In the 1600's Blue Beard is a wealthy and powerful nobleman and a well-desired groom in idea, but his unusual blue beard made him unattractive. Though many women and girls found him repulsively ugly he was able to marry several beauties. The problem with that is that each one would mysteriously disappear.
One of his neighbors, a noble lady, had two beautiful daughters. Bluebeard asked the woman to allow him to wed one of the daughters of her choice. The girls were, of course, repulsed by him and his blue beard. They also didn't want to become another wife that would mysteriously disappear.
Blue Beard had a plan to win their affection. He would take them, their mother, and several of their friends to one of his country houses. They would spend a whole week of parties, hunting, fishing, dancing, mirth, and feasting. Everyone would spend the nights joking and enjoying each other.
The younger of the two sisters began to fall in love with him and was starting to think he was a mighty civil gentleman. The two would soon wed. A month after Blue Beard would tell his young bride that he was obliged to take a country journey of about 6 weeks. It was about affairs of great consequences. He told her she should invite her friends to their home if she pleased.
He would give her keys to his treasures and she was allowed to each one except for a certain closet. He told her she could not go to the closet at the end of the great hall on the ground floor. He warned her if she did she would receive his anger and resentment. She would promise to do that, and her friends would come.
Her friends would tell her that they would not come while her husband was there because they feared him. They would see and look at all the riches of the home and be impressed and happy for their friend's newfound life.
At the party, the door haunts her, and her desire to open it increases. The treasures she had access to were so grand and she wondered what was so magnificent that was hidden behind the door. Her impatience allowed her to slip from the party and to the forbidden door. She would take the key out and opened the door with trembling hands.
What lied behind it was horrible. The floors were covered in clotted blood, and along the walls were the missing wives. Each one had been brutally murdered. She thought she would die from the shock it scared her so much. She would drop the key in the blood. She would go back to her senses and lock the door and went to her room to think.
This is when she noticed the key was stained with blood. She tried to clean it off, but would not as the key was magical and evidence of her betrayal was stained upon it. To her surprise, Blue Beard would return home that night. He stated that while he was on the road letters came telling him the affair he was going to deal with was concluded. She pretended to be excited and not show she was terrified that she was the next wife to disappear.
The next morning Blue Beard asked for his keys back. He asked her what had happened to the forbidden room's key. She had hoped he wouldn't notice. She would tell him it was upstairs on the table, and he requested her to bring her the key.
She was terrified as she brought down the blood-stained key. He automatically knew of her betrayal of his trust.
"Why is there blood on the key"
"I do not know." She cried.
"You do know!" Blue Beard was angry, "I very well know. You went into the closet, did you not? Very well, madam; you shall go back, and take your place among the ladies you saw there."
She would throw herself down on her feet and begged for forgiveness. He had a heart of stone and her pleads did not change his mind. He's heard this all before.
"You are to die Madam."
"Since I am to die give me time to pray alone." She cried. He would answer her wish.
"I give you a quarter of an hour nothing more." He demanded.
When she was alone she called out to her sister Anne. She asked her to go to the top of the tower to look for their brothers and to give them a sign of haste. Anne would go up the tower and be on the lookout for their brothers.
She could feel her time ticking and would call up to Anne occasionally. But there were no signs of their brothers when the impatient Blue Beard called up to her demanding her to come down with a sword in hand. His threats kept coming and she kept telling him one moment more. That was when Anne spotted their brothers coming. His anger seemed to shake the home and the young wife came down the stair unwillingly.
She would throw herself on his feet again begging for forgiveness and keep her life. It still did not work on his stone-cold heart. He would grab her hair with one hand and raise his sword with the other. She asked to collect herself. He was about to refuse and was about to strike her when a knock on the gates stopped him.
Two horsemen were her brothers and would enter with their swords drawn. With one brother was a dragoon the other a musketeer and Blue Beard knew he had no chance. He would flee without killing his young bride and the brothers would pursue him. They would overtake him on the porch and ran their swords through him. The girl had no strength to greet her brothers. Blue Beards' crimes would be known and she'd be known as the one who survived.
The young bride was now a widow and her husband's estate was hers. She was able to allow Anne to marry the man she loved, She married a man she loved, and she bought Captains' commissions for her brothers. She would eventually forget her nightmare with Blue Beard.
The next morning Blue Beard asked for his keys back. He asked her what had happened to the forbidden room's key. She had hoped he wouldn't notice. She would tell him it was upstairs on the table, and he requested her to bring her the key.
She was terrified as she brought down the blood-stained key. He automatically knew of her betrayal of his trust.
"Why is there blood on the key"
"I do not know." She cried.
"You do know!" Blue Beard was angry, "I very well know. You went into the closet, did you not? Very well, madam; you shall go back, and take your place among the ladies you saw there."
She would throw herself down on her feet and begged for forgiveness. He had a heart of stone and her pleads did not change his mind. He's heard this all before.
"You are to die Madam."
"Since I am to die give me time to pray alone." She cried. He would answer her wish.
"I give you a quarter of an hour nothing more." He demanded.
When she was alone she called out to her sister Anne. She asked her to go to the top of the tower to look for their brothers and to give them a sign of haste. Anne would go up the tower and be on the lookout for their brothers.
She could feel her time ticking and would call up to Anne occasionally. But there were no signs of their brothers when the impatient Blue Beard called up to her demanding her to come down with a sword in hand. His threats kept coming and she kept telling him one moment more. That was when Anne spotted their brothers coming. His anger seemed to shake the home and the young wife came down the stair unwillingly.
She would throw herself on his feet again begging for forgiveness and keep her life. It still did not work on his stone-cold heart. He would grab her hair with one hand and raise his sword with the other. She asked to collect herself. He was about to refuse and was about to strike her when a knock on the gates stopped him.
Two horsemen were her brothers and would enter with their swords drawn. With one brother was a dragoon the other a musketeer and Blue Beard knew he had no chance. He would flee without killing his young bride and the brothers would pursue him. They would overtake him on the porch and ran their swords through him. The girl had no strength to greet her brothers. Blue Beards' crimes would be known and she'd be known as the one who survived.
The young bride was now a widow and her husband's estate was hers. She was able to allow Anne to marry the man she loved, She married a man she loved, and she bought Captains' commissions for her brothers. She would eventually forget her nightmare with Blue Beard.
SOURCES:
Blue Beard by Charles Perrault
No comments:
Post a Comment