Though HOP-FROG was apparently published a little before a few other 1849 stories, I chose to focus on the earlier story for my final post of THE POE PROJECT. Though Poe's forays into pure humor and philosophy are not entirely worthless, there's no question that his true genius appeared in his works of the macabre-- of "the grotesque" rather than "the arabesque," so to speak.
HOP-FROG takes place back in an indeterminate medieval period, when the king of an unspecified country takes great pleasure in tormenting his jester Hop-Frog, a misshapen, crippled dwarf. Hop-Frog's sole delight is in his female companion Tripetta. During one of the king's raucous gatherings, the monarch amuses his obsequious underlings by forcing Hop-Frog to drink wine that makes him instantly drunk. Then, when the dwarf can't think quickly enough to suit the king's fancy, the monarch abuses Trippetta. The dwarf then devises an infamous revenge. He tricks the king and seven of his retainers into donning the costumes of ourang-outans-- the better to terrify other members of the court-- and then sets them all on fire. The dwarf and his companion escape without harm.
This colorful revenge-fantasy doesn't seem to have been adapted to film very often, aside from its use as a subplot in 1964's THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH.
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