Hop-Frog

“Hop-Frog” (originally titled “Hop Frog; Or, the Eight Chained Ourang-Outangs”) is among the last short stories by American horror and fiction author Edgar Allan Poe. First published in The Flag of Our Union in 1849, “Hop-Frog” explores themes of revenge, “madness,” and dehumanization. Poe explores similar themes in another short story published several years earlier, “The Cask of Amontillado,” a tale of betrayal and vengeance.

Such thematic elements recur often in Poe’s work, given that he was a prominent literary figure in the subgenre Dark Romanticism. This subgenre was a response to Romanticism, which focused on positive aspects of human emotion and individualism. Dark Romanticism, in contrast, explored the sinister side of human nature: self-destruction, sin, and punishment. Fittingly, the story details the revenge that a jester, Hop-Frog, exacts on his abusive king.

Published a few months before Poe’s death, “Hop-Frog” is likely autobiographical, detailing struggles that Poe endured in his difficult lifetime. The character’s experiences while away from home and his having alcoholism mirror events in Poe’s life. In addition, “Hop-Frog” draws inspiration from a tragic 1393 event, Bal des Ardents, when King Charles VI and five knights were burned alive while performing a charivari in flammable outfits.