Sunday, November 17, 2019

The Grim(m) Story of Bluebeard


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Bluebeard is by far one of the most gory fairy tales I've ever read. I can't say that I'm much of a fan of the story, although it does end well in a typical fairy tale fashion...for the most part at least.

The ending is something that is actually similar for the three versions of Bluebeard. In Perrault's version, the terrified wife is saved by her brother, who arrive just in time. That's actually a profound similarity in all three tales: a man either saves them or helps save them. Perrault's tale really does build up anticipation because of how close the poor wife came to being killed by her doting husband. Very loving, he was. In Fitcher's Bird by Brothers Grimm, the youngest sister of course is tempted by her curiosity and enters the forbidden room. Only this time, she manages to save herself and bring her sisters back to life. She actually accomplishes the most out of all three tales, because she gets rid of the evil husband and his gang with the help of her brothers. the ending was very similar to that of The Robber Bridegroom, where the guests help to get rid of the robber and his band.



Another outstanding similarity is the art of curiosity, which is more prominent in Bluebeard and Fitcher's Bird. The wives have a interest in the room although their husband strictly tells them they are not to enter it. All of the sisters are subject to it and let their curiosity win. This is where The Robber Bridegroom is a bit different though, because the woman is never really curious about anything. She's cautious from the beginning of the tale, like the sisters in Bluebeard when they are first courted.

As similar as they are, there are some differences. In Fitcher's Bird, Blue Beard gives the wives not only a key, but an egg. The egg is dropped when the wives discover what is behind the closed doors, and it stains just like the key in Perrault's version, which tells the husband that they did not listen. Bad things happen when you don't listen to your husband. The Robbers Bridegroom definitely has a more gory turn of the story, as the wife sees the robber and his gang cut up a screaming maiden. She actually witnesses the murder not just the dead bodies.

These stories are differently all unique in the fashion that they are pretty dark. It's the main reason that I'm not all that into these three stories. I like my happy love endings. What makes Fitcher's Bird unique is the egg and its symbolization of ruined innocence. They didn't listen to their husband and now their mind has been tainted, innocence lost. The wife fro The Robbers Bridegroom is unique because she is cautious from the beginning. Nothing ever settled right within her when it came to her husband. And in Perrault's Bluebeard, he directly teaches a lesson about curiosity. Curiosity can lead to regret. 

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