"Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a
folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.
[Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin Press, 1988.] The protagonist is a young woman living in forsaken circumstances that are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune, with her ascension to the throne via marriage. The story of
Rhodopis
"Rhodopis" ( grc-gre, Ῥοδῶπις ) is an ancient tale about a Greek slave girl who marries the king of Egypt. The story was first recorded by the Greek historian Strabo in the late first century BC or early first century AD and is considere ...
, recounted by the Greek geographer
Strabo sometime between around 7 BC and AD 23, about a Greek slave girl who marries the king of Egypt, is usually considered to be the earliest known variant of the Cinderella story.
[Roger Lancelyn Green: ''Tales of Ancient Egypt'', Penguin UK, 2011, , chapter "The Land of Egypt"]
The first literary European version of the story was published in Italy by
Giambattista Basile
Giambattista Basile (February 1566 – February 1632) was an Italian poet, courtier, and fairy tale collector. His collections include the oldest recorded forms of many well-known (and more obscure) European fairy tales. He is chiefly remembere ...
in his ''
Pentamerone
The ''Pentamerone'', subtitled ''Lo cunto de li cunti'' ("The Tale of Tales"), is a seventeenth-century Neapolitan fairy tale collection by Italian poet and courtier Giambattista Basile.
Background
The stories in the ''Pentamerone'' were collec ...
'' in 1634; the version that is now most widely known in the English-speaking world was published in French by
Charles Perrault in ''
Histoires ou contes du temps passé
''Histoires ou contes du temps passé, avec des moralités'' or ''Contes de ma mère l'Oye'' (''Stories or Tales from Past Times, with Morals'' or ''Mother Goose Tales'')Zipes (2000), 236 ff. is a collection of literary fairy tales written by C ...
'' in 1697.
[Bottigheimer, Ruth. (2008). "Before ''Contes du temps passe'' (1697): Charles Perrault's ''Griselidis'', ''Souhaits'' and ''Peau''". ''The Romantic Review'', Volume 99, Number 3. pp. 175–89] Another version was later published as ''Aschenputtel'' by the
Brothers Grimm
The Brothers Grimm ( or ), Jacob (1785–1863) and Wilhelm (1786–1859), were a brother duo of German academics, philologists, cultural researchers, lexicographers, and authors who together collected and published folklore. They are among the ...
in their folk tale collection ''
Grimms' Fairy Tales
''Grimms' Fairy Tales'', originally known as the ''Children's and Household Tales'' (german: Kinder- und Hausmärchen, lead=yes, ), is a German collection of fairy tales by the Grimm brothers or "Brothers Grimm", Jacob and Wilhelm, first publi ...
'' in 1812.
Although the story's title and main character's name change in different languages, in English-language folklore Cinderella is an archetypal name. The word Cinderella has, by analogy, come to mean one whose attributes were unrecognized: one who unexpectedly achieves recognition or success after a period of obscurity and neglect. The still-popular story of Cinderella continues to influence popular culture internationally, lending plot elements,
allusions
Allusion is a figure of speech, in which an object or circumstance from unrelated context is referred to covertly or indirectly. It is left to the audience to make the direct connection. Where the connection is directly and explicitly stated (as ...
, and
tropes to a wide variety of media.
Ancient versions
European
Rhodopis
![Egyptian sandals, vegetable fiber - Bata Shoe Museum - DSC00009](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/Egyptian_sandals%2C_vegetable_fiber_-_Bata_Shoe_Museum_-_DSC00009.JPG)
The oldest known oral version of the Cinderella story is the ancient Greek story of
Rhodopis
"Rhodopis" ( grc-gre, Ῥοδῶπις ) is an ancient tale about a Greek slave girl who marries the king of Egypt. The story was first recorded by the Greek historian Strabo in the late first century BC or early first century AD and is considere ...
,
a
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
courtesan
Courtesan, in modern usage, is a euphemism for a "kept" mistress or prostitute, particularly one with wealthy, powerful, or influential clients. The term historically referred to a courtier, a person who attended the court of a monarch or other ...
living in the
colony
In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the '' metropolitan state' ...
of
Naucratis
Naucratis or Naukratis (Ancient Greek: , "Naval Command"; Egyptian: , , , Coptic: ) was a city and trading-post in ancient Egypt, located on the Canopic (western-most) branch of the Nile river, south-east of the Mediterranean sea and the city ...
in
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
, whose name means "Rosy-Cheeks". The story is first recorded by the
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
geographer
Strabo in his ''
Geographica'' (book 17, 33): "They
he Egyptianstell the fabulous story that, when she was bathing, an eagle snatched one of her sandals from her maid and carried it to
Memphis
Memphis most commonly refers to:
* Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt
* Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city
Memphis may also refer to:
Places United States
* Memphis, Alabama
* Memphis, Florida
* Memphis, Indiana
* Memp ...
; and while the king was administering justice in the open air, the eagle, when it arrived above his head, flung the sandal into his lap; and the king, stirred both by the beautiful shape of the sandal and by the strangeness of the occurrence, sent men in all directions into the country in quest of the woman who wore the sandal; and when she was found in the city of Naucratis, she was brought up to Memphis, and became the wife of the king."
The same story is also later reported by the Roman orator
Aelian (–) in his ''Miscellaneous History'', which was written entirely in Greek. Aelian's story closely resembles the story told by Strabo, but adds that the name of the pharaoh in question was Psammetichus.
[Aelian]
"Various History", book 13, chapter 33
/ref> Aelian's account indicates that the story of Rhodopis remained popular throughout antiquity.
Herodotus
Herodotus ( ; grc, , }; BC) was an ancient Greek historian and geographer
A geographer is a physical scientist, social scientist or humanist whose area of study is geography, the study of Earth's natural environment and human society ...
, some five centuries before Strabo, records a popular legend about a possibly related courtesan named Rhodopis
"Rhodopis" ( grc-gre, Ῥοδῶπις ) is an ancient tale about a Greek slave girl who marries the king of Egypt. The story was first recorded by the Greek historian Strabo in the late first century BC or early first century AD and is considere ...
in his '' Histories'',[ claiming that she came from ]Thrace
Thrace (; el, Θράκη, Thráki; bg, Тракия, Trakiya; tr, Trakya) or Thrake is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe, now split among Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey, which is bounded by the Balkan Mountains to ...
, was the slave of Iadmon of Samos
Samos (, also ; el, Σάμος ) is a Greece, Greek island in the eastern Aegean Sea, south of Chios, north of Patmos and the Dodecanese, and off the coast of western Turkey, from which it is separated by the -wide Mycale Strait. It is also a se ...
and a fellow-slave of the story-teller Aesop
Aesop ( or ; , ; c. 620–564 BCE) was a Greek fabulist and storyteller credited with a number of fables now collectively known as ''Aesop's Fables''. Although his existence remains unclear and no writings by him survive, numerous tales c ...
, was taken to Egypt in the time of Pharaoh
Pharaoh (, ; Egyptian: '' pr ꜥꜣ''; cop, , Pǝrro; Biblical Hebrew: ''Parʿō'') is the vernacular term often used by modern authors for the kings of ancient Egypt who ruled as monarchs from the First Dynasty (c. 3150 BC) until the ...
Amasis, and freed there for a large sum by Charaxus of Mytilene
Mytilene (; el, Μυτιλήνη, Mytilíni ; tr, Midilli) is the capital of the Greek island of Lesbos, and its port. It is also the capital and administrative center of the North Aegean Region, and hosts the headquarters of the University o ...
, brother of Sappho the lyric poet.[Herodot]
"The Histories", book 2, chapters 134–135
/ref>
The resemblance of the shoe-testing of Rhodopis with Cinderella's slipper has already been noted in the 19th century, by Edgar Taylor and Reverend Sabine Baring-Gould
Sabine Baring-Gould ( ; 28 January 1834 – 2 January 1924) of Lew Trenchard in Devon, England, was an Anglican priest, hagiographer, antiquarian, novelist, folk song collector and eclectic scholar. His bibliography consists of more than 1,2 ...
.
Aspasia of Phocaea
A second predecessor for the Cinderella character, hailing from late Antiquity, may be Aspasia of Phocaea. Her story is told in Aelian's ''Varia Storia'': lost her mother in early childhood and raised by her father, Aspasia, despite living in poverty, has dreamt of meeting a noble man. As she dozes off, the girl has a vision of a dove transforming into a woman, who instructs her on how to remove a physical imperfection and restore her own beauty. In another episode, she and other courtesans are made to attend a feast hosted by Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
regent Cyrus the Younger. During the banquet, the Persian King sets his sights on Aspasia herself and ignores the other women.
''Le Fresne''
The twelfth-century AD '' lai'' of '' Le Fresne'' ("The Ash-Tree Girl"), retold by Marie de France
Marie de France (fl. 1160 to 1215) was a poet, possibly born in what is now France, who lived in England during the late 12th century. She lived and wrote at an unknown court, but she and her work were almost certainly known at the royal court o ...
, is a variant of the "Cinderella" story[ in which a wealthy noblewoman abandons her infant daughter at the base of an ash tree outside a nunnery with a ring and brocade as tokens of her identity][ because she is one of twin sisters][—the mother fears that she will be accused of infidelity][ (according to popular belief, twins were evidence of two different fathers). The infant is discovered by the porter, who names her ''Fresne'', meaning "Ash Tree",][ and she is raised by the nuns.][ After she has attained maturity, a young nobleman sees her and becomes her lover.][ The nobleman, however, is forced to marry a woman of noble birth.][ Fresne accepts that she will never marry her beloved][ but waits in the wedding chamber as a handmaiden.][ She covers the bed with her own brocade][ but, unbeknownst to her, her beloved's bride is actually her twin sister,][ and her mother recognizes the brocade as the same one she had given to the daughter she had abandoned so many years before.][ Fresne's true parentage is revealed][ and, as a result of her noble birth, she is allowed to marry her beloved,][ while her twin sister is married to a different nobleman.][
]
Ċiklemfusa from Malta
The Maltese Cinderella is named Ċiklemfusa. She is portrayed as an orphaned child in her early childhood. Before his death, her father gave her three magical objects: a chestnut, a nut and an almond. She used to work as a servant in the King's palace. Nobody ever took notice of the poor girl. One day she heard of a big ball and with the help of a magical spell turned herself into a beautiful princess. The prince fell in love with her and gave her a ring. On the following night the Prince gave her a diamond and on the third night he gave her a ring with a large gem on it. By the end of the ball Ċiklemfusa would run away hiding herself in the cellars of the Palace. She knew that the Prince was very sad about her disappearance so one day she made some krustini (typical Maltese biscuits) for him and hid the three gifts in each of them. When the Prince ate the biscuits he found the gifts he had given to the mysterious Princess and soon realized the huge mistake he had made of ignoring Ċiklemfusa because of her poor looks. They soon made marriage arrangements and she became his wife.
Outside Europe
''Ye Xian''
The tale of Ye Xian
"Ye Xian" (; ) is a Chinese fairy tale that is similar to the European Cinderella story, the Malay-Indonesian Bawang Putih Bawang Merah tale, the Vietnamese Tấm Cám story, and stories from other ethnic groups including the Tibetans and the ...
first appeared in '' Miscellaneous Morsels from Youyang'' written by Duan Chengshi around 860. In this version, Ye Xian is the daughter of the local tribal leader who died when she was young. Because her mother died before her father, she is now under the care of her father's second wife, who abused her. She befriends a fish, which is the reincarnation of her deceased mother.[ Her stepmother and half-sister kill the fish, but Ye Xian finds the bones, which are magical, and they help her dress appropriately for a local Festival, including a very light golden shoe.][ Her stepfamily recognizes her at the festival, causing her to flee and accidentally lose the shoe. Afterwards, the king of another sea island obtains the shoe and is curious about it as no one has feet that can fit the shoe. The King searches everywhere and finally reaches Ye's house, where she tries on the shoe. The king realises she is the one and takes her back to his kingdom. Her cruel stepmother and half-sister are killed by flying rocks. Variants of the story are also found in many ethnic groups in China.][
]
''Tam and Cam''
''The Story of Tam and Cam
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
'', from Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
, is similar to the Chinese version. The heroine Tấm also had a fish that was killed by the stepmother and the half-sister, and its bones also give her clothes. Later after marrying the king, Tấm was killed by her stepmother and sister, and reincarnated several times in form of a bird, a loom and a " gold apple". She finally reunited with the king and lived happily ever after.
Other Asian versions
There exists a Cambodian version (called "Khmer" by the collectors) with the name ''Néang Kantoc''. Its collectors compared it to the Vietnamese story of ''Tam and Cam''.
Another version was collected from the Cham people
The Cham (Cham: ''Čaṃ'') or Champa people (Cham: , ''Urang Campa''; vi, Người Chăm or ; km, ជនជាតិចាម, ) are an Austronesian ethnic group. From the 2nd century to 1832 the Cham populated Champa, a contiguous territor ...
of Southeast Asia, with the name ''La Sandale d'Or'' ("The Golden Sandal") or ''Conte de demoiselles Hulek et Kjong'' ("The tale of the ladies Hulek and Kjong").
20th century folktale collector Kenichi Mizusawa published an analysis of Japanese variants of Cinderella, separating them into two types: "Nukabuku, Komebuku" (about rival step-sisters) and "Ubagawa" (about the heroine's disguise).
''One Thousand and One Nights''
Several different variants of the story appear in the medieval '' One Thousand and One Nights'', also known as the ''Arabian Nights'', including "The Second Shaykh's Story", "The Eldest Lady's Tale" and "Abdallah ibn Fadil and His Brothers", all dealing with the theme of a younger sibling harassed by two jealous elders. In some of these, the siblings are female, while in others, they are male. One of the tales, "Judar and His Brethren", departs from the happy ending
A happy ending is an ending of the plot of a work of fiction in which almost everything turns out for the best for the main protagonists and their sidekicks, while the main villains/antagonists are dead/defeated.
In storylines where the protago ...
s of previous variants and reworks the plot to give it a tragic
Tragedy (from the grc-gre, τραγῳδία, ''tragōidia'', ''tragōidia'') is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful events that befall a main character. Traditionally, the intention of tragedy i ...
ending instead, with the younger brother being poisoned by his elder brothers.
Literary versions
The first European version written in prose was published in Naples, Italy, by Giambattista Basile
Giambattista Basile (February 1566 – February 1632) was an Italian poet, courtier, and fairy tale collector. His collections include the oldest recorded forms of many well-known (and more obscure) European fairy tales. He is chiefly remembere ...
, in his ''Pentamerone
The ''Pentamerone'', subtitled ''Lo cunto de li cunti'' ("The Tale of Tales"), is a seventeenth-century Neapolitan fairy tale collection by Italian poet and courtier Giambattista Basile.
Background
The stories in the ''Pentamerone'' were collec ...
'' (1634). The story itself was set in the Kingdom of Naples, at that time the most important political and cultural center of Southern Italy and among the most influential capitals in Europe, and written in the Neapolitan dialect
, altname =
, states = Italy
, region = Abruzzo, Apulia, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Lazio, Marche, Molise
, ethnicity = ''Mezzogiorno'' Ethnic Italians
, speakers = 5.7 million
, date ...
. It was later retold, along with other Basile tales, by Charles Perrault in ''Histoires ou contes du temps passé
''Histoires ou contes du temps passé, avec des moralités'' or ''Contes de ma mère l'Oye'' (''Stories or Tales from Past Times, with Morals'' or ''Mother Goose Tales'')Zipes (2000), 236 ff. is a collection of literary fairy tales written by C ...
'' (1697), and by the Brothers Grimm
The Brothers Grimm ( or ), Jacob (1785–1863) and Wilhelm (1786–1859), were a brother duo of German academics, philologists, cultural researchers, lexicographers, and authors who together collected and published folklore. They are among the ...
in their folk tale collection ''Grimms' Fairy Tales
''Grimms' Fairy Tales'', originally known as the ''Children's and Household Tales'' (german: Kinder- und Hausmärchen, lead=yes, ), is a German collection of fairy tales by the Grimm brothers or "Brothers Grimm", Jacob and Wilhelm, first publi ...
'' (1812).
The name "Cenerentola" comes from the Italian word "cenere" (ash, cinder). It has to do with the fact that servants and scullions were usually soiled with ash at that time, because of their cleaning work and also because they had to live in cold basements so they usually tried to get warm by sitting close to the fireplace.
''Cenerentola'', by Basile
Giambattista Basile
Giambattista Basile (February 1566 – February 1632) was an Italian poet, courtier, and fairy tale collector. His collections include the oldest recorded forms of many well-known (and more obscure) European fairy tales. He is chiefly remembere ...
, a Neapolitan writer, soldier and government official, assembled a set of oral folk tales into a written collection titled ''Lo cunto de li cunti'' (The Story of Stories), or ''Pentamerone
The ''Pentamerone'', subtitled ''Lo cunto de li cunti'' ("The Tale of Tales"), is a seventeenth-century Neapolitan fairy tale collection by Italian poet and courtier Giambattista Basile.
Background
The stories in the ''Pentamerone'' were collec ...
''. It included the tale of Cenerentola, which features a wicked stepmother and evil stepsisters, magical transformations, a missing slipper, and a hunt by a monarch
A monarch is a head of stateWebster's II New College DictionarMonarch Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest authority and power i ...
for the owner of the slipper. It was published posthumously in 1634.
Plot:
:A prince has a daughter, Zezolla (tonnie) (the Cinderella figure), who is tended by a beloved governess. The governess, with Zezolla's help, persuades the prince to marry her. The governess then brings forward six daughters of her own, who abuse Zezolla (tonnie), and send her into the kitchen to work as a servant. The prince goes to the island of Sinia, meets a fairy who gives presents to his daughter, and brings back for her: a golden spade, a golden bucket, a silken napkin, and a date seedling. The girl cultivates the tree, and when the king hosts a ball, Zezolla appears dressed richly by a fairy living in the date tree. The king falls in love with her, but Zezolla runs away before he can find out who she is. Twice Zezolla escapes the king and his servants. The third time, the king's servant captures one of her slippers. The king invites all of the maidens in the land to a ball with a shoe-test, identifies Zezolla (tonnie) after the shoe jumps from his hand to her foot, and eventually marries her.
''Cendrillon ou la petite pantoufle de verre'', by Perrault
One of the most popular versions of Cinderella was written in French by Charles Perrault in 1697, under the name ''Cendrillon ou la petite pantoufle de verre''. The popularity of his tale was due to his additions to the story, including the pumpkin, the fairy-godmother and the introduction of "glass" slippers.
Plot:
:A wealthy widower has a beautiful young daughter, a girl of unparalleled kindness and sweet temper. The gentleman marries a proud and haughty woman as his second wife. She has two daughters
A daughter is a female offspring; a girl or a woman in relation to her parents. Daughterhood is the state of being someone's daughter. The male counterpart is a son. Analogously the name is used in several areas to show relations between groups ...
, who are equally vain and selfish. The girl is forced into servitude by her stepmother, where she is made to work day and night doing menial chores. After the girl's chores are done for the day, she curls up near the fireplace in an effort to stay warm. She often arises covered in ashes, giving rise to the mocking nickname "Cendrillon" (Cinderella) by her stepsisters. Cinderella bears the abuse patiently and does not tell her father, who would have scolded her.
:One day, the prince invites all the people in the land to a royal ball. The two stepsisters gleefully plan their wardrobes for the ball, and taunt Cinderella by telling her that maids aren't invited to the ball.
:As the two stepsisters and the stepmother depart to the ball, Cinderella cries in despair. Her Fairy godmother
In fairy tales, a fairy godmother () is a fairy with magical powers who acts as a mentor or parent to someone, in the role that an actual godparent was expected to play in many societies. In Perrault's ''Cinderella'', he concludes the tale wit ...
magically appears and immediately begins to transform Cinderella from house servant to the young lady she was by birth, all in the effort to get Cinderella to the ball. She turns a pumpkin into a golden carriage, mice into horses, a rat into a coachman
A coachman is an employee who drives a coach or carriage, a horse-drawn vehicle designed for the conveyance of passengers. A coachman has also been called a coachee, coachy, whip, or hackman.
The coachman's first concern is to remain in full c ...
, and lizards into footmen
A footman is a male domestic worker employed mainly to wait at table or attend a coach or carriage.
Etymology
Originally in the 14th century a footman denoted a soldier or any pedestrian, later it indicated a foot servant. A running footman deli ...
. She then turns Cinderella's rags into a beautiful jeweled gown, complete with a delicate pair of glass slippers. The Fairy Godmother tells her to enjoy the ball, but warns her that she must return before midnight, when the spells
Spell(s) or The Spell(s) may refer to:
Processes
* Spell (paranormal), an incantation
* Spell (ritual), a magical ritual
* Spelling, the writing of words
Arts and entertainment Film and television
* ''The Spell'' (1977 film), an American ...
will be broken.
:At the ball, the entire court
A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in acco ...
is entranced by Cinderella, especially the Prince. At this first ball, Cinderella remembers to leave before midnight. Back home, Cinderella graciously thanks her Fairy Godmother. She then innocently greets the two stepsisters, who had not recognized her earlier, and talk of nothing but the beautiful girl at the ball.
:Another ball is held the next evening, and Cinderella again attends with her Fairy Godmother's help. The prince has become even more infatuated with the mysterious woman at the ball, and Cinderella in turn becomes so enchanted by him she loses track of time and leaves only at the final stroke of midnight, losing one of her glass slippers on the steps of the palace in her haste. The Prince chases her, but outside the palace, the guards see only a simple country girl leave. The prince pockets the slipper and vows to find and marry the girl to whom it belongs. Meanwhile, Cinderella keeps the other slipper, which does not disappear when the spell is broken.
:The prince's herald tries the slipper on all the women in the kingdom. When the herald arrives at Cinderella's home, the two stepsisters try in vain to win him over. Cinderella asks if she may try, but the two stepsisters taunt her. Naturally, the slipper fits perfectly, and Cinderella produces the other slipper for good measure. Cinderella's stepfamily pleads for forgiveness, and Cinderella agrees. Cinderella had hoped her step-family would love her always. Cinderella marries the prince and forgives her two stepsisters, then marrying them off to two wealthy noblemen of the court. They all lived happily ever after.
The first moral of the story is that beauty is a treasure, but graciousness is priceless. Without it, nothing is possible; with it, one can do anything.
However, the second moral of the story mitigates the first one and reveals the criticism that Perrault is aiming at: That "without doubt it is a great advantage to have intelligence, courage, good breeding, and common sense. These, and similar talents come only from heaven, and it is good to have them. However, even these may fail to bring you success, without the blessing of a godfather or a godmother."
''Aschenputtel'', by the Brothers Grimm
Another well-known version was recorded by the German brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm in the 19th century. The tale is called ''"Aschenputtel"'' The Little Ash Girl”or ''"Cinderella"'' in English translations). This version is much more violent than that of Charles Perrault and Disney, in that Cinderella's father has not died and the two stepsisters mutilate their feet to fit in the golden slipper. There is no fairy godmother in this version of the Brothers Grimm, but rather help comes from a wishing tree that the heroine planted on her deceased mother's grave when she recites a certain chant. In the second edition of their collection (1819), the Brothers Grimm supplemented the original 1812 version with a coda in which the two stepsisters suffer a terrible punishment by the princess Cinderella for their cruelty.
Summary
A plague infests a village, and a wealthy gentleman's wife lies on her deathbed. She calls for her only daughter, and tells her to remain good and kind, as God would protect her. She then dies and is buried. The child visits her mother's grave every day to grieve and a year goes by. The gentleman marries another woman with two older daughters from a previous marriage. They have beautiful faces and fair skin, but their hearts are cruel and wicked. The stepsisters steal the girl's fine clothes and jewels and force her to wear rags. They banish her into the kitchen, and give her the nickname "Aschenputtel" ("Ashfool"). She is forced to do all kinds of hard work from dawn to dusk for the sisters. The cruel sisters do nothing but mock her and make her chores harder by creating messes. However, despite all of it, the girl remains good and kind, and regularly visits her mother's grave to cry and pray to God that she will see her circumstances improve.
One day the gentleman visits a fair, promising his stepdaughters gifts of luxury. The eldest asks for beautiful dresses, while the younger for pearls and diamonds. His own daughter merely begs for the first twig to knock his hat off on the way. The gentleman goes on his way, and acquires presents for his stepdaughters. While passing a forest he gets a hazel twig, and gives it to his daughter. She plants the twig over her mother's grave, waters it with her tears and over the years, it grows into a glowing hazel tree. The girl prays under it three times a day, and a white bird always comes to her as she prays. She tells her wishes to the bird, and every time the bird throws down to her what she has wished for.
The king decides to proclaim a festival that will last for three days and invites all the beautiful maidens in that country to attend so that the prince can select one of them for his bride. The two sisters are also invited, but when Aschenputtel begs them to allow her to go with them into the celebration, the stepmother refuses because she has no decent dress nor shoes to wear. When the girl insists, the woman throws a dish of lentils into the ashes for her to pick up, guaranteeing her permission to attend the festival if she can clean up the lentils in two hours. When the girl accomplished the task in less than an hour with the help of a flock of white doves that came when she sang a certain chant, the stepmother only redoubles the task and throws down even a greater quantity of lentils. When Aschenputtel is able to accomplish it in a greater speed, not wanting to spoil her daughters' chances, the stepmother hastens away with her husband and daughters to the celebration and leaves the crying stepdaughter behind.
The girl retreats to the graveyard and asks to be clothed in silver and gold. The white bird drops a gold and silver gown and silk shoes. She goes to the feast. The prince dances with her all the time, claiming her as his dance partner whenever a gentleman asks for her hand, and when sunset comes she asks to leave. The prince escorts her home, but she eludes him and jumps inside the estate's pigeon coop. The father came home ahead of time and the prince asks him to chop the pigeon coop down, but Aschenputtel has already escaped from the back, to the graveyard to the hazel tree to return her fine clothes. The father finds her asleep in the kitchen hearth, and suspects nothing. The next day, the girl appears in grander apparel. The prince again dances with her the whole day, and when dark came, the prince accompanies her home. However, she climbs a pear tree in the back garden to escape him. The prince calls her father who chops down the tree, wondering if it could be Aschenputtel, but Aschenputtel was already in the kitchen when the father arrives home. The third day, she appears dressed in grand finery, with slippers of gold. Now the prince is determined to keep her, and has the entire stairway smeared with pitch. Aschenputtel, in her haste to elude the prince, loses one of her golden slippers on that pitch. The prince picks the slipper and proclaims that he will marry the maiden whose foot fits the golden slipper.
The next morning, the prince goes to Aschenputtel's house and tries the slipper on the eldest stepsister. Since she will have no more need to go on foot when she will be queen, the sister was advised by her mother to cut off her toes to fit the slipper. While riding with the stepsister, the two magic doves from heaven tell the prince that blood drips from her foot. Appalled by her treachery, he goes back again and tries the slipper on the other stepsister. She cut off part of her heel to get her foot in the slipper, and again the prince is fooled. While riding with her to the king's castle, the doves alert him again about the blood on her foot. He comes back to inquire about another girl. The gentleman tells him that his dead wife left a "dirty little Cinderella" in the house, omitting to mention that she is his own daughter, and that she is too filthy to be seen, but the prince asks him to let her try on the slipper. Aschenputtel appears after washing clean her face and hands, and when she puts on the slipper, which fitted her like a glove, the prince recognizes her as the stranger with whom he has danced at the festival, even before trying it. To the horror of the stepmother and the two limping sisters, their merely servant-girl had won without any subterfuge. The prince put Aschenputtel before him on his horse and rode off to the palace. While passing the hazel tree the two magic doves from heaven declare Aschenputtel as the true bride of the prince, and remained on her shoulders, one on the left and the other on the right.
In a coda added in the second edition of 1819, during Aschenputtel's royal wedding, the false stepsisters had hoped to worm their way into her favour as the future queen, but this time they don't escape their princess' silent rage, which she kept to herself until that day. As she walks down the aisle with her stepsisters as her bridesmaids, Aschenputtel's doves fly off her shoulders and strike the two stepsisters' eyes, one in the left and the other in the right. It is their last chance of redemption, but since they are desperate to win the new princess' affections, they don't give up and go through the ceremony, so when the wedding comes to an end, and Aschenputtel and her beloved prince march out of the church, her doves fly again, promptly striking the remaining eyes of the two evil stepsisters blind, a truly awful comeuppance they have to endure. Then, finally free from abuse and enslavement, Aschenputtel leaves her family forever to be a princess with her prince, while the stepsisters live their lives as blind beggars, as her father and stepmother are in disgrace.
Plot variations and alternative tellings
Folklorists have long studied variants on this tale across cultures. In 1893, Marian Roalfe Cox
Marian Roalfe Cox (1860–1916) was an English folklorist who pioneered studies in Morphology for the fairy tale ''Cinderella''.
In 1893, after being commissioned by the Folklore Society of Britain, she produced ''Cinderella: Three Hundred and F ...
, commissioned by the Folklore Society
The Folklore Society (FLS) is a national association in the United Kingdom for the study of folklore.
It was founded in London in 1878 to study traditional vernacular culture, including traditional music, song, dance and drama, narrative, arts an ...
of Britain, produced ''Cinderella: Three Hundred and Forty-Five Variants of Cinderella, Catskin and, Cap o'Rushes, Abstracted and Tabulated with a Discussion of Medieval Analogues and Notes.'' Further morphology
Morphology, from the Greek and meaning "study of shape", may refer to:
Disciplines
* Morphology (archaeology), study of the shapes or forms of artifacts
* Morphology (astronomy), study of the shape of astronomical objects such as nebulae, galaxies ...
studies have continued on this seminal work.[If The Shoe Fits: Folklorists' criteria for #510]
Joseph Jacobs
Joseph Jacobs (29 August 1854 – 30 January 1916) was an Australian folklorist, translator, literary critic, social scientist, historian and writer of English literature who became a notable collector and publisher of English folklore.
Jacobs ...
has attempted to reconstruct the original tale as ''The Cinder Maid'' by comparing the common features among hundreds of variants collected across Europe. The Aarne–Thompson–Uther system classifies ''Cinderella'' as type 510A, "Persecuted Heroine". Others of this type include ''The Sharp Grey Sheep The Sharp Grey Sheep or The Sharp-Horned Grey Sheep is a Scottish fairy tale collected by John Francis Campbell in ''Popular Tales of the West Highlands'', listing his informant as John Dewar, labourer, from Glendaruail, Cowal.
It is Aarne-Thomps ...
''; ''The Golden Slipper
The Golden Slipper (russian: Золотой башмачок) is a Russian fairy tale collected by Alexander Afanasyev in '' Narodnye russkie skazki''.
It is Aarne-Thompson type 510A, the persecuted heroine.
Synopsis
An old man brought back two ...
''; ''The Story of Tam and Cam
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
''; ''Rushen Coatie
Rushen Coatie or Rashin-Coatie is a Scottish fairy tale collected by Joseph Jacobs in his ''More English Fairy Tales''.
It is Aarne–Thompson type 510A, the persecuted heroine, as is Cinderella.
Synopsis
A queen with a daughter died. On her de ...
''; ''The Wonderful Birch
The Wonderful Birch (russian: Чудесная берёза) is a Finnish/Russian fairy tale. A variant on Cinderella, it is Aarne–Thompson folktale type 510A, the persecuted heroine. It makes use of shapeshifting motifs. Andrew Lang included i ...
''; ''Fair, Brown and Trembling
Fair, Brown and Trembling is an Irish fairy tale collected by Jeremiah Curtin in ''Myths and Folk-lore of Ireland'' and Joseph Jacobs in his ''Celtic Fairy Tales''.
It is Aarne-Thompson type 510A. Other tales of this type include ''Cinderella'', ...
''; and ''Katie Woodencloak
"Katie Woodencloak" or "Kari Woodengown" (originally "Kari Trestakk") is a Norwegian fairy tale collected by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe in ''Norske Folkeeventyr''. Andrew Lang included it in '' The Red Fairy Book''.
It is Aarne ...
''.
The magical help
International versions lack the fairy godmother present in the famous Perrault's tale. Instead, the donor is her mother, incarnated into an animal (if she is dead) or transformed into a cow (if alive). In other versions, the helper is an animal, such as a cow, a bull, a pike, or a saint or angel. The bovine helper appears in some Greek versions, in "the Balkan-Slavonic tradition of the tale", and in some Central Asian variants. The mother-as-cow is killed by the heroine's sisters, her bones gathered and from her grave the heroine gets the wonderful dresses.
Africanist Sigrid Schmidt stated that "a typical scene" in Kapmalaien ( Cape Malays) tales is the mother becoming a fish, being eaten in fish form, the daughter burying her bones and a tree sprouting from her grave.
Professor Gražina Skabeikytė-Kazlauskienė recognizes that the fish, the cow, even a female dog (in other variants), these animals represent "the eroine'smother's legacy". Jack Zipes, commenting on a Sicilian variant, concluded much the same: Cinderella is helped by her mother "in the guise of doves, fairies, and godmothers". In his notes to his own reconstruction, Joseph Jacobs acknowledged that the heroine's animal helper (e.g., cow or sheep) was "clearly identified with her mother", as well as the tree on Cinderella's mother's grave was connected to her.
Villains
Although many variants of Cinderella feature the wicked stepmother, the defining trait of type 510A is a female persecutor: in ''Fair, Brown and Trembling
Fair, Brown and Trembling is an Irish fairy tale collected by Jeremiah Curtin in ''Myths and Folk-lore of Ireland'' and Joseph Jacobs in his ''Celtic Fairy Tales''.
It is Aarne-Thompson type 510A. Other tales of this type include ''Cinderella'', ...
'' and ''Finette Cendron
Finette Cendron (meaning in English, ''Cunning Cinders'') is a French literary fairy tale written by Madame d'Aulnoy.
It combines Aarne-Thompson types 327A and 510A. Other tales of 510A type include "Cinderella", " Katie Woodencloak", " Fair, Br ...
'', the stepmother does not appear at all, and it is the older sisters who confine her to the kitchen. In other fairy tales featuring the ball, she was driven from home by the persecutions of her father, usually because he wished to marry her. Of this type (510B) are ''Cap O' Rushes
"Cap-o'-Rushes" is an English fairy tale published by Joseph Jacobs in ''English Fairy Tales''.
Jacobs gives his source as "Contributed by Mrs. Walter-Thomas to "Suffolk Notes and Queries" of the ''Ipswich Journal'', published by Mr. Lang in ''Lo ...
'', ''Catskin
Catskin is an English fairy tale collected by Joseph Jacobs, in ''More English Fairy Tales''. Marian Roalfe Cox, in her pioneering study of ''Cinderella'', identified as one of the basic types, the Unnatural Father, contrasting with ''Cinderella'' ...
'', All-Kinds-of-Fur, and ''Allerleirauh
"Allerleirauh" ( en, "All-Kinds-of-Fur", sometimes translated as "Thousandfurs") is a fairy tale recorded by the Brothers Grimm. Since the second edition published in 1819, it has been recorded as Tale no. 65. Andrew Lang included it in ''The Gree ...
'', and she slaves in the kitchen because she found a job there. In ''Katie Woodencloak
"Katie Woodencloak" or "Kari Woodengown" (originally "Kari Trestakk") is a Norwegian fairy tale collected by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe in ''Norske Folkeeventyr''. Andrew Lang included it in '' The Red Fairy Book''.
It is Aarne ...
'', the stepmother drives her from home, and she likewise finds such a job.
In ''La Cenerentola
' ('' Cinderella, or Goodness Triumphant'') is an operatic ''dramma giocoso'' in two acts by Gioachino Rossini. The libretto was written by Jacopo Ferretti, based on the libretti written by Charles-Guillaume Étienne for the opera ''Cendrillon'' ...
'', Gioachino Rossini
Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music. He set new standards ...
inverted the sex roles: Cenerentola is mistreated by her stepfather
A stepfather or stepdad is a non-biological male parent married to one's preexisting parent.
A stepfather-in-law is a stepfather of one's spouse. Children from his spouse's previous unions are known as his stepchildren.
Culture
Though less comm ...
. (This makes the opera Aarne-Thompson type 510B.) He also made the economic basis for such hostility unusually clear, in that Don Magnifico wishes to make his own daughters' dowries
A dowry is a payment, such as property or money, paid by the bride's family to the groom or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price and dower. While bride price or bride service is a payment b ...
larger, to attract a grander match, which is impossible if he must provide a third dowry. Folklorists often interpret the hostility between the stepmother and stepdaughter as just such a competition for resources, but seldom does the tale make it clear.
In some retellings, at least one stepsister is somewhat kind to Cinderella and second guesses the Stepmother's treatment. This is seen in ''Ever After
''Ever After'' (known in promotional material as ''Ever After: A Cinderella Story'') is a 1998 American romantic period drama film inspired by the Charles Perrault fairy tale, "Cinderella". It is directed by Andy Tennant and stars Drew Barrymor ...
'', the two direct-to-video sequels to Walt Disney
Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...
's 1950 film, and the 2013 Broadway musical.
Ball, ballgown, and curfew
The number of balls varies, sometimes one, sometimes two, and sometimes three. The fairy godmother
In fairy tales, a fairy godmother () is a fairy with magical powers who acts as a mentor or parent to someone, in the role that an actual godparent was expected to play in many societies. In Perrault's ''Cinderella'', he concludes the tale wit ...
is Perrault's own addition to the tale. The person who aided Cinderella (Aschenputtel) in the Grimms's version is her dead mother. Aschenputtel requests her aid by praying at her grave, on which a tree is growing. Helpful doves roosting in the tree shake down the clothing she needs for the ball. This motif is found in other variants of the tale as well, such as in the Finnish ''The Wonderful Birch
The Wonderful Birch (russian: Чудесная берёза) is a Finnish/Russian fairy tale. A variant on Cinderella, it is Aarne–Thompson folktale type 510A, the persecuted heroine. It makes use of shapeshifting motifs. Andrew Lang included i ...
''. Playwright James Lapine
James Elliot Lapine (born January 10, 1949) is an American stage director, playwright, screenwriter, and librettist. He has won the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical three times, for ''Into the Woods'', '' Falsettos'', and '' Passion''. He ...
incorporated this motif into the Cinderella plotline of the musical ''Into the Woods
''Into the Woods'' is a 1987 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine.
The musical intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales, exploring the consequences of the characters' wishes and quests. T ...
''. Giambattista Basile
Giambattista Basile (February 1566 – February 1632) was an Italian poet, courtier, and fairy tale collector. His collections include the oldest recorded forms of many well-known (and more obscure) European fairy tales. He is chiefly remembere ...
's '' Cenerentola'' combined them; the Cinderella figure, Zezolla, asks her father to commend her to the Dove of Fairies and ask her to send her something, and she receives a tree that will provide her clothing. Other variants have her helped by talking animals, as in ''Katie Woodencloak
"Katie Woodencloak" or "Kari Woodengown" (originally "Kari Trestakk") is a Norwegian fairy tale collected by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe in ''Norske Folkeeventyr''. Andrew Lang included it in '' The Red Fairy Book''.
It is Aarne ...
'', ''Rushen Coatie
Rushen Coatie or Rashin-Coatie is a Scottish fairy tale collected by Joseph Jacobs in his ''More English Fairy Tales''.
It is Aarne–Thompson type 510A, the persecuted heroine, as is Cinderella.
Synopsis
A queen with a daughter died. On her de ...
'', ''Bawang Putih Bawang Merah
Bawang merah dan bawang putih ( Indonesian for Shallots and Garlic) is a popular traditional Malay and Indonesian folklore involving two siblings with opposite characters (one good and one bad), and an unjust step mother. The folktale has the simi ...
'', ''The Story of Tam and Cam
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
'', or ''The Sharp Grey Sheep The Sharp Grey Sheep or The Sharp-Horned Grey Sheep is a Scottish fairy tale collected by John Francis Campbell in ''Popular Tales of the West Highlands'', listing his informant as John Dewar, labourer, from Glendaruail, Cowal.
It is Aarne-Thomps ...
''—these animals often having some connection with her dead mother; in ''The Golden Slipper
The Golden Slipper (russian: Золотой башмачок) is a Russian fairy tale collected by Alexander Afanasyev in '' Narodnye russkie skazki''.
It is Aarne-Thompson type 510A, the persecuted heroine.
Synopsis
An old man brought back two ...
'', a fish aids her after she puts it in water. In "The Anklet", it's a magical alabaster pot the girl purchased with her own money that brings her the gowns and the anklets she wears to the ball. Gioachino Rossini
Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music. He set new standards ...
, having agreed to do an opera based on ''Cinderella'' if he could omit all magical elements, wrote ''La Cenerentola
' ('' Cinderella, or Goodness Triumphant'') is an operatic ''dramma giocoso'' in two acts by Gioachino Rossini. The libretto was written by Jacopo Ferretti, based on the libretti written by Charles-Guillaume Étienne for the opera ''Cendrillon'' ...
'', in which she was aided by Alidoro, a philosopher and formerly the Prince's tutor.
The midnight curfew is also absent in many versions; Cinderella leaves the ball to get home before her stepmother and stepsisters, or she is simply tired. In the Grimms' version, Aschenputtel slips away when she is tired, hiding on her father's estate in a tree, and then the pigeon coop, to elude her pursuers; her father tries to catch her by chopping them down, but she escapes.
Identifying item
The glass slipper is unique to Charles Perrault's version and its derivatives; in other versions of the tale it may be made of other materials (in the version recorded by the Brothers Grimm
The Brothers Grimm ( or ), Jacob (1785–1863) and Wilhelm (1786–1859), were a brother duo of German academics, philologists, cultural researchers, lexicographers, and authors who together collected and published folklore. They are among the ...
, German: ''Aschenbroedel'' and ''Aschenputtel'', for instance, it is gold) and in still other tellings, it is not a slipper but an anklet, a ring, or a bracelet that gives the prince the key to Cinderella's identity. In Rossini's opera "''La Cenerentola
' ('' Cinderella, or Goodness Triumphant'') is an operatic ''dramma giocoso'' in two acts by Gioachino Rossini. The libretto was written by Jacopo Ferretti, based on the libretti written by Charles-Guillaume Étienne for the opera ''Cendrillon'' ...
''" ("Cinderella"), the slipper is replaced by twin bracelets to prove her identity. In the Finnish variant ''The Wonderful Birch
The Wonderful Birch (russian: Чудесная берёза) is a Finnish/Russian fairy tale. A variant on Cinderella, it is Aarne–Thompson folktale type 510A, the persecuted heroine. It makes use of shapeshifting motifs. Andrew Lang included i ...
'' the prince uses tar to gain something every ball, and so has a ring, a circlet, and a pair of slippers. Some interpreters, perhaps troubled by sartorial impracticalities, have suggested that Perrault's "glass slipper" (''pantoufle de verre'') had been a "squirrel fur slipper" (''pantoufle de vair
Vair (; from Latin ''varius'' "variegated"), originating as a processed form of squirrel fur, gave its name to a set of different patterns used in heraldry. Heraldic vair represents a kind of fur common in the Middle Ages, made from pieces of ...
'') in some unidentified earlier version of the tale, and that Perrault or one of his sources confused the words; however, most scholars believe the glass slipper was a deliberate piece of poetic invention on Perrault's part. Nabokov
Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov (russian: link=no, Владимир Владимирович Набоков ; 2 July 1977), also known by the pen name Vladimir Sirin (), was a Russian-American novelist, poet, translator, and entomologist. Bo ...
has Professor Pnin
''Pnin'' () is Vladimir Nabokov's 13th novel and his fourth written in English; it was published in 1957. The success of ''Pnin'' in the United States launched Nabokov's career into literary prominence. Its eponymous protagonist, Timofey Pavlovi ...
assert as fact that "Cendrillon's shoes were not made of glass but of Russian squirrel fur – ''vair'', in French". The 1950 Disney adaptation takes advantage of the slipper being made of glass to add a twist whereby the slipper is shattered just before Cinderella has the chance to try it on, leaving her with only the matching slipper with which to prove her identity.
Revelation
In many variants of the tale, the prince is told that Cinderella can not possibly be the one, as she is too dirty and ragged. Often, this is said by the stepmother or stepsisters. In the Grimms' version, both the stepmother and the father urge it. The prince nevertheless insists on her trying. Cinderella arrives and proves her identity by fitting into the slipper or other item (in some cases she has kept the other).
Conclusion
According to Korean scholarship, East Asia
East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both Geography, geographical and culture, ethno-cultural terms. The modern State (polity), states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. ...
n versions of ''Cinderella'' "typically" continue as the heroine's stepmother replaces the Cinderella-like character for her own daughter, while the heroine goes through a cycle of transformations. Such tales continue the fairy tale into what is in effect a second episode.
In '' The Thousand Nights and A Night'', in a tale called "The Anklet", the stepsisters make a comeback by using twelve magical hairpins to turn the bride into a dove on her wedding night. In ''The Wonderful Birch
The Wonderful Birch (russian: Чудесная берёза) is a Finnish/Russian fairy tale. A variant on Cinderella, it is Aarne–Thompson folktale type 510A, the persecuted heroine. It makes use of shapeshifting motifs. Andrew Lang included i ...
'', the stepmother, a witch, manages to substitute her daughter for the true bride after she has given birth.
Works based on the Cinderella story
Works based on the story of Cinderella include:
Opera and ballet
*''Cendrillon'' (1749) by Jean-Louis Laruette
*'' Cendrillon'' (1810) by Nicolas Isouard
Nicolas Isouard (also known as ''Nicolò'', ''Nicolò Isoiar'' or ''Nicolò de Malte''; 18 May 1773 – 23 March 1818) was a Maltese-born French composer.
Biography
Born in Porto Salvo, Valletta, Malta, Isouard studied in Rabat or Mdina with Fra ...
, libretto by Charles-Guillaume Étienne
Charles-Guillaume Étienne (5 January 177813 March 1845) was a 19th-century French playwright.
Biography
He was born in Chamouilley, Haute-Marne. He held various municipal offices under the Revolution and came in 1793 to Paris, where he prod ...
*' (1814) by Stefano Pavesi
Stefano Pavesi (22 January 1779, Casaletto Vaprio – 28 July 1850) was an Italian composer. He is primarily known as a prolific opera composer; his breakthrough opera was Fingallo e Comala, and his acknowledged opera masterpiece is Ser Marcan ...
*''La Cenerentola
' ('' Cinderella, or Goodness Triumphant'') is an operatic ''dramma giocoso'' in two acts by Gioachino Rossini. The libretto was written by Jacopo Ferretti, based on the libretti written by Charles-Guillaume Étienne for the opera ''Cendrillon'' ...
'' (1817) by Gioachino Rossini
Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music. He set new standards ...
*''Cinderella
"Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...
'' (1893) by Baron Boris Vietinghoff-Scheel
*'' Cendrillon'' (1894–95) by Jules Massenet, libretto by Henri Caïn
*''Aschenbrödel
''Aschenbrödel'' (''Cinderella'') is a ballet written by Johann Strauss II. He had written all the principal parts of the ballet, and was intending to fill in the orchestration as time permitted. However, Strauss died in 1899, and it was finish ...
'' (1901) by Johann Strauss II, adapted and completed by Josef Bayer
*''Cinderella'' (1901–02) by Gustav Holst
Gustav Theodore Holst (born Gustavus Theodore von Holst; 21 September 1874 – 25 May 1934) was an English composer, arranger and teacher. Best known for his orchestral suite ''The Planets'', he composed many other works across a range ...
*''La Cenerentola'' (1902) by Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari
Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari (born Ermanno Wolf) (January 12, 1876 – January 21, 1948) was an Italian composer and teacher. He is best known for his comic operas such as '' Il segreto di Susanna'' (1909). A number of his works were based on plays ...
*'' Cendrillon'' (1904) by Pauline García-Viardot
*''Aschenbrödel'' (1905) by Leo Blech
Leo Blech (21 April 1871 – 25 August 1958) was a German opera composer and conductor who is perhaps most famous for his work at the Königliches Opernhaus (later the Berlin State Opera / Staatsoper Unter den Linden) from 1906 to 1937, and late ...
, libretto by Richard Batka
*''Das Märchen vom Aschenbrödel'' (1941) by Frank Martin
*''Zolushka'' or ''Cinderella
"Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...
'' (1945) by Sergei Prokofiev
Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''., group=n (27 April .S. 15 April1891 – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, ...
*''La Cenicienta
''La Cenicienta'' (''Cinderella'') is an opera in three acts composed by Chilean artist Jorge Peña Hen (1928–1973), to a libretto by the Chilean author, Oscar Jara Azocar (1910–1988).
This opera is one of the few operas in the world ...
'' (1966) by Jorge Peña Hen
*''Cinderella'', a "pantomime opera" (1979) by Peter Maxwell Davies
Sir Peter Maxwell Davies (8 September 1934 – 14 March 2016) was an English composer and conductor, who in 2004 was made Master of the Queen's Music.
As a student at both the University of Manchester and the Royal Manchester College of Musi ...
*''Cinderella'' (1980) by Paul Reade
Paul Geoffrey Reade (10 January 1943 – 7 June 1997) was an English composer. Born in Lancashire, he studied at the Royal Academy of Music and worked at English National Opera as a ''répétiteur''. In 1991 he received an Ivor Novello Award f ...
*''Cinderella'' (1997) by Matthew Bourne
Sir Matthew Christopher Bourne (born 13 January 1960) is an English choreographer whose work includes contemporary dance and dance theatre.
Choreographer
In 2007, Bourne contemplated a gay version of ''Romeo and Juliet''. Despite the succ ...
taking place in 1940 London using the music of Sergei Prokofiev
Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''., group=n (27 April .S. 15 April1891 – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, ...
*''My First Cinderella'' (2013) directed by George Williamson and Loipa Araújo
Theatre
In 1804 ''Cinderella'' was presented at Drury Lane Theatre
The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Drur ...
, London, described as "A new Grand Allegorical Pantomimic Spectacle" though it was very far in style and content from the modern pantomime. However, it included notable clown Joseph Grimaldi playing the part of a servant called Pedro, the antecedent of today's character Buttons
A button is a fastener that joins two pieces of fabric together by slipping through a loop or by sliding through a buttonhole.
In modern clothing and fashion design, buttons are commonly made of plastic but also may be made of metal, wood ...
. In 1820 ''Harlequin and Cinderella'' at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden
The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal O ...
had much of the modern story (taken from the opera La Cenerentola
' ('' Cinderella, or Goodness Triumphant'') is an operatic ''dramma giocoso'' in two acts by Gioachino Rossini. The libretto was written by Jacopo Ferretti, based on the libretti written by Charles-Guillaume Étienne for the opera ''Cendrillon'' ...
) by Rossini but was a Harlequinade again featuring Grimaldi.[ In 1830 Rophino Lacy used Rossini's music but with spoken dialogue in a ]comic opera
Comic opera, sometimes known as light opera, is a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending and often including spoken dialogue.
Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a ne ...
with many of the main characters: the Baron, the two stepsisters and Pedro the servant all as comic characters, plus a Fairy Queen instead of a magician.[ However it was the conversion of this via burlesque and ]rhyming couplet
A couplet is a pair of successive lines of metre in poetry. A couplet usually consists of two successive lines that rhyme and have the same metre. A couplet may be formal (closed) or run-on (open). In a formal (or closed) couplet, each of the ...
s by Henry Byron that led to what was effectively the modern pantomime in both story and style at the Royal Strand Theatre
The Royal Strand Theatre was located in the Strand in the City of Westminster. The theatre was built on the site of a panorama in 1832, and in 1882 was rebuilt by the prolific theatre architect Charles J. Phipps. It was demolished in 1905 to ...
in 1860: ''Cinderella! Or the Lover, the Lackey, and the Little Glass Slipper''.[
In the traditional pantomime version the opening scene takes place in a forest with a hunt in progress; here Cinderella first meets Prince Charming and his "right-hand man" Dandini, whose name and character come from ]Gioachino Rossini
Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music. He set new standards ...
's opera (''La Cenerentola
' ('' Cinderella, or Goodness Triumphant'') is an operatic ''dramma giocoso'' in two acts by Gioachino Rossini. The libretto was written by Jacopo Ferretti, based on the libretti written by Charles-Guillaume Étienne for the opera ''Cendrillon'' ...
''). Cinderella mistakes Dandini for the Prince and the Prince for Dandini. Her father, Baron Hardup, is under the thumb of his two stepdaughters, the Ugly sisters The ugly stepsisters are characters in the fairy tale and pantomime, Cinderella. They are the daughters of Cinderella's wicked stepmother, who treat her poorly. The "ugly stepsisters" have been in variations of the story from as early as researchers ...
, and has a servant, Cinderella's friend Buttons
A button is a fastener that joins two pieces of fabric together by slipping through a loop or by sliding through a buttonhole.
In modern clothing and fashion design, buttons are commonly made of plastic but also may be made of metal, wood ...
. (Throughout the pantomime, the Baron is continually harassed by the Broker's Men (often named after current politicians) for outstanding rent. The Fairy Godmother must magically create a coach (from a pumpkin), footmen (from mice), a coach driver (from a frog), and a beautiful dress (from rags) for Cinderella to go to the ball. However, she must return by midnight, as it is then that the spell ceases.
Musicals
*''Cinderella
"Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...
'' by Rodgers and Hammerstein
Rodgers and Hammerstein was a theater-writing team of composer Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and lyricist-dramatist Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960), who together created a series of innovative and influential American musicals. Their popular ...
was produced for television three times and staged live in various productions. A version ran in 1958 at the London Coliseum
The London Coliseum (also known as the Coliseum Theatre) is a theatre in St Martin's Lane, Westminster, built as one of London's largest and most luxurious "family" variety theatres. Opened on 24 December 1904 as the London Coliseum Theatre ...
with a cast including Tommy Steele
Sir Thomas Hicks (born 17 December 1936), known professionally as Tommy Steele, is an English entertainer, regarded as Britain's first teen idol and rock and roll star.
After being discovered at the 2i's Coffee Bar in Soho, London, Steele reco ...
, Yana, Jimmy Edwards
James Keith O'Neill Edwards, DFC (23 March 19207 July 1988) was an English comedy writer and actor on radio and television, best known as Pa Glum in ''Take It from Here'' and as headmaster "Professor" James Edwards in ''Whack-O!''.
Early lif ...
, Kenneth Williams
Kenneth Charles Williams (22 February 1926 – 15 April 1988) was an English actor of Welsh heritage. He was best known for his comedy roles and in later life as a raconteur and diarist. He was one of the main ensemble in 26 of the 31 '' ...
and Betty Marsden
Betty Marsden (24 February 1919 – 18 July 1998) was an English comedy actress. She is particularly remembered as a cast member of the radio series '' Beyond Our Ken'' and ''Round the Horne''. Marsden also appeared in two Carry On films, ''Carr ...
. This version was augmented with several other Rodgers and Hammerstein
Rodgers and Hammerstein was a theater-writing team of composer Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and lyricist-dramatist Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960), who together created a series of innovative and influential American musicals. Their popular ...
's songs plus a song written by Tommy Steele, "You and Me". In 2013, a Broadway production opened, with a new book by Douglas Carter Beane
Douglas Carter Beane is an American playwright and screenwriter. Born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and raised in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, Beane now lives in New York. His works include the screenplay of ''To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! J ...
, and ran for 770 performances. In the acclaimed 2022 VTT production of Cinderella, Naomi Infeld will be playing Anastasia.
*''Mr. Cinders
''Mr Cinders'' is a 1928 musical with music by Vivian Ellis and Richard Myers and a libretto by Clifford Grey and Greatrex Newman. The story is an inversion of the Cinderella fairy tale with the gender roles reversed. The Prince Charming char ...
'', a musical, opened at the Adelphi Theatre
The Adelphi Theatre is a West End theatre, located on the Strand in the City of Westminster, central London. The present building is the fourth on the site. The theatre has specialised in comedy and musical theatre, and today it is a receiv ...
, London in 1929 and received a film version in 1934.
*'' Cindy'', a 1964 Off-Broadway musical, was composed by Johnny Brandon
Johnny Brandon (16 July 1925 – 26 July 2017) was an English singer and songwriter, popular during the 1950s, who recorded for a number of labels. His perennial backing group was known as The Phantoms. His early hits included "Tomorrow" and "Don' ...
and has had many revivals.
*''Into the Woods
''Into the Woods'' is a 1987 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine.
The musical intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales, exploring the consequences of the characters' wishes and quests. T ...
'', a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine
James Elliot Lapine (born January 10, 1949) is an American stage director, playwright, screenwriter, and librettist. He has won the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical three times, for ''Into the Woods'', '' Falsettos'', and '' Passion''. He ...
, includes Cinderella as one of the many fairy-tale characters in the plot. This is partly based on the Grimm Brothers' version of "Cinderella", including the enchanted birds, mother's grave, three balls, and mutilation and blinding of the stepsisters. It opened on Broadway in 1987 and has had many revivals. In this film, Cinderella is actually the Baker's ex-sister-in-law, since she married her prince and her prince's brother married Rapunzel, and the baker is Rapunzel's brother. After she divorced the prince she became Rapunzel and the Baker's ex-sister-in-law.
*''Cinderella
"Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...
'' is a musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber that premiered in the West End in 2021.
Films and television
Over the decades, hundreds of films have been made that are either direct adaptations from Cinderella or have plots loosely based on the story.
Animation
*''Aschenputtel'' (1922), a silhouette shadow play short by Lotte Reiniger
Charlotte "Lotte" Reiniger (2 June 1899 – 19 June 1981) was a German film director and the foremost pioneer of silhouette animation. Her best known films are ''The Adventures of Prince Achmed'', from 1926, the first feature-length animated fil ...
. The short silent film uses exaggerated figures and has no background, which creates a stark look. The film shows Aschenputtel's step-sisters graphically hacking their feet off to fit into the glass slipper.
*''Cinderella'' (1922), an animated Laugh-O-Gram produced by Walt Disney
Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...
, first released on 6 December 1922. This film was about seven and half minutes long.
*''Cinderella'' (1925), an animated short film directed by Walter Lantz
Walter Lantz (April 27, 1899 – March 22, 1994) was an American cartoonist, animator, producer and director best known for founding Walter Lantz Productions and creating Woody Woodpecker.
Biography
Early years and start in animation
Lant ...
, produced by Bray Studios Inc.
*''A Kick for Cinderella'' (1925), an animated short film directed by Bud Fisher
Harry Conway "Bud" Fisher (April 3, 1885 – September 7, 1954) was an American cartoonist who created ''Mutt and Jeff'', the first successful daily comic strip in the United States.
Early life
Born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of a merchant, ...
, in the Mutt and Jeff series of comic strip adaptations.
*''Cinderella Blues
''Cinderella Blues'' is an animated short subject produced by the Van Beuren Studio and distributed by RKO Radio Pictures. It retells the Cinderella story by Charles Perrault. Unlike most adaptations, the cartoon features a fabled version of the ...
'' (1931), a Van Beuren animated short film featuring a feline version of the Cinderella character.
*''Poor Cinderella
''Poor Cinderella'' (original title as ''Betty Boop in Poor Cinderella'') is a 1934 Fleischer Studios animated short film featuring Betty Boop. ''Poor Cinderella'' was Fleischer Studios' first color film, and the only appearance of Betty Boop in ...
'' (1934), Fleischer Studios' first color cartoon and only appearance of Betty Boop in color during the Fleischer era.
*''A Coach for Cinderella'' (1937) – Jam Handy, Cervolet advert
*''A Ride for Cinderella'' (1937) – Jam Handy, Cervolet advert
*''Cinderella Meets Fella
''Cinderella Meets Fella'' is a 1938 Warner Bros. ''Merrie Melodies'' directed by Tex Avery and written by Tedd Pierce. The short was released on July 23, 1938 and features the third appearance of an early version of Elmer Fudd.
Plot
The story st ...
'' (1938), a Merrie Melodies animated short film featuring Egghead, the character who would eventually evolve into Elmer Fudd, as Prince Charming.
*''Cinderella
"Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...
'' (1950), a Walt Disney
Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...
animated feature released on 15 February 1950, now considered one of Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
's classics as well as the most well-known film adaptation, including incorporating the titular character
The title character in a narrative work is one who is named or referred to in the title of the work. In a performed work such as a play or film, the performer who plays the title character is said to have the title role of the piece. The title of ...
as a Disney Princess and its franchise
Franchise may refer to:
Business and law
* Franchising, a business method that involves licensing of trademarks and methods of doing business to franchisees
* Franchise, a privilege to operate a type of business such as a cable television p ...
.
**'' Cinderella II: Dreams Come True'' (2002), a direct-to-video
Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy wa ...
sequel to the 1950 film.
**'' Cinderella III: A Twist in Time'' (2007), another direct-to-video sequel to the previous film.
*''Ancient Fistory
''Ancient Fistory'' is a 1953 animated American short film directed by Seymour Kneitel and starring Jack Mercer in multiple roles (including Popeye). The film was released by Paramount Pictures on January 30, 1953. It was based on a gender-rever ...
'' (1953) a Popeye
Popeye the Sailor Man is a fictional cartoon character created by Elzie Crisler Segar.[Señorella and the Glass Huarache
''Señorella and the Glass Huarache'' is a 1964 Warner Bros. '' Looney Tunes'' cartoon directed by Hawley Pratt (who also produced the layouts) and written by John W. Dunn. The short was released on August 1, 1964.
The plotline is a typical Cind ...](_blank)
'' (1964), a Looney Tunes animated short film that transplants the story to a Mexican setting.
*''Festival of Family Classics
''Festival of Family Classics'' is a Rankin/Bass animated anthology series that originally aired between 1972 and 1973. The show originally aired in syndication. It was re-aired 1 November 2005 on the Boomerang channel and on 16 June 2011 via the ...
'' (1972-73), episode ''Cinderella'', produced by Rankin/Bass
Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment (founded and formerly known as Videocraft International, Ltd. and Rankin/Bass Productions, Inc.) was an American production company located in New York City, and known for its seasonal television specials, usual ...
and animated by Mushi Production.
*'' World Famous Fairy Tale Series'' (''Sekai meisaku dōwa'') (1975-83) has a 9-minute adaptation.
*''Manga Sekai Mukashi Banashi
''Tales of Magic'', also known as ''Merlin's Cave'' and ''Wonderful'', ''Wonderful Tales From Around the World'', and known in Japan as ''Manga Fairy Tales of the World'' (まんが世界昔ばなし ''Manga sekai mukashi banashi''?) is a Japa ...
'' (1976-79), 10-minute adaptation.
*''Cinderella
"Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...
'' (1979), an animated short film based on Charles Perrault's version of the fairy tale. It was produced by the Soyuzmultfilm
Soyuzmultfilm ( rus, Союзмультфи́льм, p=səˌjʉsmʊlʲtˈfʲilʲm , ''Union Cartoon'') (also known as SMF Animation Studio in English, Formerly known as Soyuzdetmultfilm) is a Russian animation studio based in Moscow. Launched in ...
studio.
*"Cinderella? Cinderella!" (1986), an episode of '' Alvin & the Chipmunks''. With Brittany of The Chipettes
The Chipettes are a group of three female anthropomorphic chipmunk singers: Brittany, Jeanette and Eleanor who first appeared on the cartoon series ''Alvin and the Chipmunks'' in 1983. In this and related materials, the Chipettes served as fem ...
playing the role of Cinderella and Alvin playing the role of Prince Charming.
*'' My Favorite Fairy Tales'' (''Sekai Dōwa Anime Zenshū'') (1986), an anime television anthology, has a 12-minute adaptation.
*''Grimm's Fairy Tale Classics
''Grimm's Fairy Tale Classics'', also known as ''Grimm Masterpiece Theater'' (グリム名作劇場 ''Gurimu meisaku gekijō'') in the original version and ''The Grimm's Fairy Tales'' (in Australia and New Zealand), is a Japanese anime antholo ...
'' (1987-89) an anime television series based on Grimm's stories, as two half-hour episodes.
*'' Funky Fables'' (''Ponkikki Meisaku World'') (1988-90), features an adaptation of Cinderella.
*''Britannica's Tales Around the World
''Britannica's Tales Around the World'' (also referred to as ''Britannica's Fairy Tales from Around the World'' and ''Familiar Tales Around the World'') is a direct-to-video animated educational series that was released in 1990.
Premise
''Br ...
'' (1990-91), features Perrault's ''Cinderella'' along with two other variants of the story.
*''Cinderella'' (1994), a Japanese-American direct-to-video
Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy wa ...
film by Jetlag Productions
Jetlag Productions was an American animation studio that, like the similar studio Golden Films, has created a number of animated films based on different, popular children's stories, while creating a few original productions. Produced mainly for ...
.
*''World Fairy Tale Series
''World Fairy Tale Series'' (世界名作童話シリーズ・ワ~ォ!メルヘン王国 ''Sekai meisaku dōwa shirīzu - Wa-o! Meruhen ōkoku''?, lit. "World Masterpiece Fairy Tale Series - Wow! Fairy Tale Kingdom"; also known as: アニメ ...
'' (''Anime sekai no dōwa'') (1995), anime television anthology produced by Toei Animation, has half-hour adaptation.
*''Cinderella Monogatari
is an Italian-Japanese 1996 anime television series based on the fairytale of the same name by Charles Perrault and The Brothers Grimm. It was produced by Tatsunoko Productions and Mondo TV. The series originally aired from April 4 to Octobe ...
'' (''The Story of Cinderella'') (1996), anime television series produced by Tatsunoko Production
and often shortened to , is a Japanese animation company. The studio's name has a double meaning in Japanese: "Tatsu's child" (Tatsu is a nickname for Tatsuo) and "sea dragon", the inspiration for its seahorse logo. Tatsunoko's headquarters are i ...
.
* ''Cendrillon au Far West
''Cendrillon au Far West'' (French for "Cinderella in the Far West") is a French/Belgian 2012 animated film. The film was directed and screenplay written by Pascal Hérold and produced by Delacave Studios.
Plot
The story starts off in a small ...
'' (2012), French/Belgian film set in the wild western age, written and directed by Pascal Hérold
Pascal Hérold (born November 30, 1949, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France) is a French businessman and producer. He is the founder of Duran Duboi, Nadeo, and the Hérold & Family studio.
Hérold studied at Stanislas College. In 1966, he created a roc ...
*''Cinderella and the Secret Prince
''Cinderella and the Secret Prince'', also known as ''Cinderella 3D'', is a 2018 American 3D computer-animated fantasy adventure film directed by Lynne Southerland from a screenplay by Francis Glebas, Alice Blehart, Stephanie Bursill and Russe ...
'' (2018), American animated film directed by Lynne Southerland.
*'' Cinderella the Cat'' (2017), Italian animated film directed by Alessandro Rak
Non-English language live-action films and TV
*''Cinderella
"Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...
'' (1899), the first film version, produced in France by Georges Méliès, as "Cendrillon".
*''Mamele
''Mamele'' ( yi, מאמאלע pl, Mateczka) is a Yiddish Language Polish musical film made in 1938.
Synopsis
Set in Łódź, the film revolves around Khavtshi Samet ( Picon), a Cinderella figure, who has taken on maternal responsibility for her ...
'' (1938) a Molly Picon
Molly Picon ( yi, מאָלי פּיקאָן; born Malka Opiekun; February 28, 1898 – April 5, 1992) was an American actress of stage, screen, radio and television, as well as a lyricist and dramatic storyteller.
She began her career in Yidd ...
vehicle made by the prewar Warsaw Yiddish film industry taking place in contemporary Lodz.
*''Cinderella
"Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...
'' (1947), a Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...
film based on the screenplay by Evgeny Schwartz
Evgeny Lvovich Schwartz (russian: Евге́ний Льво́вич Шва́рц; , Kazan, Russian Empire – January 15, 1958, Leningrad, Soviet Union) was a Soviet writer and playwright, whose works include twenty-five plays, and screenplay ...
, with Yanina Zhejmo
Yanina Boleslavovna Zhejmo (russian: Янина Болеславовна Жеймо; pl, Janina Bolesławowna Żejmo; 29 May 1909 – 29 December 1987) was a Soviet actress of Polish origin. Her father was Polish and her mother was Russian. She ...
in the leading role. Shot in black-and-white, it was colorized
Film colorization (American English; or colourisation [British English], or colourization [Canadian English and Oxford English]) is any process that adds color to black-and-white, sepia, or other monochrome moving-picture image ...
in 2009.
*''Cinderella
"Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...
'' (1955), German film
*'' Sandalyas ni Zafira'' (, 1965), a Filipino fantasy film partially based on Cinderella and starring Lyn D'Amour as Princess Zafira
*'' Sinderella Kül Kedisi'' (1971), a Turkish fantasy film based on Cinderella and starring Zeynep Değirmencioğlu as Cinderella.
*'' Three Wishes for Cinderella (Tři oříšky pro Popelku)'' (1973), a Czechoslovakian/East German fairy tale film starring Libuše Šafránková as Cinderella and Pavel Trávníček as Prince. Frequently shown, especially at Christmas time, in several European countries.
*''Rani Aur Lalpari
''Rani Aur Lalpari'' is a 1975 Indian Hindi-language children's fantasy film directed by Ravikant Nagaich and produced by Hari Prasad Nagaich and Rani Nagaich of Guru Enterprising Movies. The film stars Baby Raani in the lead role with an ensemb ...
'' (), a 1975 Indian children's fantasy film by Ravikant Nagaich
Ravikant Nagaich (5 July 1931 – 6 January 1991) was an Indian film personality.
He is an Indian film personality born at Atrauli, Aligarh- Uttar Pradesh, India in a Brahmin family. He started his filming career as a cinematographer in Telugu ...
features Cinderella as one of the characters - where she is portrayed by Neetu Singh
Neetu Kapoor (born Harneet Kaur), is an Indian actress who is known for appearing in Hindi films throughout the late 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s. In 2012, Singh was inducted into the Walk of the Stars, an entertainment hall of fame at Bandra ...
.
*'' Cinderella 4×4. Everything starts with desire (Zolushka 4x4. Vsyo nachinayetsya s zhelaniy)'' (2008), a Russian modernization featuring Darya Melnikova
Darya Alekseyevna Melnikova (russian: Да́рья Алексе́евна Ме́льникова; born 9 February 1992) is a Russian actress in theater, film and television.
Biography
Darya Melnikova was born in Omsk, Russia.
She learned to p ...
*''Cinderella
"Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...
'' (2006), a Korean horror film
*''Cinderella's Stepsister
''Cinderella's Stepsister'' () is a 2010 South Korean television series starring Moon Geun-young, Chun Jung-myung, Seo Woo, and Ok Taecyeon. Applying a modern twist to the classic fairy tale, the story follows the contentious relationship betw ...
'' (2010), a Korean television series
*', a German film
*', another German film
*''Aik Nayee Cinderella
''Aik Nayee Cinderella'' (English: ''A New Cinderella'') is a 2012 Pakistani drama serial broadcast on Geo TV every Saturday. The drama is based on a novel with same name by Faiza Iftikhar and directed by Haissam Hussain, starring Maya Ali, Osm ...
'' (2013), a Pakistani modernization serial aired on Geo TV
Geo Television Network is a television channel based in Pakistan. It was established in May 2002 and is owned by the Jang Media Group. The channel began its test transmission on 14 August 2002, with regular transmission beginning on 1 October 2 ...
featuring Maya Ali
Maryam Tanveer, known by her stage name Maya Ali ( ur, ; born ), is a Pakistani actress. She made her debut with a brief role in telenovela ''Durr-e-Shehwar'' and later received praise for portraying the titular characters in ''Aik Nayee Cin ...
and Osman Khalid Butt
Osman Khalid Butt ( ur, ; born 9 February 1986) is a Pakistani film, television and theatre actor, writer and choreographer. He is best known for his role as Wali Sohaib Khan in Diyar-E-Dil , Faaz Ibrahim in Chupke Chupke and Malik Shahzain in ...
English language live-action feature films
*''Cinderella'' (1911) silent film starring Florence La Badie
Florence La Badie (born Florence Russ; April 27, 1888 – October 13, 1917) was an American-Canadian actress in the early days of the silent film era. She was a major star between 1911 and 1917. Her career was at its height when she died a ...
*''Cinderella
"Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...
'' (1914), a silent film starring Mary Pickford
Gladys Marie Smith (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979), known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian-American stage and screen actress and producer with a career that spanned five decades. A pioneer in the US film industry, she co-founde ...
*'' The Glass Slipper'' (1955), feature film with Leslie Caron
Leslie Claire Margaret Caron (; born 1 July 1931) is a French-American actress and dancer. She is the recipient of a Golden Globe Award, two BAFTA Awards and a Primetime Emmy Award, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards. She is one ...
and Michael Wilding
Michael Charles Gauntlet Wilding (23 July 1912 – 8 July 1979) was an English stage, television, and film actor. He is best known for a series of films he made with Anna Neagle; he also made two films with Alfred Hitchcock, '' Under Capric ...
*''The Slipper and the Rose
''The Slipper and the Rose: The Story of Cinderella'' is a 1976 British musical film retelling the classic fairy tale of Cinderella. The film was chosen as the Royal Command Performance motion picture selection for 1976.
Directed by Bryan Forb ...
'' (1976), a British Sherman Brothers musical film starring Gemma Craven
Rita Gemma Craven (''née'' Gabriel; born 1 June 1950) is an Irish actress.
She is best known for her role as Joan Parker, the frigid wife of Arthur (Bob Hoskins), in the BBC TV drama '' Pennies From Heaven'' (1978).
Biography
Craven's family ...
and Richard Chamberlain
George Richard Chamberlain (born March 31, 1934) is an American actor and singer, who became a teen idol in the title role of the television show '' Dr. Kildare'' (1961–1966). He subsequently appeared in several TV mini-series, such as ''Shō ...
.
*''Into the Woods
''Into the Woods'' is a 1987 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine.
The musical intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales, exploring the consequences of the characters' wishes and quests. T ...
'' (2014), a live-action fairy-tale-themed adaptation of the above-mentioned homonymous musical, in which Anna Kendrick's Cinderella is a central character.
*''Cinderella
"Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...
'' (2015), a live-action retelling of the 1950 animated Disney film starring Lily James
Lily Chloe Ninette Thomson (born 5 April 1989), better known by her stage name Lily James, is an English actress. She studied acting at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London and began her career in the British television series ''Ju ...
as Cinderella, Cate Blanchett as Lady Tremaine, Cinderella's stepmother, Richard Madden
Richard Madden (born 18 June 1986) is a Scottish actor. He was cast in his first role at age 11 and made his screen acting debut in 2000. He later began performing on stage whilst a student at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. In 2007, he ...
as Kit/Prince Charming and Helena Bonham Carter
Helena Bonham Carter (born 26 May 1966) is an English actress. Known for her roles in blockbusters and independent films, particularly period dramas, she has received various awards and nominations, including a British Academy Film Award a ...
as the Fairy Godmother. It is essentially a live-action reimagining of the 1950 animated film.
*''Cinderella
"Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...
'' (2021), a live-action film musical starring Camila Cabello
Karla Camila Cabello Estrabao (; ; born March 3, 1997) is a Cuban-born American singer and songwriter. She rose to prominence as a member of the girl group Fifth Harmony, which became one of the best-selling girl groups of all time. While in ...
as Cinderella, Idina Menzel
Idina Kim Menzel ( ; ; born May 30, 1971) is an American actress and singer. Particularly known for her work in musicals on the Broadway stage and having achieved mainstream success across stage, film and music, Menzel has garnered the honori ...
as Cinderella's stepmother, Nicholas Galitzine as the Prince, and Billy Porter as the Fairy Godmother.
Modernizations and parodies
*''Ella Cinders
''Ella Cinders'' is an American syndicated comic strip created by writer Bill Conselman and artist Charles Plumb. Distributed for most of its run by United Feature Syndicate, the daily version was launched June 1, 1925, and a Sunday page foll ...
'' (1926), a modern tale starring Colleen Moore, based on a comic strip by William M. Conselman and Charles Plumb (cartoonist), Charles Plumb, inspired by Charles Perrault's version.
*''First Love (1939 film), First Love'' (1939), a musical modernization with Deanna Durbin and Robert Stack.
*''Cinderfella'' (1960), Cinderfella's (Jerry Lewis) fairy godfather (Ed Wynn) helps him escape from his wicked stepmother (Judith Anderson) and stepbrothers.
*''Ever After'' (1998), starring Drew Barrymore, a Postfeminism, post-feminist, historical fiction take on the Cinderella story.
*''Ella Enchanted (film), Ella Enchanted'' (2004), a fantasy retelling featuring Anne Hathaway, which is based on the Ella Enchanted, 1997 novel of the same name.
*''A Cinderella Story'' (2004), a modernization featuring Hilary Duff and Chad Michael Murray
**''Another Cinderella Story'' (2008), a modernization featuring Selena Gomez and Drew Seeley
**''A Cinderella Story: Once Upon a Song'' (2011), a modernization featuring Lucy Hale and Freddie Stroma
**''A Cinderella Story: If the Shoe Fits'' (2016), a modernization featuring Sofia Carson and Thomas Law
**''A Cinderella Story: Christmas Wish'' (2019), a modernization featuring Laura Marano and Gregg Sulkin
**''A Cinderella Story: Starstruck'' (2021), a modernization featuring Bailee Madison and Michael Evans Behling
*''Elle: A Modern Cinderella Tale'' (2010), a modernization featuring Ashlee Hewitt and Sterling Knight
English language live-action TV films and series
*''Cinderella
"Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...
'' (1957), a musical adaptation by Rodgers and Hammerstein
Rodgers and Hammerstein was a theater-writing team of composer Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and lyricist-dramatist Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960), who together created a series of innovative and influential American musicals. Their popular ...
written for television and starring Julie Andrews as Cinderella, featuring Jon Cypher, Kaye Ballard, Alice Ghostley, and Edie Adams (originally broadcast in color, but only black-and-white kinescopes survive).
*''Cinderella (Rodgers and Hammerstein musical)#1965 version, Cinderella'' (1965), a second production of the Rodgers and Hammerstein
Rodgers and Hammerstein was a theater-writing team of composer Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and lyricist-dramatist Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960), who together created a series of innovative and influential American musicals. Their popular ...
musical, starring 18-year-old Lesley Ann Warren in the leading role, and featuring Stuart Damon as the Prince, with Ginger Rogers, Walter Pidgeon, and Celeste Holm (filmed in color and broadcast annually for 10 years).
*''Hey, Cinderella!'' (1969), a television adaptation featuring The Muppets.
*''Cindy (film), Cindy'' (1978), This version of the Cinderella tale with an all-black cast has Cinderella, who wants to marry a dashing army officer, finding out that her father, who she thought had an important job at a big hotel, is actually the men's room attendant. Her wicked stepmother finds out, too, and complications ensue. Starred Charlayne Woodard.
*In 1985, Shelley Duvall produced a Cinderella (Faerie Tale Theatre episode), version of the story for Faerie Tale Theatre.
*''The Charmings'' (1987), a spoof of Cinderella appears in the episode "Cindy's Back In Town" where Cinderella, portrayed by Kim Johnston Ulrich, makes a play for Snow White's husband Prince Charming.
*''Into the Woods (1989)'', a film of the original 1987 Broadway production of the Into the Woods, Stephen Sondheim musical.
*''Cinderella (1997 film), Cinderella'' (1997), third production of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, this time starring Brandy Norwood, Brandy as Cinderella, Whitney Houston as the Fairy Godmother, Bernadette Peters as Cinderella's evil stepmother, Jason Alexander as Lionel the valet and Whoopi Goldberg as the Queen. Remake of the 1957 and 1965 TV films.
*''Cinderella (2000 film), Cinderella'', a British TV modernization featuring Marcella Plunkett as Cinderella, Kathleen Turner as the stepmother and Jane Birkin as the fairy godmother.
*''The 10th Kingdom'' (2000) is a TV miniseries featuring Cinderella as a major character.
*Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister#Adaptation, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister (2002), TV movie for ''The Wonderful World of Disney'' by writer Gene Quintano and director Gavin Millar, based on the book of the same name, focusing on the point of view of one of the step-sister
*''Once Upon a Time (TV series), Once Upon a Time'' (2011), features Cinderella as a recurring character, played by Jessy Schram who made a deal with Rumplestiltskin who killed her fairy godmother right in front of her. In 2016, more of the story is shown in which Ashley, Cinderella's real-world counterpart, discovers her stepsister wanted to marry the footman rather than the prince. A different Cinderella in season 7, played by Dania Ramirez, went to the ball to kill the prince, not meet him.
Television parodies and modernizations
*The story was retold as part of the episode "Grimm Job" of the American animated TV series ''Family Guy'' (season 12, episode 10), with Lois as Cinderella, Peter as Prince Charming, Mayor West as the fairy godmother, Lois's mother as the wicked step-mother, and Meg and Stewie as the step-sisters.
*''Rags (2012 film), Rags'' (2012), a TV musical gender switched inversion of the Cinderella story that stars Keke Palmer and Max Schneider.
*''Sesame Street'' special "Cinderelmo" and the ''Magic Adventures of Mumfie'' episode "Scarecrowella" both feature a male protagonist playing the Cinderella role.
*The ''My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, My Little Pony'' first season finale "The Best Night Ever" parodies several key parts of the Cinderella story.
* In ''Carry On Christmas'' (1969), which was one of the ''Carry On Christmas Specials'' on TV, there is a sketch spoofing the Cinderella story. Barbara Windsor plays Cinderella and Terry Scott and Peter Butterworth play the ugly stepsisters.
Books
*''Cinderella'' (1697), Charles Perrault
*''Cinderella'' (1919), Charles S. Evans and illustrated by Arthur Rackham
*''Ella Enchanted'' (1997), by Gail Carson Levine
*''Raisel's Riddle'' (1999), Erica Silverman and illustrated by Susan Gaber
*''Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister'' (1999), by Gregory Maguire
*''Just Ella'' (1999), by Margaret Peterson Haddix
*''Adelita: A Mexican Cinderella Story'' (2004), Tomie dePaola
*"Princess of Glass" (2010) by Jessica Day George is loosely based on the fairytale.
*''Cinder (novel), Cinder'' (2012) by Marissa Meyer, a sci-fi retelling of the classic story
*''The Stepsister's Tale'' (2014) by Tracy Barrett
*''Geekerella'' (2017) by Ashley Poston
*''Stepsister'' (2019) by Jennifer Donnelly
*''So This Is Love: A Twisted Tale'' (2020) by Elizabeth Lim
*''Cinderella is Dead'' (2020), by Kalynn Bayron
Video games
* ''Yakuza 0,'' referenced in Goro Majima's song ''24-Hour Cinderella.''
* ''Persona 5 Royal,'' where Kasumi's Persona is based on Cinderella and named after her French translation, Cendrillon.
See also
* Rhodopis
"Rhodopis" ( grc-gre, Ῥοδῶπις ) is an ancient tale about a Greek slave girl who marries the king of Egypt. The story was first recorded by the Greek historian Strabo in the late first century BC or early first century AD and is considere ...
* Eteriani
* Cinderella complex
* Cinderella effect
* Marriage plot
* ''Ye Xian
"Ye Xian" (; ) is a Chinese fairy tale that is similar to the European Cinderella story, the Malay-Indonesian Bawang Putih Bawang Merah tale, the Vietnamese Tấm Cám story, and stories from other ethnic groups including the Tibetans and the ...
''
* ''Bawang Merah Bawang Putih''
Footnotes
References
Notes
Further reading
*Bascom, William. "Cinderella in Africa". In: ''Journal of the Folklore Institute'' 9, no. 1 (1972): 54-70. Accessed July 12, 2021. .
*Čechová, Mariana.
RHIZOMATIC CHARACTER OF TRANS-CULTURAL AND TRANS-TEMPORAL MODE OF LITERARY COMMUNICATION
. In: ''World Literature Studies'' Vol. 6 (23), n. 3 (2014): 111–127.
*Chen, Fan Pen Li. "Three Cinderella Tales from the Mountains of Southwest China". In: ''Journal of Folklore Research'' 57, no. 2 (2020): 119–52. Accessed 17 November 2020. .
*Christiansen, Reidar Th. "Cinderella in Ireland". In: ''Béaloideas'' 20, no. 1/2 (1950): 96–107. Accessed 7 May 2021. .
*
*Gardner, Fletcher, and W. W. Newell. "Filipino (Tagalog) Versions of Cinderella". In: ''The Journal of American Folklore'' 19, no. 75 (1906): 265–80. Accessed 5 July 2020. .
*Jonathan Y. H. Hui (2018) "Cinderella in Old Norse Literature". In: ''Folklore'', 129:4, pp. 353–374. .
*Labelle, Ronald. (2017).
Le conte de Cendrillon: de la Chine à l’Acadie sur les ailes de la tradition
. In: ''Rabaska'' 15: 7–28.
*Mulhern, Chieko Irie. "Cinderella and the Jesuits. An Otogizōshi Cycle as Christian Literature". In: ''Monumenta Nipponica'' 34, no. 4 (1979): 409-47. Accessed June 25, 2021. .
*Mulhern, Chieko Irie. "Analysis of Cinderella Motifs, Italian and Japanese". In: ''Asian Folklore Studies'' 44, no. 1 (1985): 1-37. Accessed June 25, 2021. .
* Schlepp, Wayne. “Cinderella in Tibet”. In: ''Asian Folklore Studies'' 61, no. 1 (2002): 123–47
Cinderella in Tibet
*Tangherlini, Timothy. (1994). "Cinderella in Korea: Korean Oikotypes of AaTh 510". In: ''Fabula (journal), Fabula''. 35: 282–304. .
* Albano Maria Luisa (a cura). ''Cenerentole in viaggio''. Illustrazione di Marcella Brancaforte. Falzea Editore, Reggio Calabria, 2008.
Notes
External links
*
Project Gutenberg compilation, including original Cendrillon
Photos and illustrations from early ''Cinderella'' stage versions
including one with Ellaline Terriss and one with Phyllis Dare
Parallel German-English text of brothers Grimm's version in ParallelBook format
''The Cinderella Bibliography''
by the University of Rochester
Folktales of ATU type 510A, "The Persecuted Heroine: Cinderella"
by D. L. Ashliman
{{Authority control
Cinderella,
European fairy tales
European folklore characters
Fairies and sprites in popular culture
Fictional orphans
Fictional princesses
Female characters in fairy tales
Grimms' Fairy Tales
Love stories
Romance characters
Works by Charles Perrault
Articles containing video clips
ATU 500-559
False hero