“The Golden Goose” unlike other Grimm’s fairytales is less famous. The main character is Simpleton and he got his name because his always pulling pranks and jokes. The theme of the fairytale is the reward some can receive for doing a good deed.
The plot begins suddenly, with no introduction, so there is no ordinary part where we get to know the characters and there is no time span nor do we know where the plot is settled. The fairytale is here to teach us that those with a good heart win and that life rewards the kind ones.
Grimm brothers tried to perfection a folk’s tale from which they extracted only the important parts without making any digressions. The fairytale has a sudden beginning and a sudden end, which was a characteristic of their fairytales.
Summary
Once upon a time, lived a man who had three sons. The youngest one was named Simpleton and he was the punch line of every joke. After the older brothers didn’t gather enough wood for the fire, the father sent his youngest son to get some wood in the woods. His mother provided him with some wine and cake for the road.
When he arrived to the forest he saw an old man sitting on a log. It was obvious that the man was thirsty and hungry so Simpleton shared everything he had with him. It was impossible to describe the man’s happiness and he rewarded Simpleton’s kindness.
He told him to cut down a tree and that anything he finds in it shall be his. Simpleton listened and he went to cut a tree. He found a goose whose feathers were filled with gold.
Simpleton got excited and he headed for the town. He decided to get some rest before he returns so he spent the night in an inn and he left the goose with the others. The owner’s daughters admired the animal.
It didn’t take long for girls to want one of the feathers so the older one reached for the goose and when she caught a feather she couldn’t separate herself from the goose. Her sisters wanted to help her but they had the same end.
Morning came and Simpleton went back to the town. He took his goose with him and the sisters ran after him because they were stuck. A priest saw him on the way and he lectured them about running after the young man.
He decided to grab the youngest sister but then he also got stuck. He called for help but everyone would just get glued to that unusual group.
Simpleton came to the town with his unusual group and in that city a king, who had a sad daughter, lived. He was so desperate about hr state that he promised her hand to anyone who makes her laugh. The two of them were walking when Simpleton was passing by. The king couldn’t resist but to laugh to that unusual scene and so did his daughter. The happiest was Simpleton because he knew he’d get the king’s daughter’s hand.
When the king realized that Simpleton was poor he decided not to give his daughter away. He decided to come up with a few simple tasks that the young man won’t be able to do so he wouldn’t marry his daughter. First he had to find a man who was able to drink all of the wine from the basement.
Simpleton remembered the man from the forest and he went to get him. After the task was successfully completed the king asked Simpleton to find a man who’ll eat a lot of bread. The man helped him again.
The third task was to build a ship that will work on water and ground. The man helped for the third time. The king got his ship and he had to allow the marriage. The princess was happy forever after.
Genre: fairytale
Place: forest, inn, city
Characters: Simpleton, man, king, princess, priest
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