Rumpelstiltskin Flashcards
by The Brothers Grimm — tap or click to flip
Flashcard Review
Flashcards: Rumpelstiltskin
Why does the miller tell the King his daughter can spin straw into gold?
He wants to make himself appear important and impressive to the King, so he fabricates the claim about his daughter.
What does the King threaten if the miller's daughter fails to spin straw into gold?
He tells her she must die if the straw is not spun into gold by morning.
What does the miller's daughter give Rumpelstiltskin the first night in exchange for his help?
She gives him her necklace.
What does she give Rumpelstiltskin the second night?
She gives him the ring from her finger.
What does Rumpelstiltskin demand as payment on the third night?
He demands her first-born child, since she has nothing else left to give.
Why does the King keep putting the miller's daughter in larger rooms of straw?
His greed grows with each success — no amount of gold satisfies him, and he wants even more.
What deal does Rumpelstiltskin offer the Queen when he returns for her child?
He gives her three days to guess his name; if she succeeds, she may keep the child.
How does the Queen finally learn Rumpelstiltskin's name?
A messenger discovers the little man dancing and singing his name by a fire near a house deep in the forest.
How does Rumpelstiltskin react when the Queen says his name?
He flies into a rage, stamps his right foot into the earth, and tears himself in two trying to pull it out.
How does the miller's daughter feel when first locked in the room of straw?
She is helpless and terrified — she has no idea how to spin straw into gold and begins to weep.
What motivates the King to marry the miller's daughter?
Pure greed — he thinks he "could not find a richer wife in the whole world," valuing her only for the gold she produces.
Why does the miller's daughter agree to give away her first-born child?
She reasons that becoming Queen may never happen, and she has no other option to survive the night.
What does Rumpelstiltskin say when the Queen offers him all the riches of the kingdom instead of the child?
He refuses, saying "something that is living is dearer to me than all the treasures in the world."
Why does Rumpelstiltskin give the Queen a chance to keep her child rather than simply taking it?
He pities her weeping and distress, showing that he is not entirely heartless despite his demand.
How does the story illustrate the theme of greed?
The King exemplifies greed — each room of gold only makes him want more, and he marries the girl not for love but for wealth.
What does the story suggest about the power of names?
Knowing Rumpelstiltskin's name gives the Queen power over him and breaks his hold on her child, reflecting the folk belief that names carry magical authority.
How does the theme of exploitation appear in the story?
The miller exploits his daughter's reputation, the King exploits her labor under threat of death, and Rumpelstiltskin exploits her desperation for an increasingly steep price.
What does the "rule of three" pattern contribute to the story's structure?
Three nights of spinning, three payments, and three days of guessing create escalating tension and satisfy the fairy tale convention of threefold repetition.
What is ironic about the King's promise to marry the miller's daughter?
He frames marriage as a reward, but it is really another transaction — he marries her not out of love but because she is the most profitable wife he can find.
What does spinning straw into gold symbolize?
It represents the impossible demands placed on powerless people, and the idea of creating extraordinary value from worthless material through hidden or magical means.
How does foreshadowing appear in Rumpelstiltskin's song by the fire?
His boastful song — "glad am I that no one knew / That Rumpelstiltskin I am styled" — reveals his overconfidence and foreshadows his defeat by exposing the secret he thought was safe.
What does the word "manikin" mean as used in the story?
A very small man or dwarf — it emphasizes Rumpelstiltskin's diminutive, otherworldly appearance.
What does "strait" mean in the phrase "not knowing how else to help herself in this strait"?
A situation of difficulty, distress, or extreme need — here it describes the miller's daughter's desperate predicament.
What is the significance of Rumpelstiltskin's song that begins "To-day I bake, to-morrow brew"?
It reveals his name through overconfident boasting, and its nursery-rhyme quality underscores his strange, childlike nature while sealing his own downfall.
What does Rumpelstiltskin mean when he cries, "The devil has told you that!"?
He cannot believe a mortal discovered his secret name and attributes it to supernatural help, reflecting his shock that his power has been broken.