Characters
King Merriwig of Euralia: fat, jolly if occasionally pompous and easily-led. He nevertheless can show great strength of mind, as related in an anecdote in which he outwitted a fairy, mostly by sheer stubbornness.
Princess Hyacinth: Merriwig's daughter. Rather more savvy than her father, she is nevertheless at first out of her depth when trying to rule the kingdom in his absence. Despite this, she grows into the role.
The King of Barodia: Bombastic, proud and arrogant, and takes inordinate pride in his moustache.
The Countess Belvane: A difficult character. Beautiful, proud and haughty, she is inclined to melodramatics and emotional self-indulgence. Ostensibly the villain of the piece, her motives are complex and subtle.
Wiggs: Hyacinth's closest friend; helpful and dreamy.
Woggs: A palace servant; well-meaning but terribly dim.
Prince Udo of Araby: Prince of a neighbouring realm, invited by Hyacinth to help her in her troubles with Belvane. He turns out to be very little help at all, partly due to suffering an embarrassing enchanment, but mostly due to his personality.
Coronel: Udo's companion-at-arms and best friend. Far more laid-back and likeable than the prince.
Roger Scurvilegs: Noted historian of Euralia, author of the monumental work Euralia Past and Present. The narrator gives him credit for the basic facts of the story whilst gently lampooning him for his stuffiness.
Read more about this topic: Once On A Time
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—Robert Benchley (1889–1945)
“Hemingway was a prisoner of his style. No one can talk like the characters in Hemingway except the characters in Hemingway. His style in the wildest sense finally killed him.”
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