Rapunzel Flashcards
by The Brothers Grimm — tap or click to flip
Flashcard Review
Flashcards: Rapunzel
Why does Rapunzel's father steal from the enchantress's garden?
His pregnant wife develops an overwhelming craving for rampion (rapunzel) growing in the garden and claims she will die without it.
What deal does Dame Gothel make with Rapunzel's father?
She allows him to take as much rampion as he wants, but demands he give her the child his wife will bear.
At what age is Rapunzel locked in the tower?
Twelve years old.
What is unusual about the tower where Rapunzel is imprisoned?
It has neither stairs nor door — only a small window at the very top, making it completely inaccessible from the ground.
How does Dame Gothel enter the tower?
She stands below and calls "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair," then climbs up Rapunzel's braided golden tresses.
How does the prince first discover Rapunzel?
He hears her singing from the tower while riding through the forest. Her voice is so charming he returns daily to listen.
How does the prince learn to access the tower?
He hides behind a tree and watches Dame Gothel call for Rapunzel to let down her hair, then uses the same method himself.
What plan do Rapunzel and the prince devise for her escape?
The prince brings a skein of silk each evening visit so Rapunzel can weave a ladder to climb down.
How does Dame Gothel discover Rapunzel's secret?
Rapunzel accidentally reveals it by remarking that Dame Gothel is much heavier to pull up than the young prince.
What does Dame Gothel do when she discovers the prince's visits?
She cuts off Rapunzel's hair, banishes her to a desert wilderness, then uses the severed braids to lure the prince into a trap at the tower.
How does the prince lose his sight?
In despair after finding Dame Gothel instead of Rapunzel at the top of the tower, he leaps from the tower and thorns below pierce his eyes.
How is the prince's sight restored?
When he finally finds Rapunzel in the desert, two of her tears fall on his eyes and heal them.
What has happened to Rapunzel during the years of separation?
She has been living in wretchedness in the desert and has given birth to twins — a boy and a girl.
Who is Dame Gothel?
A powerful enchantress feared by everyone. She raises Rapunzel but imprisons her in a tower at age twelve, representing the "devouring mother" archetype.
Why does Rapunzel agree to marry the prince?
She sees he is young and handsome, thinks he will love her more than Dame Gothel does, and she has known no one else in her isolated life.
What does the tower symbolize in the story?
Isolation and overprotective confinement — it represents attempts to control a young woman's autonomy and shield her from the outside world.
What does Rapunzel's hair symbolize?
Her beauty, vitality, and connection to the outside world. It is the only bridge between her imprisonment and freedom, and its cutting represents a severing of her power.
What is the central moral of "Rapunzel"?
Love and perseverance triumph over tyranny. Despite years of separation and suffering, genuine devotion leads to reunion and restoration.
How does desire function as a theme?
Unchecked desire drives the plot: the mother's craving costs her child, Dame Gothel's possessiveness leads to cruelty, and the prince's longing causes his fall.
What is the rampion plant and why is it significant?
Rampion (Campanula rapunculus) is an edible plant. The mother's craving for it is the catalyst for the entire plot and symbolizes forbidden desire, echoing the biblical forbidden fruit.
What is an "ell" as mentioned in the story?
An old unit of measurement roughly equal to 45 inches. Rapunzel's hair falls "twenty ells down" — about 75 feet.
When was "Rapunzel" first published?
In 1812, as part of the Brothers Grimm's Kinder- und Hausmärchen (Children's and Household Tales).
What earlier stories influenced the Grimms' "Rapunzel"?
Friedrich Schulz's 1790 German version and Charlotte-Rose de La Force's French tale Persinette (1698).
How did the Brothers Grimm change the story across editions?
They removed sexual elements — originally Rapunzel's pregnancy revealed the prince's visits, but later editions changed this to her careless remark about the prince being lighter to pull up.
What biblical parallel appears in the story's resolution?
Rapunzel's tears healing the prince's blindness parallels biblical healing miracles, suggesting that redemptive love has the power to restore what has been lost.
What fairy tale archetype does Dame Gothel represent?
The "devouring mother" — a guardian who claims to nurture but actually imprisons, hoarding rather than allowing growth and independence.