Dick Whittington and His Cat
E950455
"Dick Whittington and His Cat" is a traditional English folk tale about a poor boy who, aided by his remarkable cat and inspired by the prophetic sound of London’s Bow Bells, rises to become a wealthy merchant and Lord Mayor of London.
Statements (51)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
English folk tale
ⓘ
literary fairy tale ⓘ traditional tale ⓘ |
| adaptedAs |
chapbook
ⓘ
children’s book ⓘ puppet play ⓘ stage pantomime ⓘ |
| associatedPlace |
Bow Bells
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Highgate Hill NERFINISHED ⓘ St Mary-le-Bow NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| associatedWith | Richard Whittington NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| centralMotif |
helpful animal
ⓘ
prophetic bells ⓘ rags to riches ⓘ social mobility ⓘ |
| countryOfOrigin | England ⓘ |
| featuresCharacter |
Alice Fitzwarren
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Dick Whittington NERFINISHED ⓘ Dick Whittington’s cat NERFINISHED ⓘ merchant Fitzwarren NERFINISHED ⓘ ship’s captain ⓘ |
| genre |
fairy tale
ⓘ
folk tale ⓘ legend ⓘ |
| hasSymbol |
Bow Bells
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
bundle on a stick ⓘ cat ⓘ |
| inspiredBy | Richard Whittington NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| mainCharacter | Dick Whittington NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| moral |
Kindness to animals and others is rewarded.
ⓘ
Perseverance and faith in one’s destiny can lead to success. ⓘ |
| narrativeType | Cinderella-type rise from poverty ⓘ |
| originalLanguage | English ⓘ |
| plotSummary |
A poor boy goes to London, is mistreated as a servant, and decides to run away.
ⓘ
He returns to service, sending his cat on a merchant voyage. ⓘ On Highgate Hill he hears the Bow Bells seeming to say he will be Lord Mayor of London if he turns again. ⓘ The cat is sold in a foreign land where it rids a king’s palace of rats and mice, earning a fortune for Whittington. ⓘ Whittington becomes rich, marries his master’s daughter, and becomes Lord Mayor of London. ⓘ |
| popularIn | British pantomime tradition ⓘ |
| setting |
City of London
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Fitzwarren’s house ⓘ Highgate Hill NERFINISHED ⓘ London, England ⓘ
surface form:
London
a foreign king’s court ⓘ |
| targetAudience |
children
ⓘ
family audiences ⓘ |
| theme |
good fortune
ⓘ
perseverance ⓘ reward for kindness ⓘ urban opportunity ⓘ |
| timePeriodOfOrigin | late Middle Ages ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.