The Queen is depicted as a comical stereotype, a despotic harridan brought to life, a “blind and aimless Fury,” as Carroll himself once described her. CTSN 27693)Īlice’s assertion, at the end of the climactic confrontation with the Queen of Hearts in the trial scene in Alice in Wonderland, dramatically brings the proceedings to an close… But it also highlights one of the many sources of humor in the book: Alice’s nemesis in the court-the Queen of Hearts – is indeed nothing but a playing card animated by Lewis Carroll’s imagination into a comically malevolent personality, whose favorite utterance seems to be “Off with her/his head”! Tenniel’s classic illustrations seems to perfectly complement Carroll’s presentation of the Queen.Īnd remember, Alice is not even the accused in the trial! She’s merely called as witness in the trial of the Knave of Heart for stealing the tarts, as per the nursery rhyme, which Carroll incorporates into his story, as an indictment read by the White Rabbit:
“the Queen turned crimson with fury… Off with her head!”
