King of Hearts (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland)

King of Hearts
Alice character
John Tenniel's illustration of the King and Queen of Hearts at the trial of the Knave of Hearts.
First appearance	Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Created by	Lewis Carroll
Information
Gender	Male
Occupation	King
Spouse(s)	Queen of Hearts
Children	Ten Hearts
Nationality	Wonderland

The King of Hearts is a character from the book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. He is the king consort of the Queen of Hearts.

When compared to the Queen of Hearts, the King of Hearts appears to be the moderate part of the Wonderland government. As an example, when the Queen, who enjoys ordering beheadings, attempts to have Alice executed (charged with being unable to answer who is lying down in front of her) the King of Hearts reminds her that she is only a child.

The King also quietly pardons many of the subjects the Queen has ordered to be beheaded when the Queen is not looking. This guarantees few people are actually beheaded. Nevertheless, when the Queen plays a game of croquet in the story, the only players who remain at the end are himself, the Queen, and Alice.

At the Knave of Hearts' trial, however, where he acts as judge, he is revealed to be quite juvenile, with such lines as, "don't be nervous or I'll have you executed on the spot" to the Mad Hatter, or asking the Duchess's cook irrelevant questions such as, "what are tarts made of?" Between the two of them, the King and Queen appear to present a fairly accurate reflection of the childish, reckless and confusing world of Wonderland.

The Disney movie portrays the King of Hearts as a dwarf wearing an extremely tall crown, and he is very much subdued by the Queen in terms of popularity among their subjects. He seems to be less bright than in the book: for instance, when he first sees Alice, he thinks she is another card. He also squeals happily behind the subject being ordered to be beheaded, once the Queen gives the order, taunting the guards that are carrying away the subject, as if he had given the order himself. He appears briefly when the Cheshire Cat entangles the Queen's croquet mallet (actually a live flamingo) in her dress, causing her to fall over and expose her red heart-printed panties. The King then gives the order to save her modesty, which nearly all characters present do, with the sole exception of Alice. This causes the Queen to blame Alice for the embarrassing situation. Just as she orders Alice's head off, the King of Hearts requests a trial beforehand. This irritates the Queen, prompting the King to add that it will only be "a little trial".