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{{trope}}
[[File:Monocle-
{{quote|'''Leela:''' I know Fry's rich, but do we really have to wear these top hats?
'''Bender:''' Maybe you don't understand just how rich he is. In fact, I think I'd better put on a monocle.
|''[[Futurama]]''|"A Fishful of Dollars"}}
Want to give your character a prop that sets him as high as possible in the social strata?
Give him a tophat and a [[monocle]].
Largely obsolete today, the monocle is a corrective lens applied to only one eye. In this sense it is no different from eyeglasses. But while eyeglasses have never been anything more than a medical appliance (with the possible exception of the pince-nez), the monocle has been a status symbol virtually since its invention.
They are never seen on the faces of the working class. Instead, they are the exclusive province of [[Blue Blood|titled nobility]], [[Officer and
In media, the monocle's wearer will constantly clean it and fidget with it. It will be whipped out and squinted through when the wearer views something below his social station. In comedies, a monocle will pop off its wearer's face and/or shatter in shocked response to the working class hero giving this pompous toady his well-deserved comeuppance. The monocle is also a popular graffito to [[Face Doodling|draw on a sleeping person's face]].
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The female version is the lorgnette, which is a pair of spectacles on a small stick to be held up when you want to look at something. It is a common property of the [[Grande Dame]].
Given its association with wealth and status, it's a very popular prop for the [[Mock Millionaire]]. Today, putting a monocle and top hat on ''anything'' is sure to get a laugh just out of the pure absurdity.<ref>Unless you go by the name of [[Total Biscuit|John Bain]]</ref>
{{examples}}
== Advertising ==
* [
** [[The Office|Dwight Shrute]] disagrees.
* [[
* In a Frank's
* Walter Dornez, loyal retainer to the Hellsing family in ''[[
▲== Anime & Manga ==
* Dr. Adashino from ''[[
▲* Walter Dornez, loyal retainer to the Hellsing family in ''[[Hellsing (Manga)|Hellsing]]'' wears a monocle. It goes into [[Scary Shiny Glasses]] mode when he's ready to kick undead ass.
* Cho Hakkai from ''[[
▲* Dr. Adashino from ''[[Mushishi (Anime)|Mushishi]]'' wears a monocle, presumably to make him look more intellegent and make him visually distinguishable from the other villagers, since the series' art style mostly averts the [[Hair Colors]] commonly see in anime and gives most people black hair.
* In ''[[
▲* Cho Hakkai from ''[[Saiyuki (Manga)|Saiyuki]]}}'' has one over his artificial right eye, presumably to protect it. He's also generally the most level-headed and polite of the group -- unless he has to pull his [[I Am Not Left Handed]] trick and remove his [[Restraining Bolt]] accessories when it's time to kick some ass.
* ''[[
▲* In ''[[Trinity Blood (Light Novel)|Trinity Blood]]'', Cardinal Sforza is a woman who wears a monocle. She's also a duchess and half-sister to the Pope.
* Though not a high-class woman at all, Forte of ''[[Galaxy Angel (
▲* ''[[Detective Conan (Manga)|Detective Conan]]'' and the Kaitou Kid. The monocle (and top hat) practically define the character, harkening back to [[Arsène Lupin]] and the whole [[Gentleman Thief]] bit. Also, the monocle has a tendency to do the [[Scary Shiny Glasses]] thing when Kid's being disturbing.
▲* Though not a high-class woman at all, Forte of ''[[Galaxy Angel (Anime)|Galaxy Angel]]'' wears a monocle.
* ''[[Full Metal Panic the Second Raid]]'': Sir Mallory, one of the top dogs in Mithril, is shown wearing a monocle.
* Aeolia Schenberg from ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam 00]]''.
* In ''[[Umineko no Naku Koro
* Alternate in ''[[
* Fei Wang Reed, the [[Big Bad]] of ''[[
* The [[Distaff Counterpart]], glasses on a stick, appear on the face of Eclair Tonnerre in ''[[
* Tokita, the Itoshiki family butler in ''[[Sayonara, Zetsubou
* Vilefort in ''[[
* Count Brocken in ''[[
* Prof. Moriarty in ''[[
* Whenever [[Arsène Lupin]] appears in [[Lupin III]] (usually via flashback), he's usually shown with one of these.
== Board Games ==▼
* Aversion that apparently needs mentioning: Rich Uncle Pennybags, a.k.a. Mr [[Monopoly]] does ''not'' wear a monocle, even though he looks like he should.▼
* Colonel Mustard from ''[[Clue (Tabletop Game)|Clue]]'' is usually depicted as wearing one.▼
== Comic Books ==
* The Penguin from ''[[
* The [[DC Universe|DC Comics]] supervillain The Monocle. It's a ''weaponized'' monocle, too.
** Marvel had their own villain named The Monocle, also sporting a monocle that could fire energy blasts and [[Charm Person|hypnotize people]]. Fought the [[Fantastic Four]] a couple of times.
* ''[[Tintin
** After Captain Haddock came into a sizable inheritance, at the beginning of ''[[Tintin
** Colonel Sponsz is a villainous example.
* Sir Reginald Hargreeves a.k.a. The Monocle, founder of [[The Umbrella Academy]].
* Berim from ''[[Lucifer (
* In ''[[Dark Reign]]'': ''[[Fantastic Four]]'', the FF traveled through several alternate universes, including one with the FF as the royal family in a mock-Elisabethan England. The Thing, dressed as a chamberlain and sporting a monocle, has become an internet meme.
{{quote|
== Fan Works ==
* In ''[[
* The Grand Duke from ''[[Cinderella (Disney film)|Cinderella]]''.▼
* For sure, Mr. Grasshopper in ''[[James and
▲* The Grand Duke from ''[[Cinderella (Disney)|Cinderella]]''.
* Slightly averted in Shane Acker's ''[[9
▲* For sure, Mr. Grasshopper in ''[[James and The Giant Peach]]'' is this. Especially when he puts on a top hat during the song number "That's the Life for Me".
▲* Slightly averted in Shane Acker's ''[[9 (Animation)|Nine]]'' with 2, who wears a top hat made from a piece of candelabra and topped off with a spoon, with a monocle made out of the discarded remains of a pair of eyeglasses attached to it. He even has a cane and a catchphrase of, "This is smashing!" However, he loses all his gear about twenty minutes into the movie and acts more like an eager explorer not afraid to get himself dirty than a high-class citizen. Admittedly, he IS a seven-inch-tall doll made from scraps of burlap and {{spoiler|the remnants of a human soul}}, but still.
* Professor Z, [[The Dragon]] of the Pixar film ''[[Cars 2]]'' actually wears a monocle over his windshield.
* The evil owl from ''[[Rock
* Edgar Bergen's dummy Charlie McCarthy.
* In [[Mel Brooks]]' ''[[
* The "Monopoly Guy" in ''[[Ace Ventura]]: When Nature Calls''.
* One of the villains in ''The Assassination Bureau, Limited''<ref>Based on an unfinished novel by [[Jack London]]</ref> is a Prussian general. At one point, when he's about to shoot a woman, his [[Slasher Smile]] involves an abrupt widening of his eyes, causing his monocle to fall and dangle on its cord.
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** De Ronda is played by a real-life self-styled aristocrat (albeit he never really had a title) and eccentric Don Jaime De Mora y Aragón, who used monocle, walking stick and hair gel in his constant public appearances as a celebrity (one of these "famous for being famous" types).
* The [[Herr Doktor|psychiatrist]] in ''[[Bringing Up Baby]]'' has one.
* Invoked in ''[[
* The Three Stooges in ''Three Sappy People'' go to a party pretending to be psychiatrists. There they meet a stuffy woman identified as "Countess" who wears a monocle.▼
▲* The Three Stooges in ''Three Sappy People'' go to a party pretending to be psychiatrists. There they meet a stuffy woman identified as "Countess" who wears a monocle
== Literature ==
* Wilkins Micawber from ''[[David Copperfield (novel)|David Copperfield]]''.
* [[Lord Peter Wimsey]] from [[Dorothy L. Sayers]]' detective novels. His monocle was actually a disguised magnifying glass, perfect for taking a really close look at
* ''[[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (
* [[H. Beam Piper]]'s ''Uller Uprising'' has General Carlos Von Schlicten, who wears a monocle; the only thing ever observed to knock it out of his eye is a nuclear blast while kissing a lady. "Don't you know, lieutenant, that no gentleman ever wears a monocle while kissing a lady?"
* Count Olaf of ''[[A Series of Unfortunate Events]]'', when disguised as a wealthy, fashionable [[Funny Foreigner]] auctioneer, adopts a monocle as part of his getup. It seems to be a standard part of the V.F.D. disguise kit.
* This continues into the distant future. In [[Isaac Asimov]]'s ''[[Foundation]]'' stories, the warlord of Kalgan wore a monocle along with his "fur-lined scarlet robe and high-crowned hat". In his humbler role as {{spoiler|the loyal viceroy of the Mule}}, he wears none of these.
* In ''[[King
* In [[Patricia
* In [[
** Galahad Threepwood wears a black-rimmed monocle in the ''[[
** [[
** [[Jeeves and Wooster (
* ''[[Welkin Weasels]]'': Lord Hannover Haukin ([[Word of God]] says he's a pastiche of Bertie Wooster) wears one. At one point he drops it, and puts it back in the other eye, revealing that he only wears it for the "upper class" chic.
* In ''[[A Little Princess]]'', in one of the scenes illustrating Sara's luxurious lifestyle, it's mentioned that her new ''doll'' has its own little opera glasses.
* The Oberstleutenant Boerner bot from ''[[Daemon]]'' wears a monocle.
* In ''[[
* A trademark of [[Arsène Lupin]], along with a top hat and cape.
* ''The New Yorker'' has as an official (?) mascot Eustace Tilley, a top-hatted, monocled dandy who appeared on the cover of the first issue, and has been parodied lots and lots over the decades.▼
== Live-Action TV ==
* Colonel Wilhelm Klink of ''[[Hogan's Heroes]]'' sports a monocle, being an aristocrat of Junker descent and all-around pretentious.
* The sitcom ''[[Just Shoot Me]]'' had an episode guest-starring [[3rd Rock
* A staple of anything in a [[Genteel Interbellum Setting]].
* A favorite of ''[[
** When Robert Novak described Jon Stewart as a "self-righteous comedian taking on airs of grandeur" ([[Complaining About Shows You Don't Watch|moments after claiming he'd never seen the show]]), Stewart's response involved trying to wear a monocle and pince-nez at the same time, while smoking a pipe.
** [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|A]][[Crowning Moment of Funny|h]][[Sophisticated As Hell|e]][[Cluster F-Bomb|m]]. [http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-april-20-2010/bernie-goldberg-fires-back Toppington von Monocle], anyone?
* In ''You Rang, Milord'', there is an example of a lesbian in the early 20th century wearing a monocle, Lady Cissy.
* Ted Mosby, of ''[[
{{quote|
:: Later he asks the guy if he's trying to kill [[James Bond (
* In one episode of ''[[The Persuaders]]'', Danny Wilde has to impersonnate his friend Lord Brett Sinclair and portrays him as an [[
* In ''[[
* An incident on ''[[QI]]'' where Stephen Fry [[Pop Cultural Osmosis Failure|had to have the expression "beer goggles" explained to him]] resulted in the panel accusing him of using "Madeira pince-nez" or a "sherry monocle" instead.
* Queen Machina from ''[[Power Rangers
== Music ==
* The cover of Belgian [[Thrash Metal]] band Cyclone's ''[http://www.metal-archives.com/images/2/9/5/4/2954.jpg Brutal Destruction]'' shows a monocle-wearing skull.
== Tabletop Games ==▼
▲=== Board Games ===
▲* Aversion that apparently needs mentioning: Rich Uncle Pennybags, a.k.a. Mr [[Monopoly]] does ''not'' wear a monocle, even though he looks like he should.
===
* A number of ''[[Dungeons
▲* ''The New Yorker'' has as an official (?) mascot Eustace Tilley, a top-hatted, monocled dandy who appeared on the cover of the first issue, and has been parodied lots and lots over the decades.
* ''[[Warhammer 40,000]]''
▲== Tabletop Games ==
▲* A number of ''[[Dungeons and Dragons (Tabletop Game)|Dungeons and Dragons]]'' magic items are monocles. They are often described as a "lens". The "Lens of True Seeing", which allows someone to see through illusions and invisibility (well, to ''not'' see through invisible creatures), is probably the most famous.
** Some Imperial Guard officers wear monocles. In one of the Siege of Vraks books there is a mention of the officer's monocle acting as an HUD, displaying battlefied data.
** Many artists for that franchise achieve the same visual aestetic by having a character with a monocle-like cybernetic eye.
** ''[[Rogue Trader]]'' has Targeting Monocle - disguised wireless version of an advanced camera sight that also can show weapon status. Of course, disguise implies that normal monocles are fairly common in these circles.
== Theatre ==
▲== Theater ==
* Three [[Gilbert and Sullivan]] characters, all of them George Grossmith comic baritone roles, wear monocles as part of their costume. Sullivan himself wore a monocle.
** [[Modern Major-General|Major-General]] Stanley in ''[[The Pirates of Penzance]]''.
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** Reginald Bunthorne in ''[[Patience]]''. Another character from ''Patience'', the Duke of Dunstable, is also sometimes portrayed wearing a monocle.
* Sir Edward Ramsay in ''[[The King and I]]'', whose monocle causes a panic among the King's wives.
* Gwendolyn in [[Oscar Wilde]]'s ''[[
== Video Games ==
* Wally B. Feed of ''[[Monkey Island 2:
* Sparda from ''[[
* The twin bosses Lechku and Nechku in ''[[
* ''[[
** One quest has you helping the TzHaars (Some kind of a sentient lava-and-rock race) make a theatrical play. One of these TzHaars has to play the role of a rich mystic caste member, and how does he dress up? With nothing more than a monocle.
** Zimberfizz gets both a tophat and a monocle as he takes over the Soul Wars area as a successor of Nomad {{spoiler|who you kill.}}
* Monocle Man from [[Silent Hill: Downpour]]. He/it is a disembodied [[Nightmare Face]] wearing a monocle in his right eye but has only a gaping hole where the left should be.
* ''[[
** Canas wears a monocle. Considering he's your Dark magic user, it's probably to make him appear more harmless as opposed to high-class.
** A more villainous version is Count Leptor of Freege from ''[[
* Arpeggio, the [[Big Bad]] from the second ''[[
* In ''[[
* Mr. King from ''[[Mega Man Star Force
* ''[[
** Many wealthy or prestigious enemies wear monocles, such as the Wealthy Pirates and the 101st Infantrygentlemen. A few, like Baron von Ratsworth, also wear tophats.
** The stuffed monocle is now available to players:
{{quote|
** Baron Von Ratsworth's monocle allows you to find more items, because "Rich people have cool stuff and wear monocles".
* Count Bleck, the [[Big Bad]] of ''[[
* Father Balder of ''[[
* Henry Hatsworth of ''[[Henry Hatsworth in
* There are a few monocles in ''[[World of Warcraft]]''. They're all head items and most are cloth armour.
** The Beholder Eyes can come in different armour types but are more steampunk-engineer monocles than aristocrat monocles.
** Of particular note is the Noble's Monocle which, being wearable by Level 1 characters, is highly sought after by bank alts. Because of this, it has an average auction house value of 400 gold, despite providing no combat benefits.
* Slayer from ''[[
* Baron from ''Shining Force Neo''. Despite being a [[Big Badass Wolf|wolfling ninja]], he's still quite classy.
* The [[ZX Spectrum]] game ''[[Killed Until Dead]]'' is populated by parodies of various detectives, including a "[[Lord Peter Wimsey|Lord Peter Flimsey]]". If you manage to rattle him when you interrogate him, his monocle flies off -- [[Rule of Funny|but it still blinks when his eyes do]].
* In ''[[
* ''[[
* ''[[
* The Penguin in ''[[Batman:
* Fugue, one of [[Big Bad|Count Waltz]]'s lackeys in ''[[
* Similiar to the [[Warhammer
=== Visual Novels ===▼
▲== Visual Novels ==
▲* ''[[Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney (Visual Novel)|Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney]]''
** [[Affably Evil|Gentleman]] [[Career Killers|assassin]] Shelly DeKiller in ''Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Justice for All'', and Detective Luke Atmey in the sequel ''Trials and Tribulations'', who has a monocle that doubles as magnifying glass. Curiously enough, when de Killer {{spoiler|testifies in court via transciever, the gadget's button}} mimics his monocle.
** And {{spoiler|the trailer to ''Ace Attorney Investigations 2'' shows him holding an ice cream cone with a cherry to mimic the monocle.}} Guy really loves that monocle.
== Web Animation ==
* The series ''[[Unforgotten Realms]]'' has a long-[[Running Gag|running joke]] set up by the following line:
{{quote|
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lXL7HflU1Q This version] of the Dramatic Chipmunk.
* Dr. Donkey, the villain from ''[[
* Used frequently in ''[[
{{quote|
== Web Comics ==
* ''[[
** Used in the comic [http://www.vgcats.com/comics/?strip_id=190 "By Popular Request"]. Yes, [[Inuyasha
** Leo's father also [http://www.vgcats.com/comics/?strip_id=269 wears a monocle with a top hat], just to play up his "Britishness".
* ''[[Better Days]]'' [http://www.jaynaylor.com/betterdays/archives/2008/01/chapter-20-the-12.html sent this up] by having Fisk and Tommy dress up in the stereotypical upper-class style (complete with monocles and fake mustaches) while shopping for clothes for a trip to New York.
* [http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2005/9/5/ Twisp] of ''[[Penny Arcade (Webcomic)|Penny Arcade]]'' is an upper-class, monocle-wearing cat, who tends to speak in single-word sentences.
* Berserker Axinhed of ''[[8-Bit Theater
* Sean has a fantasy about becoming monocle-rich in ''[http://awkward.natural20s.com/2008/02/11/16-monocle-rich/ Sean and Mimi's Awkward Adventures]''.
* ''[[Antihero for Hire]]'''s Doctor Nefarious.
* In ''[[Real Life Comics]]'', one arc had Greg gain super-intelligence from a gamer-marketed energy drink. He also claimed it gave him myopia in one eye, requiring a monocle.
* Subverted/deconstructed in [https://web.archive.org/web/20090207154808/http://www.soulgeek.com/comics/jl/2008/09/05/issue-3-page-28/ a strip of] ''[[Jump Leads]]'', where it was revealed that in the world Meany jumped in, monocles, and high-class wear in general, were used by peasants to compensate for lack of good treatment/clothing for their body, like monocle instead of eye surgery. {{spoiler|It turns out that top hat was actually able to kill [[Puppeteer Parasite|body-possessing slugs]] because it's made of silk. The people who join the army to receive better clothes actually abandon a good mean of defense against these slugs.}}
* Von Pinn from ''[[
* Poked fun at in ''[[
* In ''[[
* In ''[[
* One arc of ''[[
* Capu from ''[[Death Brigade]]'' also sports one, although character art shows that he wore glasses when he was much younger.
* The (currently [[Orphaned Series|orphaned]]) ''Pixel Comic'' has [http://pixelcomic.net/271.shtml a rather impressive monocle contest].
* ''[[
* ''[[
* Harkon of ''[[Turn Signals
* Chase from ''[[Nerf This]]'' dons a tophat, a fancy mustache, and [[Up to Eleven|Two monocles]]. Along [https://web.archive.org/web/20131005063257/http://nerf-this.com/poetry-in-motion/ with his girlfriend].
* Subverted in [http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=2255#comic a fantastic little strip] from ''[[Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal]]''
* In ''[[
* In ''[[
== Web Original ==
* [[The Spiffing Brit]]'s avatar comes complete with a monocle; in fact, the image on this page could practically ''be'' his avatar.
== Western Animation ==
* Mr. Herriman of ''[[Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends
* So does the Mayor of Townsville on ''[[
* Fearless Leader in ''[[Rocky and Bullwinkle]]''.
* Often used in ''[[The Simpsons (
** Leela wears one of these from time to time, mostly to play up the fact that she's a cyclops. She wore one as an awkward adolescent, and occasionally as an adult to read. These are more like glasses than traditional monocles, though.
** After she got reconstructive surgery to have two eyes, she threw out a whole box of monocles.
** Billionaire Bot. In the Movie ''The Beast with a Billion Backs'' he has a monocle made with a HUMAN EYE! Which he actually needs to see, despite only missing one eye.
** The episode "The Mutants are Revolting" features a banner at a high society event reading: "NO TOP HAT, NO MONOCLE, NO SERVICE"
* [[Evil Uncle]] Darius Dun from ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2003
* ''[[
* Ron disguises himself with one of these in ''[[
* Invoked by Space Ghost in the ''[[Space Ghost Coast to Coast]]'' episode "Snatch" when he hears about unidentified (space) creatures violating their airspace.
{{quote|
* [[Big Bad|Anti-Cosmo]] wears one on ''[[The Fairly
* In an episode of ''[[
* Archibald Asparagus of ''[[
* Beezy on ''[[Jimmy Two
* ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic
** In the episode "The Best Night Ever", a number of high-class ponies at the Grand Galloping Gala are seen wearing monocles.
** During Rarity's part of "At the Gala", she imagines one such pony's monocle popping off when she enters the room.
** And you can't forget [[Nice Guy|Fancypants]], the only member of the Canterlot Elite who's not an [[
* On ''[[TUGS]]'', the railway tugboat was called [[Exactly What It Says
{{quote|
* Buford wears one briefly on ''[[
{{quote|
"It's an affectation." }}
== Real Life ==
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