The Princess and the Pea
by Hans Christian Andersen · from Collected Fairy Tales
Adapted Version
Once upon a time, there was a prince. He wanted to marry a real princess. He looked for a princess everywhere. He could not find one. He came home. He was very sad.
One night, a big storm came. Thunder boomed. Lightning flashed. Rain poured down fast.
Someone knocked at the city gate. The old King went to open it.
A princess stood outside. She was very wet. Her hair was messy. Her clothes were wet. Water ran from her shoes. She said, "I am a real princess!"
The Queen heard this. She did not say much. She wanted to know the truth. Was she a real princess? The Queen had a plan.
The Queen went to a bedroom. She took soft things off a bed. She put a tiny pea on the bed. Then she put many mattresses on the pea. She put many soft beds on top. It was a very tall bed.
The princess had to sleep there. She slept on the tall bed all night. What happened next?
The next morning came. The Queen asked, "How did you sleep?"
"Oh, very badly!" said the princess. "I did not close my eyes all night. Something hard was in the bed. I feel sore all over. It hurt me very much!"
The family knew then. She felt the tiny pea. She felt it through all the beds. Only a real princess could feel it. So, she was a real princess!
The Prince was happy. He knew she was real. He asked her to marry him. She said yes.
The little pea was very special. They kept it safe.
So, they knew she was a real princess. True princesses are very special. They can feel small things. The Prince and Princess were very happy. The little pea was kept safe. It reminded them of a real princess.
Original Story
The princess and the pea
A fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen
Once upon a time there was a prince who wanted to marry a princess; but she woul have to be a real princess. He travelled all over the world to find one, but nowhere could he get what he wanted. There were princesses enough, but it was difficult to find out whether they were real ones. There was always something about them that was not as it should be. So he came home again and was sad, for he would have liked very much to have a real princess.
One evening a terrible storm came on; there was thunder and lightning, and the rain poured down in torrents. Suddenly a knocking was heard at the city gate, and the old king went to open it.
It was a princess standing out there in front of the gate. But, good gracious! what a sight the rain and the wind had made her look. The water ran down from her hair and clothes; it ran down into the toes of her shoes and out again at the heels. And yet she said that she was a real princess.
"Well, we'll soon find that out," thought the old queen. But she said nothing, went into the bed-room, took all the bedding off the bedstead, and laid a pea on the bottom; then she took twenty mattresses and laid them on the pea, and then twenty eider-down beds on top of the mattresses.
On this the princess had to lie all night.
In the morning she was asked how she had slept.
"Oh, very badly!" said she. "I have scarcely closed my eyes all night. Heaven only knows what was in the bed, but I was lying on something hard, so that I am black and blue all over my body. It's horrible!"
Now they knew that she was a real princess because she had felt the pea right through the twenty mattresses and the twenty eider-down beds. Nobody but a real princess could be as sensitive as that.
So the prince took her for his wife, for now he knew that he had a real princess; and the pea was put in the museum, where it may still be seen, if no one has stolen it.
There, that is a true story.
- * * * *
Story DNA
Moral
True nobility and authenticity are revealed through subtle, inherent qualities, not just outward appearance.
Plot Summary
A prince seeks a 'real' princess to marry but cannot find one. During a fierce storm, a bedraggled princess arrives at his castle, claiming to be genuine. The old queen devises a test, placing a pea under twenty mattresses and twenty eider-down beds for the princess to sleep on. The next morning, the princess complains of a terrible night due to something hard in the bed, proving her extreme sensitivity and thus her royal authenticity, leading to her marriage to the prince.
Themes
Emotional Arc
sadness to joy
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
Hans Christian Andersen often explored themes of social class and inner worth, sometimes with a touch of satire or irony regarding aristocratic sensibilities.
Plot Beats (12)
- A prince travels the world seeking a 'real' princess to marry, but fails to find one to his satisfaction and returns home sad.
- A violent storm erupts one evening, with thunder, lightning, and heavy rain.
- A knocking is heard at the city gate, and the old king opens it.
- A princess, disheveled and soaked from the storm, stands at the gate, claiming to be a real princess.
- The old queen, skeptical but silent, decides to test the princess's claim.
- The queen removes all bedding from a bedstead, places a small pea on it, then stacks twenty mattresses and twenty eider-down beds on top.
- The princess is instructed to sleep on this elaborate bed for the night.
- The next morning, the queen asks the princess how she slept.
- The princess complains of a terrible night, feeling something hard that bruised her all over.
- The royal family realizes her extreme sensitivity confirms she is a 'real' princess.
- The prince marries the princess, having found his true match.
- The pea is preserved in a museum as proof of the event.
Characters
The Prince
Not explicitly described, but assumed to be of noble bearing.
Attire: Fine royal garments, breeches, perhaps a velvet jacket, and polished boots.
Discerning, somewhat naive, determined to find a 'real' princess.
The Princess
Initially bedraggled, but revealed to be exceptionally sensitive.
Attire: Soaked and muddied traveling clothes, likely a simple dress suitable for travel.
Refined, sensitive, perhaps a bit delicate.
The Queen
Not explicitly described, but inferred to be regal and observant.
Attire: Stately gown, perhaps with a high collar and long sleeves, adorned with jewels.
Intelligent, cunning, pragmatic.
The King
Not explicitly described, but inferred to be regal.
Attire: Royal robes, crown, scepter.
Welcoming, trusting.
The Pea
Small, round, green.
Inanimate, but serves as a crucial plot device.
Locations
City Gate
A large gate protecting the city, exposed to the elements.
Mood: ominous, unwelcoming
The princess arrives seeking shelter.
Bedroom
A royal bedroom with a large bed.
Mood: deceptive, testing
The queen devises the test for the princess.
Museum
A display room where curiosities are kept.
Mood: historical, curious
The pea is preserved as a historical artifact.