Hop Frog as a Love Story"Hop Frog", by Edgar Allan Poe, is a tale in which the title character, after enduring much abuse from the king , takes revenge in the end. Hop Frog is not only the king's jester, but he is also a handicapped dwarf. The king continually scolds Hop Frog and plays practical jokes on his poor jester. At one point, the king and his seven ministers summon Hop Frog before them so he can give them ideas for an upcoming masquerade. The king forces him to drink wine (which Hop Frog always has an adverse reaction to drinking) and becomes very angry with him. Hop Frog is saved only through the intercession of Trippetta, a woman originally from Hop Frog's land and his only true friend. Trippetta succeeds, but only after suffering great humiliation at the hands of the king. However, Hop Frog gives the eight an idea for their masquerade disguises. After tarring them, covering them in linen, and chaining them together, they have the rough appearance of eight orangutans, and Hop Frog leads them to the masquerade. This is where his revenge plot unfolds, as he lifts them into the air and sets them on fire. Then he runs away, probably with Trippetta and the two never see each other again. But this story isn't just about escaping oppression. Instead, it is a love story, because Hop Frog's entire course of actions was inspired only by his love for Trippetta. Hop Frog had suffered years of torment at the hands of the king. For starters, Hop Frog was kidnapped from his own homeland and sent captive to the king. Hop Frog was forced to suffer verbal abuse for his physical defects and suffering. For example, he was given the offensive nickname "Hop Frog", even though...through the distortions of......middle of paper... ...and he himself suffers abuse, but when his love is mistreated, something snaps. Its fantastic plot is created solely to avenge the injustice done to Trippetta. If Hop Frog had only wanted to escape or take revenge for his own trials, he would have simply killed the king. But instead he kills the king (the author of the injustice) and the ministers (who all laughed at Trippetta's humiliation). He does it in public to humiliate them as they humiliated his love. After inflicting his revenge on these men, Hop Frog escapes with his love and they disappear from the kingdom. One can only assume that they returned to their homeland, but wherever they went, they went together. This is truly a love story. Works Cited: Poe, Edgar Allen. "Hop-Frog." Collective works of Edgar Allen Poe. Ed. Thomas Ollive Mabbott. Massattusette: Harvard, 1978.