Rumpelstiltskin

By Liam Edwards

Complete analysis of a fairy-tale using Todorov's theory

Rumpelstiltskin

Rumpelstiltskin is a fairy tale from the early 1800’s that originated in Germany. The tale was collected by the Brothers Grimm in the 1812 edition of Children's and Household Tales. It was subsequently revised in later editions. There are numerous variations of this particular tale and follows the theory put forward by Todorov quite well.

Todorov’s Theory

1. State of Equilibrium2. A disruption of the equilibrium of some sort.3. A recognition of the disruption4. An attempt to resolve the disruption.5. A new equilibrium.

Fairy-tale StorylineIn order to make himself appear more important, a miller lies to a king, telling him that his daughter can spin straw into gold. The king calls for the girl, shuts her in a tower room filled with straw and a spinning wheel, and demands that she spin the straw into gold by morning or he will cut off her head. She has given up all hope until an imp-like creature appears in the room and spins the straw into gold for her in return for her necklace. When the king takes the girl, on the next morning, to a larger room filled with straw to repeat the feat, the imp spins in return for the girl's ring. On the third day, when the girl has been taken to an even larger room with straw and told by the king that he will marry her if she can fill this room with gold or kill her if she cannot, the girl has nothing left with which to pay the strange creature. He extracts from her a promise that her firstborn child will be given to him, and spins the room full of gold a final time. The king keeps his promise to marry the miller's daughter. But when their first child is born, the imp returns to claim his payment: "Now give me what you promised." The now-queen offers him all the wealth she has if she may keep the child. The imp has no interest in her riches, but finally consents to give up his claim to the child if the queen is able to guess his name within three days. Her many guesses over the first two days fail, but before the final night, her messenger comes across the imp's remote mountain cottage and watches, unseen, as the imp hops about his fire and sings. In his song's lyrics, "tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow, I'll go to the king's house, nobody knows my name, I'm called "Rumpelstiltskin," he reveals his name. When the imp comes to the queen on the third day and she, after first feigning ignorance, reveals his true name, Rumpelstiltskin, he loses his temper and his bargain.

Equilibrium

• This will involve the tale being the characters normal day to day life and occurrences until the disturbance occurs.

‘By the side of a wood, in a country a long way off, ran a fine stream of water; and upon the stream there stood a mill. The miller's house was close by, and the miller, you must know, had a very beautiful daughter.’ Grimm’s Fairy-tale.

Disturbance

• This in tales is something which disrupts the normal calm flow of the tale. In this case it is how the father lies about his daughter being able to turn straw into gold and therefore she is locked in a tower and demanded to turn the straw into gold by morning or she will be killed. Another disturbance would be Rumpelstiltskin as he has asked for her first born child.

Recognition

• As the audience of the tale we recognise that a disturbance but may see Rumpelstiltskin at this point of the tale as being a helping hand, until she marries the king and has her first born child Rumpelstiltskin has saved her numerous times just for pieces of jewellery.

Resolution

• We see the queen trying to resolve the fact she has to give away her child by offering all her wealth and items. This isn't enough for Rumpelstiltskin so he makes her yet another bet. If she can guess his name, he will no longer want the child.

Return of the Equilibrium

• We see happiness again after she is informed of his name and then Rumpelstiltskin is no long eligible for taking the child.