The Jungle Book

by

Rudyard Kipling

Shere Khan Character Analysis

Shere Khan is the most feared animal in Mowgli’s jungle. He is a powerful tiger who does not adhere to the Law of the Jungle like the other animals. Shere Khan is also cunning and manipulative. At the end of “Mowgli’s Brothers,” he manages to turn the wolves against Mowgli, and he retains power over them until his death. Although Shere Khan is smart, Mowgli is smarter and manages to outwit Shere Khan and bring about his death. After Shere Khan dies, Mowgli skins him and claims his pelt as a trophy.

Shere Khan Quotes in The Jungle Book

The The Jungle Book quotes below are all either spoken by Shere Khan or refer to Shere Khan. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
The Laws of Nature Theme Icon
).
1. Mowgli’s Brothers Quotes

The Law of the Jungle, which never orders anything without a reason, forbids every beast to eat Man except when he is killing to show his children how to kill, and then he must hunt outside the hunting grounds of his pack or tribe. The real reason for this is that man-killing means, sooner or later, the arrival of white men on elephants, with guns, and hundreds of brown men with gongs and rockets and torches. Then everybody in the jungle suffers. The reason the beasts give among themselves is that Man is the weakest and most defenseless of all living things, and it is unsportsmanlike to touch him. They say too—and it is true—that man-eaters become mangy, and lose their teeth.

Related Characters: Father Wolf (speaker), Mowgli, Shere Khan
Page Number: 6-7
Explanation and Analysis:

‘And it is I, Raksha [The Demon], who answers. The man’s cub is mine, Lungri—mine to me! He shall not be killed. He shall live to run with the Pack and to hunt with the Pack; and in the end, look you, hunter of little naked cubs—frog-eater—fish-killer—he shall hunt thee! Now get hence, or by the Sambhur that I killed (I eat no starved cattle), back thou goest to thy mother, burned beast of the jungle, lamer than ever thou camest into the world! Go!’

Related Characters: Father Wolf (speaker), Mowgli, Shere Khan
Page Number: 11
Explanation and Analysis:

‘Ay, roar well,’ said Bagheera, under his whiskers, ‘for the time will come when this naked thing will make thee roar to another tune, or I know nothing of man.’

Related Characters: Bagheera (speaker), Mowgli, Shere Khan, Mother Wolf
Page Number: 16
Explanation and Analysis:
5. ‘Tiger! Tiger!’ Quotes

‘Lead us again, O Akela. Lead us again, O Man-cub, for we be sick of this lawlessness, and we would be the Free People once more[,]’ [cried the Pack.]

‘Nay,’ purred Bagheera, ‘that may not be. When ye are full-fed, the madness may come upon you again. Not for nothing are ye called the Free People. Ye fought for freedom, and it is yours. Eat it, O Wolves.’

Related Characters: Bagheera (speaker), Mowgli, Shere Khan
Related Symbols: Shere Khan’s Pelt
Page Number: 97
Explanation and Analysis:
6. Mowgli’s Song Quotes

I am two Mowglis, but the hide of Shere Khan is under my feet.

All the Jungle knows that I have killed Shere Khan. Look – look well, O Wolves!

Ahae! My heart is heavy with the things that I do not understand.

Related Characters: Mowgli (speaker), Shere Khan
Related Symbols: Shere Khan’s Pelt
Page Number: 101
Explanation and Analysis:
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Shere Khan Quotes in The Jungle Book

The The Jungle Book quotes below are all either spoken by Shere Khan or refer to Shere Khan. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
The Laws of Nature Theme Icon
).
1. Mowgli’s Brothers Quotes

The Law of the Jungle, which never orders anything without a reason, forbids every beast to eat Man except when he is killing to show his children how to kill, and then he must hunt outside the hunting grounds of his pack or tribe. The real reason for this is that man-killing means, sooner or later, the arrival of white men on elephants, with guns, and hundreds of brown men with gongs and rockets and torches. Then everybody in the jungle suffers. The reason the beasts give among themselves is that Man is the weakest and most defenseless of all living things, and it is unsportsmanlike to touch him. They say too—and it is true—that man-eaters become mangy, and lose their teeth.

Related Characters: Father Wolf (speaker), Mowgli, Shere Khan
Page Number: 6-7
Explanation and Analysis:

‘And it is I, Raksha [The Demon], who answers. The man’s cub is mine, Lungri—mine to me! He shall not be killed. He shall live to run with the Pack and to hunt with the Pack; and in the end, look you, hunter of little naked cubs—frog-eater—fish-killer—he shall hunt thee! Now get hence, or by the Sambhur that I killed (I eat no starved cattle), back thou goest to thy mother, burned beast of the jungle, lamer than ever thou camest into the world! Go!’

Related Characters: Father Wolf (speaker), Mowgli, Shere Khan
Page Number: 11
Explanation and Analysis:

‘Ay, roar well,’ said Bagheera, under his whiskers, ‘for the time will come when this naked thing will make thee roar to another tune, or I know nothing of man.’

Related Characters: Bagheera (speaker), Mowgli, Shere Khan, Mother Wolf
Page Number: 16
Explanation and Analysis:
5. ‘Tiger! Tiger!’ Quotes

‘Lead us again, O Akela. Lead us again, O Man-cub, for we be sick of this lawlessness, and we would be the Free People once more[,]’ [cried the Pack.]

‘Nay,’ purred Bagheera, ‘that may not be. When ye are full-fed, the madness may come upon you again. Not for nothing are ye called the Free People. Ye fought for freedom, and it is yours. Eat it, O Wolves.’

Related Characters: Bagheera (speaker), Mowgli, Shere Khan
Related Symbols: Shere Khan’s Pelt
Page Number: 97
Explanation and Analysis:
6. Mowgli’s Song Quotes

I am two Mowglis, but the hide of Shere Khan is under my feet.

All the Jungle knows that I have killed Shere Khan. Look – look well, O Wolves!

Ahae! My heart is heavy with the things that I do not understand.

Related Characters: Mowgli (speaker), Shere Khan
Related Symbols: Shere Khan’s Pelt
Page Number: 101
Explanation and Analysis: