Charles Perraults 1697 French version of Sleeping Beauty - Essay Example

?“Sleeping Beauty” is one of the famous ic fairy tales that most Western children have heard while growing up. It is a well loved story that draws all young girls into the fantasy of being a princess and being wed by a handsome prince. Over the years various different versions of the fairytale have been accounted; the first, believed to be by the French writer, Charles Perrault in 1697. This essay will analyse three different versions of “Sleeping Beauty”, so as to compare them and discover what messages are being relayed to children through the fairytale. The three different versions that will be examined are a translation of Perrault’s version, a translation of the Brother’s Grimm’s version and the more modern version by Walt Disney. Charles Perrault’s 1697 French version of “Sleeping Beauty” is seen to be the original tale. The tale begins by telling of the sorrow of the King and Queen; for, they were unable to have a child. However, after many years of seeking a means to have a child, they were finally rewarded and a baby girl was born to them. They had an elaborate christening, for which they invited all the fairies of the kingdom to be the godmothers of the princess so that the princess might receive their gifts. Seven fairies came; however, during the feast, an eighth fairy arrived, an old fairy which the King had not invited; for, he believed her dead or locked in an enchanted tower. The old fairy was embittered at being forgotten and a young fairy sitting near her heard her muttering threats. Therefore, the young fairy hid behind a curtain. The six fairies gave the princess the gifts of beauty, wit, grace, perfect dancing, beautiful singing and musical skill. The old fairy then said that the princess would pierce her hand with a spindle and die. The fairy that had hidden behind the curtain then came out. She was unable to revoke the curse, but she was able to alter it slightly. She said that the princess would pierce her hand with a spindle, but she would not die, only fall into a deep sleep for a hundred years at the end of which a King’s son would come and awaken her. The King then forbade anyone in the kingdom to use or own a spindle. About fifteen or sixteen years later, the King and Queen went to one of their houses of pleasure. During this time the princess came upon a good old woman in a small room at the top of a tower of the palace. The old woman had not heard of the King’s proclamation about spindles and was spinning. The Princess demanded to examine the spindle, and upon touching it she pierced her hand and fell into a deep sleep. The King then had her carried to the grandest room of the palace and laid upon a bed. The good fairy that had softened the curse was told of the Princess’ state by a dwarf and she arrived in a fiery chariot at the palace. Upon arrival she deemed that the Princess would be confused if she were to awake and the entire court were empty of people she knew. So the fairy put the whole court asleep, accept for the King and Queen who left after kissing their daughter. The King proclaimed that no one was to go near the palace. A quarter of an hour later, a barrier of trees grew around the park surrounding the palace; it was so thick that no one could pass. A hundred years later, a son of another King was hunting near the palace and asked the locals what the towers were that he could see above the trees. One old man told him of the story that a Princess lay there. The Prince then went to the palace, the trees opened before him. He found the entire court asleep. Upon finding the Princess he was so amazed by her beauty that he fell to his knees beside the bed. The Princess then awoke and beheld the Prince. The entire court awoke, so as to attend the Princess. They were married the same day in the chapel. The Prince was reluctant to tell his own parents that he was married, because his mother was actually an ogre and he did not trust her. The Princess gave birth to two children, a girl called Morning and a son called Day. When the Prince’s father died, he revealed that he was married and took his wife and children to live with him. He later went to war with a neighbouring emperor and left the care of his kingdom and family in the care of his mother. When the King left, his mother sent the Queen and her children to a house in the country. She then ordered the cook, to serve her Morning, Day and the Queen. Instead, the cook served her a lamb, a kid and a hind, hiding the royal family in his own house. The ogress was pleased with the meals. However, one day she was walking in the grounds of the palace and heard the Queen and her children in one of the rooms. She ordered that they along with the cook and whoever else had aided them be thrown into a tub filled with snakes, vipers and toads. When she was lining them all up to throw them in the tub, the King returned and the ogress threw herself in the pit and was consumed by the creatures in it. The King was sorrowful because she had been his mother, but he was comforted and made happy by his wife and children. This original version of the fairytale highlights certain points which French children would have been aware of. Every time there was sorrow or something terrible in the tale, happiness and something good followed. For instance, the sorrow of the King and Queen over not being able to bear a child was assuaged by finally giving birth to a baby girl. In another instance, the good fairy was able to soften the curse of the old fairy. The end of the tale also sees the Queen and her children rescued from death when the King returned. The happiness and good things in the tale would have given children of the time hope and shown them that good always triumphs. Other things that would have made an impact on children were, that the Princess was beautiful, this is both a good and a bad thing; for, many young girls are enchanted by beauty and are able to envision themselves as beautiful princesses, on the other hand some young girls may believe that only those who were beautiful could be a princess and have good things happen to them. This perception may have lowered the self esteem of children and caused them to think that they were not beautiful enough for good things to happen to them. This is especially important due to the era in which this tale was written; for, it was at the end of the seventeenth century-the beginning of the eighteenth century. This era is known for its love of beauty as it was during the Romantic era. The story would have also seemed more real to French children, because France was still a monarchy at that time. Another perception that children may have seen was that the mother-in-law was a monster and cruel. This gives the impression that all mother-in-laws are not trust worthy. This may have impacted the thinking of children, causing them to have a preconceived idea of mother-in-laws which they carried into marriage. Even today, it is a norm that women do not get on with their mother-in-laws. The Brothers Grimm’s 1812 German version of the fairytale sees the title changed to “Little Briar Rose”. The tale begins with the same sorrow as Perrault’s version, in which the King and Queen were unable to have a child. One day when the Queen was bathing, a frog came out the water and told the Queen that her wish would come true within a year. A year later the Queen bore a daughter so beautiful that the King arranged a big feast. He invited 12 wise women to the feast, there were 13 but he only had 12 plates to serve them, so he did not invite one of the wise women. At the end of the feast, the wise women gave their gifts to the Princess. They bestowed good gifts such as virtue, beauty and riches. Not all the gifts are mentioned in the story. Once the 11th woman had bestowed her gift, the uninvited wise woman arrived at the feast. She was angry and vengeful; due, to not having been included. She cried out loudly that in the 15th year of her life, the Princess would prick her finger on a spindle and die. The 12th wise woman was unable to undo the other woman’s prophecy but she was able to alter it slightly. She told them that the Princess would not die but fall into a deep sleep for a hundred years. The fact that there were 13 wise women and the 13th was evil, would have a great impact on children, making them believe that the number 13 was an evil and unfortunate number. Even today, the number 13 is looked upon with trepidation. The King decreed that all the spindles in the kingdom should be burnt. The Princess grew up with all the gifts of the wise women. In her 15th year, the King and Queen went abroad and the Princess was left alone in the castle to roam as she fancied. She came to an old tower and climbed it, to find an old woman spinning in a small room. She wanted to try spinning and when she touched the spindle she pricked her finger and fell asleep on the bed in the room. All the occupants of the castle fell asleep, including the King and Queen upon their return. A hedge of thorns then grew around the castle hiding it; accept for the vane on the roof. We then learn that the Princess’s name was Rosamond and that the story of her fate was spread abroad. Many King’s sons came to the castle and tried to pass the hedge; however they were unable to, getting hooked by the thorns and dying. A hundred years later a Prince came to the land and was told by an old man of Rosamond’s story. When the Prince approached the hedge of thorns it changed into a hedge of beautiful flowers. The Prince found the entire court asleep as he passed through it. He finally came to the tower and on beholding Rosamond, he stooped to kiss her. She then awoke and they regarded each other with wonder. The entire court woke up and things resumed where they had left off. The Prince and Rosamond were married and lived happily until the end of their lives. The Brothers Grimm’s version ends at this point and does not include anything of the Princess’s children and the Prince’s ogress mother. Although, the story is similar certain variants can be discerned, some of which have already been discussed. It can be noted, that the story takes place in a castle, instead of a palace, this is because Germany was more prone to having castles, making the story more real to German children. The story was written in the era when Germany was between existing of smaller states under Prussian rule and becoming a federation in 1815. This was a time of enlightenment and change. Children reading the story would have seen the awakening of Rosamond after a hundred years, as heralding change and bringing about a new era of happiness; something, they could relate to in their changing world. The frog’s proclamation to the Queen that her wish for a child would be granted sends the message to children that wishes do come true. This is a positive message; although, somewhat unrealistic, which could cause both hope and despair in children. Both Perrault’s version and the Brothers Grimm’s version would have seemed more real to the children of the time; for, their cultures at the time dealt a great deal in myths and the fantastical. Walt Disney turned the fairytale into an animated movie in 1959. A classical written version of Walt Disney’s account has also been produced. The tale begins with King Stefan and his Queen who wished for a child. Finally, a daughter was born to them and they named her Aurora. The King and Queen held a great feast to celebrate; everyone came to the feast including King Stefan’s friend King Herbert and his young son Philip. The two Kings made plans for Philip and Aurora to be married one day. Three good fairies, Flora, Fauna and Merryweather were invited to the feast, so as to bless the Princess with gifts. Flora gifted her with beauty and Fauna with song. Just then the Castle doors flew open and the evil witch Maleficent appeared along with her pet raven. She was angry for not being invited to the feast; therefore, she laid a curse upon the Princess by saying that before the sun set on her 16th birthday, Aurora would prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and die. Merryweather who had not yet given her gift, tried to undo the curse, by saying that the Princess would not die but just fall asleep and only awaken when true love’s kiss comes. King Stefan had all the spinning wheels in the kingdom burnt. However, he still worried for his daughter, so the good fairies took Aurora to live with them deep in the woods. The fairies disguised themselves as peasants and called Aurora Briar Rose. On her 16th birthday, the fairies sent Briar Rose to pick berries. She danced and sang in a clearing, telling her animal friends of how she dreamt of meting a handsome stranger and falling in love. Just then a stranger rode by and heard her singing. He hid behind some bushes, when Briar Rose paused he took her hand. He did not know that she was the Princess Aurora and she did not know that he was actually Prince Philip. Upon arriving back at the cottage, Briar Rose told the fairies she was in love, they told her it was impossible; for, she was actually a Princess and was promised at birth to a Prince. They then returned her to the castle. Maleficent’s raven went to warn its mistress that the Princess was returning. The evil witch lured Aurora to a high tower and commanded her to touch a spinning wheel; upon touching it, the spindle pricked her and she fell into a deep sleep. The good fairies then put the entire castle to sleep. Maleficent captured Prince Philip and locked him in her dungeon, she then told him of the fate of Aurora. When Maleficent went out, the good fairies freed Philip and gave him a shield of Virtue and a sword of Truth. When Prince Philip arrived at the castle, Maleficent tried to stop him from entering by causing a hedge of thorns to grow around the castle; however, he cut through the hedge with his sword. The evil witch then changed into a dragon and blew flames at him. His shield was able to protect him from the fire. Philip then drove his sword into the dragon’s heart and it fell to its death. Philip raced to the tower where Aurora lay, he kissed her and she awoke. The entire castle then awoke. The King and Queen were over joyed to discover that their daughter, Aurora and Prince Philip were in love. The wedding was arranged and they lived happily ever after. This modern version is somewhat different to the previous two accounts. The main difference is that the Princess went to live with the good fairies and did not know she was a Princess until it was her 16th birthday. This just creates more mystery, which children of today enjoy. Another major difference is that the Princess did not sleep for a hundred years, hardly any time passed before Prince Philip managed to awaken her. Certain elements which children would pick up when reading this tale is that true love was able to save Aurora. This places great value on finding true love, which children, especially young girls would hope to find. The story also draws a clear line between good and evil; for, from the outset there were three good fairies and a bad one. Maleficent was purposefully not invited because she was evil. This is unlike the previous two versions, in which the fairy that lays the curse upon the Princess was forgotten to be invited for one reason or another. The clear distinction between good and evil would cause children to look at the world in more black and white terms. Prince Philip’s ordeal of being captured by Maleficent and his fight against her portrays him as more heroic than the other two versions. This sends the message to children, that a man should not only be handsome but also brave and because the Prince was armed with a shield of Virtue and a sword of Truth, a man should possess both virtue and truth. A very good message of what true love can do and what a girl should look for in a manner is delivered through Walt Disney’s version. The modern version of the tale is more fantastical to today’s children; for, very few countries still have Kings and Queens, Princesses and Princes who live in palaces or castles. This removes children from the story in one way, because they cannot relate to it, but on the other hand it draws them closer to the story, because they are able to fantasize with more imagination about the fairytale land. Although, all three of the versions of the fairytale, “Sleeping Beauty” are similar, it has been seen that they also possess various differences. The Grimm and Disney version end after the Prince and Princess were wed; whereas, Perrault’s version carries on sending out a variety of different messages to the children of the time. Perrault’s account does not require the Prince to kiss the Princess to awaken her as in the other two accounts. This is mainly due to a certain conservatism during the era in which it was written. Disney’s version of the tale seems to provide the most positive messages to children; for, it does not include the cannibalism of Perrault’s version, or the terrible deaths of other princes who had failed to penetrate the thorn hedge in the Grimm’s version. The only death in Disney’s version is that of the evil witch, which sends out a positive message, suggesting that good will always overcome evil without innocents dying in the process. REFERENCE LIST Lang, Andrew, ed. "Sleeping Beauty." By Charles Perrault. The Blue Fairy Book. New York: Dover, 1965. (Original published 1889.) Retrieved from http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/sleepingbeauty/index.html The Brothers Grimm. ”Little Briar Rose”. 1812. Retrieved from http://www.grimmstories.com/en/grimm_fairy-tales/sleeping_beauty Walt Disney. “Sleeping Beauty.” Walt Disney’s Classics. Wisconsin: Western publishing company, 1986. Read More