NAME : MUHAMMAD AJWAD BIN HASHIM

FORM : 2 (2011)

SET :2 TEACHER : MR. SOHIMI

DATE OF SUBMISSION : 3rd JANUARY 2011

PARENT’S SIGNATURE :

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CONTENT

No Topic Page
1 Background of the writer 1
2 Synopsis of the story 2
3 Characters and Characteristics 3-5
4 Setting 6
5 Theme 7
6 Moral value 8
7 My opinion of story 9
 8 Conclusions/Closure 10

Background of the writer

Angela Lanyon

The melodrama, Rumpelstiltskin taken from Grimm’s Tales has

been retold in the form of a drama by Angela Lanyon. She was born in

Leamington Spain in 1930 and has lived all over the British Isles. She

has three children and has worked in Children’s Theatre as Children’s

writer in Residence Swan Theatre, Worcester. Later, she worked as

the Assistant Manager and Administrator for Children’s Work at

Westcliff-on-Sea, the House Manager for Chichester Festival Theatre

and the Theatre Manager at the Theatre Royal, Plymouth. Angela has
written numerous dramas for children’s theatre and some have been

published by New Playwrights Network. She has also written school

plays and plays for adults published by Heinemann in their Literacy

series.

Synopsis of the story

The story begins when the King is having a walk around his kingdom. The Mother and

Father invite the King to their house. As the King stepped in, the Father praised his daughter,

Lisa sky high. The Father tells the King that Lisa could bake, weave and even spin straw into

gold. The King says that Lisa must prove it or not, be executed. Although, Father and Mother

persuade the King, the King ignored it. That night, Lisa is in a high tower room with spinning

wheel and a heap of straw. While she is crying, a strange little man with a long pointed noise

entered the room through window. The little man helps Lisa to spin the straw into gold. As

exchange, he wants Lisa’s necklace. Next night, the little man strikes another bargain and Lisa
gives him her ring. The King wants her to spin straw into gold for the last time and marry her

if she success. As she does not have anything to give the little man, she has to agree to give

her first child. A year passed, she and the King get their first child. The little man claims her

promise. Lisa offered her wealth. However, he refused and gives her thee days to guess his

name. She has failed for the first and second days. Her father and mother follow the little man

into the woods and know his name from his song. The little man gives Lisa another three

chances. After she revealed his name which is Rumpelsiltskin, he vanishes in smoke.

Characters and Characteristics

Main Character

RUMPELSTILTSKIN
 Mysterious little man with along pointed noise.
 Insincere
= helps Lisa to spin straw into gold if rewarded
 Has magical power
= Lisa sees the room filled with gold as she wakes up
 Vanishes in a puff of smoke
= He disappeared through smoke after Lisa guesses the right name

 Lives in a small cottage with her parents

 Good on doing house chores
= she can bake, weave and spin
 Honest
= be truth to Father, Mother and King that she cannot spin straw into gold
 Thoughtful
= she thinks wisely to solve her problems
 Being Queen
= the King marries her after she had spun gold into straw
 Loving mother
= she does not let Rumpelstiltskin takes her son

Supporting Character

 King of a poor kingdom

 Selfish
= he asks Lisa to spin straw into gold if not, she will be executed
 Greedy
= he wants Lisa to spin straw into gold or three times
 Marries to Lisa

 Lisa’s father
 Boastful
= praises Lisa can spin straw into gold
 Greedy
= willing to sacrifice Lisa’s life as she can marry to King
 Clever
= follows the strange little man to know his real name with Mother
 Repent
= regret boasting Lisa

 Lisa’s mother
 Proud
= proud of Lisa’s ability
 Silly
= agreed with her husband that Lisa can spin straw into gold
 Simple-minded
= asks Lisa to tell to the little man that she will give something when she gets home as she
has nothing to give to bargain
 Clever
= follows the strange little man to know his real name with Father

NARRATOR
 He narrates the line.

Setting

The setting in Rumpelstiltskin takes place in the folk tales era. During these times, Fairy tales
were told in abundance as a favourite past time among village folks.

Place

a) Cottage
= where Lisa and her parent live
b) Castle
= where the King lives
c) High tower
= Lisa was placed in the high tower rooms that were filled with gold
d) Nursery
 = Lisa and her parents are playing with the baby in the nursery
= The little man reveals Lisa’s promise which to give her first baby
e) Woods
= Father and Mother follow the strange little man into the woods
= The little man reveals his name

Time

Long time ago in a place where there is avaricious king

People

a) The Feudal Society

= A social system that existed in Europe during the Medieval era(from 5th to 15th century)
= Powerful Kings or Lords owned the lands
= In order to live on these lands, the people must serve and fight for the Kings or Lord.
b) Rumpelstiltskin
= The name is derived from German Rumpelstilzchen which means "little rumble stilt".
= A rumpelstilt or rumpelstilz is a mischievous and noisy goblin. It clatters stilts or posts
and hits planks
Theme

1 Boasting for own benefits

 Father praises his daughter can bake, weave and even
spin straw into gold for getting the King’s attention
towards her daughter.

2 Selfish and greedy

 The King wants Lisa to prove her father’s words or not, she will be executed.
 The King wants her to spin straw into gold not once but three times.

3 Making and keeping promises

 The King promises that will make Lisa his Queen. He keeps his promise as he marries
Lisa when she manages to spin the last wisp into straw.
  Rumpelstiltskin claims Lisa’s promise but Lisa does not keep her promise because she
does not want to be apart with her son.
 Rumpelstiltskin keeps his promise as he vanishes in smoke and does not take Lisa’s son
when Lisa guesses his name correctly.

4 Helping each other

 Rumpelstiltskin helps Lisa to spin straw into gold. However, he wants something as
return.
 Father and Mother help Lisa to know the strange little man’s real name by following him
into the woods.

5 Regret to one’s mistake

 Father and Mother regret as they put Lisa in trouble.

Moral value

1 Honesty
 The Father lie the King that her daughter can spin straw into gold.
 Lisa denies her father’s words and be honest that she cannot spin straw into gold.

2 Respects
 Lisa respects her parents and King as she does what they ask her to do.

3 Help the one in need

 Rumpelstiltskin helps Lisa to spin straw into gold. However, he wants something as
return.
  Father and Mother help Lisa to know the strange little man’s real name by following him
into the woods.

4 Promises must be fulfilled

 The King promises that will make Lisa his Queen. He keeps his promise as he marries
Lisa when she manages to spin the last wisp into straw.
 Rumpelstiltskin keeps his promise as he vanishes in smoke and does not take Lisa’s son
when Lisa guesses his name correctly.

5 Regretful
 Father and Mother realise their mistake and ask for forgiveness from Lisa as they put her
in trouble.

My opinion of story

Rumpelstiltskin is for me one of the more unsettling fairy tales. What gets me is that every

single man in the story treats the Lisa like complete garbage. Her father uses her as a pawn to

advance him own interests. The king values her only for the gold she spins. And

Rumpelstiltskin himself is just a greedy opportunist. Thankfully, as we all know, Lisa doesn’t

come out as bad as she could have. She becomes queen and gets keep her child, but I can

never forget that she marries a man that threatened to kill her three times! That's not to say
that I don't like this story, I do actually. And I really enjoy Angela Lanyon’s telling here.

Conclusions/Closure

The conclusion of the story is we must humble and do not boast such Father and Mother

tell that Lisa can spin straw into gold to the King. Furthermore, we must honour our promises

like as Lisa makes a promise which she knows she will not be able to keep as no mother can

part with her child. After that, we must not be greedy like the king. Nevertheless, we must

think, speak and behave rationally at all times like Lisa becomes irrational when she is

desperate to save herself. Lastly, we must think before speak don’t be like Lisa that replies
without thinking deeply when Rumpelstiltskin asks her if she is willing to give her first-born

in exchange for spinning the straw into gold.