The Lobster Quadrille is a 4 stage dance done with lobsters by the edge of the sea. The first figure in the dance means that it is the first stage of the dance or steps. The mock turtle thinks soup is beautiful because there is a soup named after him. The gryphon and mock turtle are arguing because they can not agree on anything about how to do the dance. Alice stops finishing her sentence because she is about to talk bout lobsters being ate at dinner in front of live lobsters