Brothers Grimm
Intro: Fairy tales are things we know to be true. We are believed that if we have a hard life to grow into, a “prince” one day will come and give us a kiss and make it all better. “bring us back to life” if you will, as we grow up we open our eyes to the possibility of landing flat on our face and throwing up a poisonous apple and dealing with life on our own before our “prince” comes to save us. Thesis: Betrayal and Jealousy may throw a pity party for the step-mother. The betrayal of a husband and insecurities in yourself will bring out the worst in you.
Meaning of the poem: The poem “The Envious Heart” was written by Helane Levine Keating, was written in inspiration by the quote portraying the tale of Snow White, by the Brothers Grimm, “Then her envious heart had rest, so far as an envious heart can have rest. ” written by the Brothers Grimm. This poem is how negativity ruins us all. How broken promises and wanting to be enough of something or perfect at anything will destroy our once kind hearts. As betrayal was showed in the quote “He said he rarely saw her, although she was his daughter. Giving a fair meaning of how she thought it would just be her king and her and no one would interfere, her jealousy was shown when she stated “When they’re together she’s his queen, the black-eyed slut, calling him daddy. ” letting the worse of her become her words. The mirror held great representation throughout the poem, she said that the mirror made her feel invincible; all she sees in the mirror is “her sneering face, her wide lips mimicking mine. ” No matter how pretty the step mother may have been she never acknowledged herself but rather the step daughter.
She felt disrespected and less then what the king had promised her. She was a step mother coming into a new family and her insecurities ate at her until it became her. To better understand where she is coming from, I’ll tell you about the Brothers Grimm version of Snow White. The Brothers Grimm story of “Snow White” tells a tale about a queen’s wish for blood red lips, black as ebony hair and white as snow skin. Sadly after her wish was granted, the Queen and newly mother passed away. Her kind married a new queen after a year of her death. The new queen who could not tolerate anyone else who might rival her beauty”. The story shows a mirror which claimed to be magical. “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who in this realm is the fairest of them all. ” which would make her so happy when the mirror replied with “You, my queen are the fairest of them all. ” The Brothers Grimm, Snow White’s step mother grew so much hate towards her step daughter and the envy in her heart “grew so dense that she no longer had any peace, day or night”, she hired a huntsman to kill her, and that huntsman who didn’t want to kill, let Snow White go as she promised to never go home.
That’s where in the tale the seven dwarfs come in. Snow White found their home and stayed in the seventh dwarf’s bed. When they found her they were stunned by her beauty, Snow White told them about the huntsman trying to kill her and of her step mother. So the dwarfs told her to be their house lady, doing all their chores (Cooking and cleaning) the secrets of her life was kept. Until her step mother asked her “Magical mirror”, if she was pretty and it replied “… eyond the mountains, where the seven dwarfs swell, Snow White is thriving, and this I must tell: Within this realm, she’s still a thousand times more fair” leading the step mother to set out to kill Snow White once and for all. She disguised herself and sold a lace to Snow White, and then tied the lace around Snow White; she tied it so tight Snow White fell down as if dead. When the dwarfs found her later on, they untied her lace and Snow White began to breathe again.
The queen found out from her “Magical mirror” that Snow White recovered and thought of another plan to rid of her. She got a combed and made it poisonous. She went out to the house once more and set out to comb Snow White’s hair. Snow White fell unconscious. When the dwarfs came back and saw her they removed the comb from her hair and Snow White lived. Once again the queen asked her mirror and once again Snow White was the fairest. Finally, leading to the famous poisonous apple.
Leading to Snow White’s death and her Magical Mirror finally said “You, my queen are the fairest of them all. ” The dwarfs set up a grave above the ground. Clear so, that everyone could see and her name in gold with “princess” written on it, the placed it at the top of the mountain. Many years passed and it looked like Snow White was only sleeping. Later a prince found her, saw her beauty and had to have her. While his servants were transporting her back to his kingdom the piece of apple stuck in her throat fell out and she was unpoisioned, and alive.
The prince rushed by her side and told her his love for her. They got married and at their wedding, the step mother put on these shoes that made her dance until she fell down dead. The Brothers Grimm’s version of Snow White starts off so similar in comparison to Snow White the Walt Disney adaptation. I mean it sounds familiar right? Snow White and the 7 dwarfs, step mother obsessed with being the “fairest of them all”, there’s a difference between the “love will solve everything” we were all told to believe in and the story written by the Brothers Grimm.
In Disney, the prince kisses her and they all live happily ever after. This poem is a representation on the story, but in a different point of view, see; the story that has always been told weather it’s the Grimm Brothers or the Walt Disney story the step mother is the villain. Yet in this poem you see more than the one sentence of “a year later, the king married a new queen”. You see the jealousy for Snow White in a different light and betrayal from the king.
