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Queen of Hearts (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland)

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"Off with Her Head" redirects here. For other uses, see Off with Her Head (disambiguation).

The Queen of Hearts
Alice character
John Tenniel's illustration of the King and Queen of Hearts at the trial of the Knave of Hearts.
First appearanceAlice's Adventures in Wonderland
Created byLewis Carroll
In-universe information
SpeciesPlaying card
GenderFemale
OccupationQueen
FamilyDuchess
SpouseKing of Hearts
NationalityWonderland

The Queen of Hearts is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the 1865 book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. She is a childish, foul-tempered monarch whom Carroll himself describes as "a blind fury", and who is quick to give death sentences at even the slightest of offenses. One of her most famous lines is the oft-repeated "Off with his/her head!" / "Off with their heads!"

The Queen is referred to as a card from a pack of playing cards by Alice, yet somehow she is able to talk and is the ruler of the lands in the story, alongside her husband, the King of Hearts. She is often confused with the Red Queen from the 1871 sequel, Through the Looking-Glass, although the two are very different.

Overview

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Alice observes three playing cards painting white roses red. They drop to the ground face down at the approach of the Queen of Hearts, whom Alice has never met. When the Queen arrives, along with the King and their ten children, and asks Alice who is lying on the ground (since the backs of all playing cards look alike), Alice tells her that she does not know. The Queen then becomes frustrated and commands that her head be chopped off. She is deterred by her comparatively moderate husband by being reminded that Alice is only a child.

Generally, however, as we are told by Carroll:

The Queen had only one way of settling all difficulties, great or small. 'Off with his head!' she said, without even looking around.

One of the Queen's hobbies – besides ordering executions – is croquet; however, it is Wonderland croquet, where the balls are live hedgehogs and the mallets are flamingoes. This is presumably with the aim that the birds' blunt beaks should strike, but, as Alice observes, it is complicated by the fact that they keep looking back up at the players- as well as the hedgehogs' tendency to scuttle away without waiting to be hit. The Queen's soldiers act as the arches (or hoops) on the croquet grounds, but have to leave off being arches every time the Queen has an executioner drag away the victim, so that, by the end of the game in the story, the only players that remain are the Queen herself, the King, and Alice.

Despite the frequency of death sentences, it would appear few people are actually beheaded. The King of Hearts quietly pardons many of his subjects when the Queen is not looking (although this did not seem to be the case with The Duchess), and her soldiers humor her but do not carry out her orders. The Gryphon tells Alice, It's all her fancy: she executes nobody, you know. Nevertheless, all creatures in Wonderland fear the Queen. In the final chapters, the Queen sentences Alice again (for defending the Knave of Hearts), and she offers a bizarre approach towards justice: sentence before the verdict.

Modern portrayals in popular culture usually let her play the role of a villain because of the menace the character exemplifies, but in the book she does not fill that purpose. She is just one of the many obstacles that Alice has to encounter on the journey, but unlike other obstacles, she makes a higher potential threat.

Origins

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The Queen is believed by some to be a caricature of Queen Victoria, with elements of reality that Carroll felt correctly would make her at once instantly recognizable to parents reading the story to children, and also fantastical enough to make her unrecognizable to children.[1] Some elements of reality in line that would make the Queen of Hearts recognizable as Queen Victoria were the way in which their subjects viewed them as rulers as one Queen was loved while the other was feared. Queen Victoria was loved more by her people in contrast with her consort, Prince Albert, in part because some did not trust him as he wasn't English.[2] The Queen of Hearts was feared by the people of Wonderland and would give the order for execution for even the slightest offense, although her husband would often quietly pardon them. The reference to Queen Victoria is explicit in Jonathan Miller's 1966 television version where she and the King of Hearts are portrayed without any attempt at fantasy, or disguise as to their true natures or personality.

The Queen may also be a reference to Queen Margaret of the House of Lancaster. During the War of the Roses, a red rose was the symbol of the House Lancaster. Their rivals, the House of York, had a white rose for their symbol. The gardeners' painting the white roses red may be a reference to these two houses. It is also possible that she is based on Queen Elizabeth I, as her yelling "off with their head" demonstrates the Victorian stereotype of a Tudor king/queen.

Illustrations

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Image of Elizabeth de Mowbray, Duchess of Norfolk that inspired the original illustrations of the Queen of Hearts.

After unsuccessfully attempting to illustrate Alice's Adventures in Wonderland himself, Lewis Carroll was persuaded to engage a professional artist to provide the illustrations. He turned to cartoonist John Tenniel, who was known for his regular contributions to the satirical magazine Punch (published 1841–1992, 1996–2002).

Tenniel's inspiration for the Queen of Hearts was an image of Elizabeth de Mowbray, Duchess of Norfolk in one of the medieval stained glass windows at Holy Trinity Church, Long Melford, Suffolk.[3]

The illustrations for the Alice books were engraved onto blocks of wood, to be printed in the wood engraving process. The original wood blocks are now in the collection of the Bodleian Library in Oxford, England. They are not usually on public display, but were exhibited in 2003.

Confusion with the Red Queen

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She is commonly mistaken for the Red Queen in the story's sequel, Through the Looking-Glass, but in reality shares none of her characteristics other than being a queen. Carroll, in his lifetime, made the distinction of the two Queens by saying:

I pictured to myself the Queen of Hearts as a sort of embodiment of ungovernable passion – a blind and aimless Fury. The Red Queen I pictured as a Fury, but of another type; her passion must be cold and calm – she must be formal and strict, yet not unkindly; pedantic to the 10th degree, the concentrated essence of all governesses![4]

— Lewis Carroll, in "Alice on the Stage"

The 1951 animated film Alice in Wonderland perpetuates the long-standing confusion between the Red Queen and the Queen of Hearts. In the film, the Queen of Hearts delivers several of the Red Queen's statements, the most notable being based on her all the ways about here belong to me. Both characters say this to suggest their importance and possible arrogance, but in the Red Queen's case, it has a double meaning since her status as a Chess-queen means that she can move in any direction she desires.

In the American McGee's Alice adaptation of the books, the characters are also conflated, leading to further popular misconception.

Adaptations

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The Queen of Hearts
Disney's Alice in Wonderland character
First appearanceAlice in Wonderland (1951)
Voiced byVerna Felton (1951)
Tress MacNeille (1999–present)
April Winchell (Kinect Disneyland Adventures)
Portrayed byRita Ora (Descendants: The Rise of Red)
Ruby Rose Turner (young) (Descendants: The Rise of Red)
In-universe information
AliasBridget (in Descendants)
SpouseKing of Hearts
ChildrenRed (daughter; in Descendants)

Disney version

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The Queen of Hearts, with elements of the Red Queen, appears in Alice in Wonderland (1951), voiced by Verna Felton.[5]

Other films and television appearances

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Disney video games

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Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland (2010)

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Main article: Red Queen (Through the Looking-Glass) § Alice in Wonderland (2010)

Alice's Warped Wonderland

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In the Sunsoft's 2006 mobile game Alice's Warped Wonderland (歪みの国のアリス, Yugami no kuni no Arisu, Alice in Distortion World), the Queen of Hearts's personality and appearance is vastly different from other versions of the character. She is depicted as a young girl with long blond hair who wields a large scythe. While emotional at times and a has morbid fondness for beheading people, the Queen loves Ariko (the "Alice" of the game), claiming to love her most out of all the other Wonderland denizens, and wants to protect her from remembering her suppressed memories of her childhood.[9][10]

American McGee's Alice

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In American McGee's Alice, the Queen of Hearts is the embodiment of Alice's insanity and must be destroyed for Alice to become sane once more. She primarily appears as a faceless entity with tentacles in place of her limbs and hair.

The Queen of Hearts returns in Alice: Madness Returns, where Alice seeks her assistance in saving Wonderland from the Infernal Train. In this appearance, the Queen takes on a form resembling Alice, but with large claws and a lower body made of tentacles.

The Looking Glass Wars

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In The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor, the ruling dynasty of the Wonderland is the Heart family. The title of Queen of Hearts is a hereditary title for the Queen of Wonderland. The Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland is reimagined as Queen Redd, the enemy and aunt of the heroine, Alyss. She kills Alyss's parents and usurps the throne of Wonderland.

The true Queen of Hearts in this story is Genevieve Heart, Alyss's mother as an apparent re-imagining of the White Queen. Alyss is, therefore, the Princess of Hearts.

Alice in the Country of Hearts

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In the manga Alice in the Country of Hearts, the Queen of Hearts is known as Vivaldi. Vivaldi rules Heart Castle and is feuding with the other territories over Wonderland. Blood Dupree (The Hatter) is later revealed to be Vivaldi's younger brother.

SyFy TV miniseries

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The Queen of Hearts appears in Alice, portrayed by Kathy Bates. This version is Mary Heart, a refined but ruthless drug lord.

Once Upon a Time

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Cora the Queen of Hearts
Once Upon a Time / Once Upon a Time in Wonderland character
First appearance"Hat Trick" (season 1, episode 17)
Portrayed byBarbara Hershey
Rose McGowan (young)
Jennifer Koenig ("Hat Trick")
In-universe information
GenderFemale
FamilyThe Miller (father)
SpouseHenry
ChildrenRegina (daughter)
Zelena (daughter)
RelativesHenry Mills (grandson)
Robin (granddaughter)
Lucy (great granddaughter)

The Queen of Hearts appears in Once Upon a Time, portrayed by Jennifer Koenig. In the second season, it is revealed that the Queen of Hearts is Cora (Barbara Hershey), the mother of the Evil Queen and the Wicked Witch of the West. In her earlier life, Cora (portrayed by Rose McGowan) was also the miller's daughter, the heroine of Rumpelstiltskin.

Come Away

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The Queen of Hearts appears in Come Away, portrayed by Angelina Jolie. This version is an imaginary counterpart to Alice's alcoholic mother Rose (also played by Jolie).

Ever After High

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The Queen of Hearts appears in the Ever After High franchise, voiced by Karen Strassman.

Other versions and adaptations

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  • The Queen of Hearts appears in Alice in Wonderland (1999), portrayed by Miranda Richardson.
  • The Queen of Hearts appears in Gwen Stefani's music video "What You Waiting For?".
  • The Queen of Hearts features in Unsuk Chin's 2007 opera Alice in Wonderland; the role was created for Dame Gwyneth Jones.
  • The Queen of Hearts appears in the ballet Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.[11]
  • The Queen appeared briefly during the 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony in London in a segment dedicated to the villains of British children's literature.
  • In Marissa Meyer's 2016 novel Heartless, the backstory of the Queen of Hearts is told, in which she is a young girl who aspires to be a baker, but is instead taken off course by the anticipated proposal of the King of Hearts.[12]
  • The Queen of Hearts appears in The Librarians episode "And the Broken Staff". She is brought to life by the wizard Prospero as a distraction for the Librarians but is subsequently tricked into attacking her own reflection, turning her into a pack of cards.
  • In the manga Queen of Hearts in Wonderland, she is the protagonist; a girl who reincarnated as her from an Alice in Wonderland video game. On the day she takes the throne, a curse twists everything she says into something cruel; meaning someone is trying to kill her. Hope comes from her allies Mad Hatter (who understands her intent) and Aleth Liddell, whom can hear her true words

References

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  1. ^ Brown, Eric C. (1999). "The Influence of Queen Victoria on England's Literary Fairy Tale". Marvels & Tales. 13 (1): 31–51. ISSN 1521-4281. JSTOR 41388521.
  2. ^ "Victoria | Biography, Reign, Family, & Facts". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
  3. ^ Jenkins, p.759
  4. ^ Gardner, Martin; Carroll, Lewis (1998). The Annotated Alice. Random House. p. 206. ISBN 978-0-517-18920-7.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g "Queen of Hearts Voices (Alice in Wonderland)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 14 April 2025. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
  6. ^ Petski, Denise (21 November 2022). "Brandy & Rita Ora Among 7 Cast In Descendants Sequel The Pocketwatch At Disney+". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation.
  7. ^ "Queen of Hearts – Kingdom Hearts Insider". Kingdom Hearts Insider. 5 October 2012.
  8. ^ Disney Magic Kingdoms (Gameloft) (20 October 2017). "Update 15: Alice in Wonderland | Livestream". YouTube.
  9. ^ "Alice's Warped Wonderland". Sunsoft. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  10. ^ "Alice's Warped Wonderland ~Encore~". Sunsoft. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  11. ^ Royal Opera House (4 April 2013). Becoming the Queen of Hearts – The Royal Ballet's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  12. ^ "Heartless". Goodreads. Retrieved 17 August 2017.

Sources

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