TheMarch Hare(calledHaighainThrough the Looking-Glass) is a character most famous for appearing in thetea partyscene inLewis Carroll's 1865 bookAlice's Adventures in Wonderland.
| March Hare | |
|---|---|
| Alicecharacter | |
 The March Hare. Illustration byJohn Tenniel. | |
| First appearance | Alice's Adventures in Wonderland |
| Last appearance | Through the Looking-Glass |
| Created by | Lewis Carroll |
| In-universe information | |
| Alias | Haigha |
| Species | Hare |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Host of the Mad Tea Party Messenger |
| Nationality | Wonderland |
The main character,Alice,hypothesizes,
- "The March Hare will be much the most interesting, and perhaps as this is May it won't be raving mad – at least not so mad as it was in March."[1]
"Mad as a March hare"is a commonBritish Englishphrase, both now and in Carroll's time, and appears inJohn Heywood's collection of proverbs published in 1546. It is reported inThe Annotated AlicebyMartin Gardnerthat this proverb is based on popular belief abouthares' behaviour at the beginning of the long breeding season, which lasts from February to September in Britain. Early in the season, unreceptive females often use their forelegs to repel overenthusiastic males. It used to be incorrectly believed that these bouts were between males fighting for breeding supremacy.[2]
Like the character's friend, theHatter,the March Hare feels compelled to always behave as though it is tea-time because the Hatter supposedly "murdered the time" whilst singing for theQueen of Hearts.SirJohn Tenniel's illustration also shows him with straw on his head, a common way to depict madness in Victorian times.[3][4]The March Hare later appears at the trial for theKnave of Hearts,and for a final time as "Haigha"(which is pronounced to rhyme with" mayor ", according to Carroll, and a homophone of" hare "in anon-rhotic accent), the personal messenger to theWhite KinginThrough the Looking-Glass(Alice either does not recognize him as the March Hare of her earlier dream, or chooses not to comment about this).
Major depictions
editDisney animated film
edit| March Hare | |
|---|---|
 The March Hare as he appears in the 1951 film. | |
| First appearance | Alice in Wonderland(1951) |
| Voiced by | Jerry Colonna Jesse Corti(Bonkers) Maurice LaMarche(House of Mouse) Jeff Bennett(Kinect Disneyland Adventures,2011-present) |
| In-universe information | |
| Species | Hare |
| Gender | Male |
| Nationality | Wonderland |
Disney'sAlice in Wonderland,an animated film, depicted the March Hare at the tea party as being deliriously confused. He repeatedly offers Alice a cup of tea, but distractedly yanks the cup out of her reach or takes it from her hands just as she is about to drink. He was voiced byJerry Colonna,after whom his appearance and personality were modelled. He was animated byWard Kimball.
This version of the character was also a semi-regular onBonkersand one of the guests inHouse of Mouse,often seen seated with the Mad Hatter. During these appearances, the March Hare was voiced byJesse CortiandMaurice LaMarche.
In theKingdom Heartsvideo game series, March Hare makes a cameo appearance in a painting in the Tea Party Garden in the 2002 video gameKingdom Heartsand its 2009 sequelKingdom Hearts 358/2 Days.He later made a physical appearance in the 2013 gameKingdom Hearts χ.
Tim Burton'sAlice in Wonderland
edit| Thackery Earwicket | |
|---|---|
 Thackery Earwicket as he appears in the 2010 film. | |
| First appearance | Alice in Wonderland(2010) |
| Created by | Tim Burton |
| Voiced by | Paul Whitehouse |
| In-universe information | |
| Full name | Thackery Earwicket |
| Alias | March Hare |
| Species | Hare |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Cook |
| Nationality | Underland/Wonderland |
The March Hare appears in the 2010 Disney filmAlice in Wonderland,voiced byPaul Whitehouse.His full name isThackery Earwicket;this, however, is not mentioned in the film. In the movie, the March Hare behaves as if constantly nerve-wracked and completely delirious. He is a cook in the film, and the way he eccentrically throws dishes and pots suggests he is an amalgam of both the March Hare andthe cookfrom Lewis Carroll's original book. The March Hare has a strong Scottish accent in this movie, while his friend the Mad Hatter (played byJohnny Depp) switches into a Scottish accent as well whenever his emotions are strained. He is first seen in the "Tea Party"scene, which takes place at his" Hare House "windmill.Thackery hosts a tea party, which he shares with Tarrant Hightopp the Mad Hatter, Mallymkun the Dormouse, and Chess theCheshire Cat.He appears a second time in the White Queen's kitchen, frantically cooking and throwing dishes. His third appearance is at the Frabjous Day scene, in which he stands with the other characters wielding aladleas his weapon, nervous and somewhat ready to go to battle. Burton stated that because Whitehouse is a great comedic actor, a lot of his lines came from improvisation.[5]
The March Hare appears in the "Mad T Party" inDisney's California Adventurepark. He is based on the 2010 film's interpretation, and plays bass guitar. He is often found hopping around with Mallymkun the Dormouse on stage.
In popular culture
edit- The March Hare was played byCharlie RugglesinAlice in Wonderland.
- InSyFy's TV miniseriesAlice,the March Hare is represented by the character Mad March, the Queen's favorite assassin. The Queen frequently had him killed, resulting in his head getting lost; the Carpenter replaces it with a robot rabbit head. Despite this, Mad March is still his old self, crass and (as liked by the Queen) a homicidal maniac.
- The March Hare is featured as the primary antagonist in theOnce Upon a Timestory "Tea Party in March" in the graphic novelOnce Upon a Time: Out of the Past.
- In the song entitled "We Have Heaven" by the British rock group Yes, a lyric mantra is sung from beginning to end saying "Tell the Moon Dog, tell the March Hare...".
- In the gameAmerican McGee's Alice,the March Hare is portrayed as a victim of the Mad Hatter's insane experimentation. Both the Hare and the Dormouse have becomeclockworkcyborgs.He also appears in the sequel,Alice: Madness Returnswhere he and the Dormouse betray the Hatter to aid in the Dollmaker's plans by constructing the Infernal Train.
- In thevideo game adaptation of Tim Burton'sAlice in Wonderland,Thackery Earwicket is a playable character. He uses his telekinesis to defeat theBandersnatch.
- In the mangaAlice in the Country of Heartsthe March Hare is called Elliot March and is Blood Dupre's (the Hatter's) right-hand man. He isn't specifically crazy or mad, but has a quite violent attitude, almost killing Alice with his long-barrelled gun before being stopped by Blood.
- In the mangaPandora Hearts,the March Hare is a "Chain" whose "Contractor" is Reim Lunettes. It has the ability to fake death, which helps Reim to escape his attackers and proved to be so realistic that even his comrades have believed him really dead.
- In theAnnette Ducharmesong "Moral", she references the March Hare singing: "But you're frantic like the March Hare running round".
References
edit
- ^Carroll, Lewis.Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
- ^"BBC Radio 4, Dylan Winter, Shared Earth, Feb 9th 2007".BBC. 11 July 2008.Retrieved7 September2012.
- ^"Alice in Wonderland (3): Overview of chapters 7–12"(PDF).Retrieved7 September2012.
- ^"Story origins – Lenny's Alice in Wonderland site".Alice-in-wonderland.net.Retrieved7 September2012.
- ^Salisbury, Mark;Burton, Tim(2010).Alice in Wonderland: A Visual Companion.Disney Editions. p. 120.ISBN978-1-4231-2887-8.