What literary and dramatic devices, such as plot, character, theme, setting, and symbols, are used in the story to convey messages? princess and the pea?

THE PRINCESS AND THE PEA

A Study Guide for Teachers and Students

Artwork for Study Guide by Emily Grosland

Based on the Fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen

Adapted for the stage by Gayle Cornelison

SYNOPSIS

In a few days, Prince Peter is slated to become King--that is, if he can make a

decision on which princess will be his bride. Dozens of princesses from all over the

world have been invited to the castle! However, Peter’s conniving cousin, Rolf,

second in line to the throne, will stop at nothing to become king. So, Rolf and his

dim-witted brother Ivan kidnap all of the princesses from the castle, hoping to

make it impossible for Prince Peter to select a princess by the appointed time.

Just as they have completed their evil plan, Count Schwartz arrives at the castle

with his sister, Bertha, whom he is trying to pass off as a “real princess” though

she clearly is not princess material!

Meanwhile, Ivan has found one last princess, and on his way to dispose of her,

Prince Peter catches him in the act and demands to know the real contents of

Ivan’s “potato sack” that Ivan is using to smuggle out the princesses. Ivan opens

the sack and out pops Princess Christina, a truly lovely and charming young

lady, who Prince Peter immediately likes very much. Furious, Bertha and Rolf

plot to eliminate Princess Christina by exposing her as an impostor.

Rolf tells Prince Peter that he has placed a large, hard rock underneath Princess

Christina’s mattress to test whether or not she is a real princess, because a real

princess would be sensitive enough to feel it. However, Rolf plans to trap

Christina by placing a single pea, instead of a rock, beneath a massive stack of

mattresses on her bed--but little does he know that Christina is a very clever

lady and will not be easily fooled! Because she is a real princess, she can feel the

pea under her mattresses, and it disturbs her sleep. In the morning, she presents

the pea to everyone, and it is proven that she is the true princess! She and Prince

Peter are married, the villains get their comeuppance, and Peter, not Rolf,

becomes king!

GENERAL DISCUSSION

1. The phrase “real princess” is repeated over and over in the play, because it is

so important that Prince Peter’s chosen bride be an actual princess, otherwise he

will not become the King. Discuss the definition of “real princess” with your

students. What qualities are required to be one? What makes Christina a real

princess, and why isn’t Bertha?

2. Discuss the morals and lessons learned in the play. What is the author of the

original story, Hans Christian Andersen, trying to teach his audience? What

literary and dramatic devices, such as plot, character, theme, setting, and

symbols, are used in the story to convey messages?

GEOGRAPHY/HISTORY

1. Discuss arranged marriages with your class and research some of history’s

most famous arranged marriages. What does an arranged marriage mean?

What is the purpose of an arranged marriage? What are the advantages and

disadvantages?

2. Prince Peter lives in a majestic castle somewhere in Europe. It is not said

where, but we can be sure it is in a land far, far away! Using the Internet or

books from the library, have your students research some real European castles

and write a paragraph on one of them. Have them find out the age of the castle,

who designed and built it, who has lived there over the years, and how the castle

was actually used.

ART

1. Have your students pretend that they are theatrical set designers and they

have each been asked to design a castle for a play. Using their imaginations,

have students draw pictures of their castles. They can model them after the

castles they researched or the one in the play, but have them be creative! They

should make their castle their own by experimenting with color, texture, line,

shape, and other artistic elements.

2. Imagine some other objects that might disturb your sleep if they were placed

under your mattress--a basketball, a computer, a car, anything! Have each

student draw a picture of him/herself on a stack of mattresses with the object of

their choosing underneath.

LITERATURE/CREATIVE WRITING

1. Before the show, read Hans Christian Andersen’s original version of “The

Princess and the Pea” with your class. Based on what you read, what might you

see onstage when you see the play? How do you think things from the book, such

as the enormous castle, will come to life onstage? How might the play be different

from the book?

2. This play features six different characters who come from different walks of

life. Have students choose one of the characters and write a journal entry from

the character’s point of view. They can write about a day during the action of

the play, or a time immediately before or following the play’s action.

SCIENCE/MATH

1. Would a human being really be able to feel a pea underneath seven

mattresses if they did not know it was there? Determine the weight, mass, and

volume of a

dick

explanation: