify your answers by explaining it in 2-3
sentences.

1. Do you think that the theme of ‘The Beggar

and the King” is still relevant today? Why or
why not?
2. Do you agree with the Anti-Mendicancy Law,
which prohibits begging and giving to beggars?
Can there be a good reason for such a law?
3. If it is illegal to give alms to beggars, what can
we do instead to help improve their situation?