In Mark Twain's timeless satiric farce, two youths swap clothes and lifestyles. They are of similar ages. They have similar appearances. In actuality, there is just one distinction between them: Edward Tudor is the heir to the English throne, while Tom Canty is a child of the London slums. When a chance encounter results in a switch of roles-with the poor caught up in the pomp and foolishness of the royal court, and the prince roaming, horrified, through the lower depths of sixteenth-century English society-it becomes apparent just how minimal this distinction actually is. Mark Twain created a stinging critique of societal unfairness and hypocrisy out of the concept of switched identities, as well as an unstoppable comedy with a mood of high-spirited play.