The full title of Edgar Allan Poe’s short story known as “King Pest” is King Pest: A Tale Containing an Allegory. The following is a summary, of one of Poe’s most bizarre short stories.
Drunken Sailors
Two sailors from the ship called the Free and Easy were drinking in a London bar called the Jolly Tar. The two sailors were characteristic of two opposing body types.
The older sailor, Legs, was described as at least six and a half feet tall and stooped over. In addition to being unusually tall, he was unusually thin. He had high cheekbones, a hawk nose, receding chin, an overbite, and protruding white eyes. His general expression was solemn and serious.
The younger sailor was the opposite. He was probably less than four feet tall with stumpy legs. He had a squat figure with short thick arms and large hands. He was described as having a nose that was lost in the fat of his face and unusually thick lips, the lower of which stuck out. His name was Hugh Tarpaulin.
The pair had been drinking at various bars all night and had run out of money. At the point where the story begins, they decided to escape the Jolly Tar without paying; the landlady pursued them.
Setting the Scene
The story takes place during the time of the plague and huge areas of the city were uninhabited as a result. Whenever the plague was discovered, the district in which it was found was put under ban and no one was allowed into the area. Barricades were put up to prevent people from entering and exiting these areas and spreading the disease.
Despite these rulings, almost everything of value had been stolen from these districts. In addition, the damages of theft, time, and neglect had caused structures to collapse and made it difficult to navigate. The heroes of the story disappeared into one of these streets. Being drunk, they seemed unaware of the danger they were in.
An Unusual Party
The two sailors stumbled into a tall building from which terrific shrieks and wild laughter could be heard. They entered and found themselves in an undertaker’s shop. Near the corner of the room where the doorway was located could be seen an open trap door. In the middle of the room was a long table on which sat a huge bowl of something that resembled punch with many bottles of alcohol around it. Surrounding the table, sitting on coffin-trestles were six unusual people.
Tarpaulin soon realized that each of these people seemed to have one outstanding feature. Poe described each one carefully. Read King Pest’s Friends and Family to learn more about the individual characters.
The members of the party each used a portion of a skull as their drinking cup. The chandelier was a human skeleton suspended by one leg; a charcoal in the brain cavity illuminated the skull.
Misunderstandings and the Subsequent Fight
When the two sailors first entered the room, they did not know what to make of the scene. Legs stared open-mouthed at the sight while Tarpaulin began to laugh. Despite their rude behavior the president of the party graciously led the two sailors to a seat. However, Legs and Tarpaulin did not seem to know how to act in this unusual company and offended their hosts.
The president began a speech but Legs interrupted him and addressed the party, demanding to know who the devil they were and why they were dressed like fiends while drinking the beverages of his honest shipmate Will Wimble the undertaker.
The partygoers were offended and began to scream and yell. However, the president recovered his manners and introduced himself as King Pest the First and said that while they might think they were in the shop of Will Wimble the undertaker they were in fact visiting the Dais Chamber of our Palace. He went on to introduce the rest of the party. He then tells the two sailors that the purpose of their meeting was none of their business. However, he does admit that they were doing research on various ‘spirits’ such as wine, ale, and liquor in the name of Death. Tarpaulin interrupted saying that the name of Death was Davy Jones.
The president became very angry and verbally abused Tarpaulin and condemned both men to drinking a gallon of Black Strap. After they were punished the sailors could either leave or be admitted to the pleasures of the table.
Legs responded by saying that he was too full to drink that much alcohol but Tarpaulin said he would be able to drink enough for both of them. The president refused saying that the sentence must be fulfilled to the letter.
The entire Pest family began to chant “A sentence!—A sentence!…”
Tarpaulin attempted to defend himself but when he mentioned Tim Hurlygurly the entire Pest family began to shout “Treason!”
Queen Pest seized Tarpaulin and tossed him into the huge punch bowl where he bobbed momentarily and then disappeared in the foam created by his struggles. Legs quickly thrust King Pest down through the trap door in the corner of the room and slammed down the door. Then he tore the skeleton from the ceiling and used it to attack the Pest family. He knocked the brains out of the old man and knocked over the punch bowl – out rolled Hugh. The rush of liquor from the bowl caused the furniture in the room to float and caused the ladies to go into hysterics. The man with the horrors drowned and the paralyzed man floated in his coffin.
Legs grabbed Queen Pest and Hugh Tarpaulin grabbed the Arch Duchess of Ana-Pest and they returned to their ship.
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