| Cinderella - Synopsis
Once
upon a time there lived a noble gentleman who had one sweet
daughter whose mother had sadly died when she was very
young. His second wife was a grand lady with two daughters
of her own. She could not bear the good qualities of her
stepdaughter who was much prettier and sweeter than her
own children so she set the poor child to work on the hardest
of chores. Her stepsisters nicknamed her Cinderella because
in the evenings she would sit among the cinders and ashes
and rest her weary limbs. Although the sisters always dressed
richly, Cinderella still looked prettier then they in her
little torn frock.
One day
the King’s
son held a grand ball in which he invited all the Lords
and Ladies of the land. The two
stepsisters were invited and were so excited they could talk
of little else for days. When the day finally arrived, Cinderella
was kept busy running around after the girls helping them
to get ready for the party.
“Don’t you wish you were coming to the ball?” asked
one of the sisters.
“Indeed I do” sighed
poor Cinderella.
The sisters
laughed and mockingly replied “It would
make people laugh to see you at the ball in your rags”
After the stepsisters left for the ball, poor Cinderella
wept by the fireplace. Suddenly her fairy godmother appeared
from nowhere and said,
“I
know why you are crying dear child, it is because you wish
to
go to the ball. Run quickly to the garden and
find me the largest pumpkin you can.”
In a few moments Cinderella was back with the pumpkin, the
fairy godmother then tapped it gently with her wand and the
pumpkin was transformed into the finest golden coach she
had ever seen.
“Now
quickly fetch me a mouse-trap from the pantry and a rat
from the
rat-trap”
Each
mouse was transformed into a cream coloured horse and the
rat into
a fine coachman. Six lizards became six footmen
and before Cinderella realised what was happening, she too
was transformed. Her shabby clothes had been replaced by
a dress of gold and silver, beset with jewels and on her
feet were delicate slippers made of glass. Cinderella had
to promise to be home by midnight as that’s when the
spell would break and the coach and servants would all vanish.
The evening passed in a dream. Never had the Prince seen
anyone so beautiful as Cinderella and he danced with her
all night. The two sisters did not recognise their ragged
sister in the beautiful lady who had stolen the heart of
the Prince. At quarter to midnight Cinderella took leave
of the party as she had promised and told her fairy godmother
every detail of the wonderful party when she arrived home.
The sisters
arrived home soon after and told Cinderella about the beautiful
stranger who had captured the Prince’s
attention all night and to whom he had been devoted to all
evening.
The following night another party was taking place and the
fairy godmother appeared once again. She touched her godchild
with her wand transforming her rags to the most beautiful
dress that must have been made by fairies and once again
the glass slippers.
“Goodbye
my child, enjoy your evening but whatever you do, remember
to leave the party by midnight.”
The hours flew by at the party so quickly that Cinderella
forgot her promise and quite forgot the time. On hearing
the clock chime at midnight Cinderella fled the party and
in her haste dropped one of her glass slippers. The Prince
followed her but could not catch her. He looked out from
the palace gates but there was no one to be seen apart from
a little beggar-girl. On recovering the lost glass slipper
the Prince vowed to marry the girl whose foot fitted into
the glass slipper.
That following morning a great procession took place through
the city to the noise of trumpets and drums. Upon a velvet
cushion rested the glass slipper. The stepsisters attempted
to fit their feet into the slipper but to no avail.
The stepsisters
laughed when Cinderella begged to try on the slipper but
the Prince kept his vow and insisted that
every girl should try on the glass shoe. To everyone’s
surprise the slipper was a perfect fit. The fairy godmother
appeared once more and turned Cinderella’s rags into
beautiful garments once more.
The two sisters hung their heads in shame and begged Cinderella
for forgiveness for all the ill treatment they had made her
suffer. Cinderella immediately kissed them and forgave them.
The Prince and Cinderella were married soon after and lived
happily as King and Queen.
The End
Thank you to the Royal Opera House for the use of these
photographs from their production of Cinderella.
Visit
www.royaloperahouse.org.uk for more information on this
production.
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