The Story of the Dancing Princesses
The king of Belloy had twelve beautiful daughters,(The Dancing Princesses).Every night they would go to bed with new shoes on their feet. However, the next morning their shoes would be worn out, as though they had danced all night. The king was very perplexed by this. and offered his kingdom and each of his daughters to any man who could discover their midnight secret within three days and nights. Finally, a soldier passing through the kingdom heard of the challenge and ventured to solve the mystery.
The soldier was careful not to wake the princesses. He pretended to fall asleep at once and snored loudly.so that the princesses would not know he was listening to them. After a short while, he heard the sound of the princesses moving about in their rooms. He hid himself under one of the beds, so that he would not be noticed. The princesses then began to open their wardrobes and boxes. They took out their finest dresses and dressed themselves at the mirrors, then skipped about and admired their appearances.
The eldest princess gave the soldier her blessing to marry her sister, and their father happily crowned him his heir. Many different versions of the story have been written, and it continues to be a popular fairy tale. It has also been adapted into various films, television shows, and books.
The Characters Of Dancing Princesses
There once was a king who had twelve beautiful daughters. He loved them dearly but he was afraid for their safety because every night when he went to bed, the girls would dance until their shoes were completely worn out. He was worried that something bad might happen to them and so he decided to give a very large reward to anyone who could find out where his daughters went at night.
The oldest princess, Edeline is a very serious young lady who loves to read books on history and science. She is very wise and often acts as a mother to her younger sisters. She is also very protective of them and likes to make sure that they are following proper royal etiquette.
Genevieve is the second eldest princess and she loves to dance. She is very sexy and often flirts with her brother’s best friend, Derek. She is very kind and loving to her sisters but she often feels left out by their close bond with Derek.
Lacey is the youngest princess and she is very shy and clumsy. She is very close to her big sister Genevieve and likes to collect teddy bears. She is very fearful of being discovered so she always has a guard nearby.
Rowena is the widowed king’s cousin who was brought to the castle to teach his daughters proper royal etiquette. She is very jealous of her nieces’ adventures and spirited natures. She decides to use her magic to try to steal the throne from King Randolph.
The Setting Of The Dancing Princesses
In the Brothers Grimm tale, the twelve princesses live in a castle with their father. Their unique and unladylike hobbies and interests have caused others to call them “unruly.” King Randolph sends his cousin, Duchess Rowena, to his daughters’ castle to help educate them and turn them into proper princesses. She removes all music, color, and joy from the palace and tries to break the princesses’ spirits.
The king is puzzled as to how his daughters manage to leave their bedchamber and dance until their shoes are worn out each night. He decides to give away his kingdom and each of his daughters to the man who can figure out their secret within three days and nights.
While the princesses are happy to be freed from their father’s control.They miss the comfort of their home and the company of their sisters. The oldest princess, Ashlyn, is practical and calm. She reminds her sisters of their mother Queen Isabella. The princess whose flower is a purple geranium and gemstone is a garnet.
On the first night, the princesses sneak out of their room and walk through the forest. They arrive at a beautiful castle where they dance until their shoes are worn out. At the end of the night, they trudge back through the woods to their rooms.
During the final night, the princesses are approached by an invisible soldier. They assume that he is one of the men who have been trying to discover their secret. He asks them to give him a cup of wine, which they do.The soldier carries these tokens of the princesses’ adventures to the king. Confronted with this evidence, the princesses confess all.
Message Of The Dancing Princesses
Twelve princesses are locked in a room every night and dance until their shoes are worn through. The king, desperate to find out where they dance, puts a bounty on their heads: whoever can discover their secret may marry one of them. Various suitors fail, and some lose their heads, but finally a returned soldier solves the mystery.
The story is not only a fairy tale about women and power, but also about the nature of love. Their fidelity to each other and their determination to protect the unity of the family is also important.
Although the brothers Grimm tell us that the king was very angry.when he found out about his daughters’ dancing. He also makes it clear that their only crime is loving each other. He doesn’t even punish them for the act. which is perhaps surprising given the traditional notion of the role of fathers in patriarchal societies.
A more recent literary adaptation of the story.The Virgin Suicides.by Anne Sexton and Mustang by Heather Dixon, takes a darker turn. These books explore the nature of a woman’s sexuality and the risks of unbridled freedom. In contrast, Jeanette Winterson varies and adds to the original story in her 1989 novel Sexing the Cherry. Other adaptations include the episode of the children’s television show Super Why! that retells the story, as well as a chapter in the Arthurian Legends series The Night Dance by Suzanne Weyn.