Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
Hansel and Gretel
Hansel and Gretel (German: Hänsel und Gretel) is a German fairy tale, collected by the Brothers Grimm.
Plot synopsis
Hansel and Gretel are the children of a poor wood cutter. Fearing starvation, the wood cutter's wife—the children's step-mother—convinces him to lead the children into the forest, and abandon them there. Hansel and Gretel hear her plan, and gather white pebbles, to leave themselves a trail home. After their return, their step mother again convinces the wood cutter to abandon them; this time however, they can only leave a trail of breadcrumbs. Unfortunately, the various animals of the woods eat their trail of breadcrumbs causing Hansel and Gretel to become lost.
Lost in the forest, they find a house made of bread (later version call it gingerbread), with sugar windows, which they begin to eat. The inhabitant of the house, an old woman, invites them in and prepares a feast for them. The woman, however, is a witch who has built the house to entice children to her, so that she may fatten and eat them. She cages Hansel, and makes Gretel her servant. While she prepares to boil Hansel, she tells Gretel to climb into an oven to be sure it is ready to bake; but Gretel guesses that the witch intends to bake her, and tricks the witch into climbing into the oven, closing it behind her.
Taking jewels from the witch's house, they set off for home, to be reunited with their father, whose wife has since died. "Then all anxiety was at an end, and they lived together in perfect happiness."
See also: Hansel und Gretel, an opera written after the fairy tale
Analysis
The tale as we know it from Brothers Grimm is a sanitized versions for middle class consumers of the 19th century, but the original was an admonishment of the harships of Medieval life. Because of constant hunger and shortages of food infanticide was a common practice in the Middle Ages, and in this story brother and sister are left in the woods to die or disappear because they can not be fed.
External links
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