Use Of Symbolism In 'The 12 Dancing Princesses'

1242 Words3 Pages

The 12 Dancing Princesses "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" is a German fairy tale originally published by the Brothers Grimm in 1812. It is also known as, "The Worn-Out Dancing Shoes" or "The Shoes that were danced to Pieces". Unlike the common fairytales with the theme of good vs evil or, sadness vs happiness, poverty vs richness; this has a unique theme. Interestingly, this fairytale is quite unpredictable and there was use of symbolism and In this story, there are 12 princesses who sneak out of their room every night, and when they return, their shoes are worn out from dancing. The king, beside himself, finally finds a hero to find out what the girls were up to. Twelve beautiful princesses slept in twelve beds in the same …show more content…

The story starts with 12 princesses and 1 king and the story ends with 12 princesses and 1 soldier, the new king. Marking the end of the old king 's reign as ending of a year, the reveal of the secret of 12 princesses as of the end of twelve months and a new beginning of another year as the start of the reign of the new king. The soldier retrieves a branch from each of three trees; one of silver, one of gold, and one of the diamonds. Which he gives the king as proof. (12 months/3) = 4, indicates 4 seasons of a year. this tale tells of keeping secrets (represented by the mysteriously worn out shoes, which represent a year) and getting to know the twelve zodiacal constellations (the princes they dance with), Together the 12 princesses dancing with 12 princess makes 24, hours of a day. “A wonderfully enchanting story, it is filled with symbols and allegory. Time is illustrated by the river and boats, and the twenty-four characters “dance” with the mathematics necessary to measure time using the stars.” …show more content…

Shoes are danced to pieces not by honest walking, but by dancing, dancing in the underground with the bewitched. It unravels the mystery by amplifying two crucial ideas – that of shoes, and of dancing. Shoes are worn for protection and warmth. In many cultures, it is a part of modesty and aristocracy. On the other hand, secretive nocturnal act(dancing) can be seen as an act of something illegal such as prostitution, extra-marital relation, sexuality before marriage as Freud Considered the rhythmic activity of dancing as sex (1935, p. 20) a. Shoes that were worn apart symbolizing modesty of the princesses or issue of

Open Document