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of bloody Mary 105. In the reign of Mary, there are hundreds of Protestant leaders were executed Lockyer 127.
Accordign to Chrimes 11, in the sixteenth century the English Government is officially and legally ruled by His Majesty’s Government the king
and the crown. Chrimes 12 states “the King is a natural person who possesses a number of rights and powers not vested in any other person, some by virtue of
royal prerogative i.e. by common law relating to the King, some by virtue of Act of Parliament, and the sum total of these rights and power constitutes the Crown”.
However, in the sixteenth century the English Government was dominated by the nobles. The nobility dominated the social and political aspects in many
countries; with no exception for the English government. English government was dominated by the nobility until the twentieth century Nobility. The nobles not
only have influence in political and social aspects, but also in the religion aspect. Carrie’s England and Scotland in the Sixteenth Century states about the Duke of
Northumberland’s policy which arranged to move English policy in a more Protestant direction.
a. Ignoring the Common People’s Needs and Rights
The nobles sometimes ignore the common people’s rights and needs. Mark Twain criticizes the nobles’ arrogance that they do not pay attention to the
common people’s life. In the 16
th
century, King Henry VIII can be as an example for ignoring his citizens that he only preferred to devote himself to enjoyment, and
let others govern for him while he wasted his time on pleasure England and Scotland in the Sixteenth Century. Lockyer 33 states that throughout the first
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half of Henry VIII’s reign, he devoted his days to hunting and his nights to feasting and love, content to leave routine administration and the formulation of
policy to his man. In the novel, King Henry VIII ignores the children in the Christ’s church.
Mark Twain uses Prince Edward to criticize his own father, King Henry VIII. He conveys his criticism on the nobles’ life through Prince Edward Tudor’s
opinion and speech. Prince Edward’s speech reveals the criticism on the nobles about the default of the nobles to the common people. The story tells when
Edward asks Tom Canty where he lives, he answers that he has no idea about Offal Court, place where Tom lives 13. Mark Twain uses Prince Edward’s
adventure to reveal the life of his common citizen. Before his adventure, the Prince might think that all of his subjects live in prosperity. But it has changed
since he knew that Tom’s sisters do not have much clothes even they only have one 15. It shows Mark Twain’s criticism on the nobles’ typical trait that likes to
ignore with their lacks of attention to the common people’s life. When I am king, they shall not have bread and shelter only, but also
teachings out of books; for a full belly is little worth where the mind is starved, and the heart. I will keep this diligently in my remembrance, that
this day’s lesson be not lost upon me, and my people suffer thereby; for learning softeneth the heart and breedeth gentleness and charity 22.
From the quotation above, it can be seen that King Henry VIII ignores the children in the Christ’s Church and their needs. This default is being criticized by
Mark Twain through Edward’s willingness to give his subjects’ needs. He not only ignores his subjects’ needs, but also fails in maintaining the
justice of the English Laws. Mark Twain also criticizes the noblemen who ignore the common people’s rights in the English Laws. The nobles forget that the
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common people also have the same rights in the English Laws. Therefore they also seem to use the law to hunt down and give many types of injustices to the
common people. It causes many people feel disappointed with the English laws, and they are forced to get into crime as in Mr. Yokel’s story 140. It also makes
the reign of King Henry VIII is considered as the reign of blood, as what expresses by his own subjects 75 and the king is titled as a tyrant 76.
Mark Twain describes explicitly the reign of Edward VI in the conclusion part 271 as a satire to those two reigns. He gives a special touch to the
conclusion part by giving two subtitles, those are justice and retribution. He gives the justice and retribution first to everyone who relates in his adventure. Edward
gives the title Earl of Kent to Miles Hendon 271 as what he has promised when Miles takes his lashes: “Kings cannot ennoble thee, thou good, great soul, for One
who is higher than kings hath done that for thee; but a king can confirm thy nobility to men.” He picked up the scourge from the ground, touched Hendon’s
bleeding shoulders lightly with it, and whispered, “Edward of England dubs thee earl” 228. King Edward also gives Mr Yokel, the farmer who is branded and
sold as a slave, a comfortable livelihood and recalls him from the troop of the vagabond 271. The King also sets the old lawyer free from the prison and
restores his fine. He does the same thing, which is giving the justice and retribution, to other people.
Mark Twain describes that even Edward Tudor only rules in a short time, but his reign inherits and teaches a great story with a lot of goodness of his reign.
“Yes, King Edward VI lived only a few years, poor boy, but he lived them worthily” 274. He describes the reign of Edward’s reign as a merciful reign
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between the harsh times. “The reign of Edward VI was a singularly merciful one for those harsh times” 274. It is no wonder that Mark Twain uses the reign of
Edward as one of his ways to criticize the nobles’ life. Mark Twain, by saying “the harsh times”, implicitly criticizes other reigns, especially the two reigns, the
previous and the next reign. He considers the previous reign, the reign of Henry VIII, as the tyrannical reign 74. While, Mark Twain considers the next reign, the
reign of Mary, as the reign of bloody Mary 105. Mark Twain also uses the character of Tom Canty to criticize the default of
the nobles in ignoring their duty as the member of the government. He criticizes it by describing Tom Canty’s poor life. Mark Twain implicitly criticizes the
nobles because the nobles ignore their responsibility to the common people’s life and rights. The nobles forget that as the king’s subjects the common people also
have the rights to have a good life. They ignore to give attention to the poor neighbourhoods; one example is in Offal Court, where Tom Canty lives. The
nobles forget to improve the social and economic condition of the common people, which is very apprehensive 3. Moreover, Mark twain describes that even the
common people do not have a safety and comfortably life. “Drunkenness, riot, and brawling were the order there, every night and nearly all night long. Broken
heads were as common as hunger in that place” 4. The people suffer not only by the limited food and clothes 15, but also by having limited rights.
Mark Twain also conveys his criticism through Tom’s opinion and speech, while Tom Canty as king, after the death of the king, Henry VIII. Tom announces
that from that time the law of the king will be the law of mercy. “Then shall the king’s law be law of mercy, from this day, and never more be law of blood” 74.
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Mark Twain through Tom Canty’s speech implicitly would like to criticize the previous reign, the reign of Henry VIII, and regards this reign as a reign which full
of cruelty, that he calls it as a reign of blood.
b. Interfering the Church
