The Shoes That Were Danced To Pieces

The Shoes That Were Danced To Pieces Analysis
Although this story has been made into several other movies and books, including a Barbie Movie (The 12 Dancing Princesses), the original Grimm version will be the subject of this analysis. The original story was published in 1857 in the Kinder und Hausmarchen book. The tale both enforces and disputes several stereotypes ad contains one violent part. The stereotypes and violence help enhance the story by increasing and bringing to life the imaginative scenes. In the tale, a king tries to get behind the reason his daughters’ shoes are consistently worn out from dancing even though the doors are locked ad guarded. The king pts on a contest which states that anyone who can figure out why the shoes are danced to pieces will take one of the daughters as his
At first only princes apply for the contest, which enhances the connection to royalty, a trait common in Grimm stories. When prices can not find the reason as to why the shoes are broke, ‘common folk’ try. One of these people is the soldier who enters based on the advice of a old woman. Elders are constantly giving advice to those about to embark on a mission or journey at it is through their help that the recipient of the challenge manages to triumph. Not only are elders a typical part of fairy tales, but snobby princesses play a role as well. Princesses who do not wish for their secret to be uncovered act as stuck up and snobby to ward off suitors and if that does not work, trickery is the next possibility. This trickery and behaviour is also found in the Grimm’s version of The Princess and the Frog. In this tale, the wine was poisoned with a sleeping draught to subdue to chances of someone finding the opulent secret balls. These stereotypes are the ones that have populated stories for so long and increase the general enjoyment of the story by rounding out the character with more