Hop-Frog

Author: Edgar Allan Poe

Main Characters: Hop-Frog, Trippetta, the King

Poe writes poetry, short stories, and novellas. I have enjoyed many of his poems and long stories so I decided that I will try to read as many as I can find on the open source. This particular story is about a jester named Hop-Frog. He was taken from his home along with another, Trippetta, when he was young because he was a dwarf (as was the girl). The dwarf was aptly named Hop-Frog because he didn't walk, but rather hopped which the king thought to be amusing. The story crescendos when Hop-Frog convinces the king and his court to dress up as orangatans for the masked ball. He basically tarred and feathered them, got them to wear chains, hung them from the ceiling and caught them on fire. Wow. Poe sure has one heck of an imagination. In the end, the dwarf and the girl get away. It goes to show that one can only take so much abuse before they get away and/or retaliate.