The Tale of
“Godfather
Death”
What Makes It a
Tale?
The Tale of
“Godfather Death”
What Makes It a Tale?
The Tale of
“Godfather Death”
What makes it a Tale?
LACK OF DETAIL – Compared to modern
short stories, the characters of the father, son,
king, princess, and even Death himself seem
hardly more than stick figures.
The Tale of
“Godfather Death”
What makes it a Tale?
ELEMENTS OF THE SUPERNATURAL – In
the world of this fable, God, the Devil and
Death walk along the highway.
The Tale of
“Godfather Death”
What makes it a Tale?
HEAVY RELIANCE ON SUMMARY (e.g. – “It
was not long before the young man was the
most famous doctor in the whole world.”)
The Tale of
“Godfather Death”
What makes it a Tale?
THERE IS A CLEAR MORAL – Most of the
time when the characters break some law or
code of ethics, bad things happen to them.
The Tale of
“Godfather Death”
Nevertheless, this tale has the elements of a
compelling story :
The Tale of
“Godfather Death”
DRAMATIC SITUATION – a person is involved
in some conflict.
The Tale of
“Godfather Death”
DRAMATIC SITUATION – a person is involved
in some conflict. In this fable, this character is
a poor man with children to feed, in conflict with
the world; soon he is conflict with God and the
Devil besides.
The Tale of
“Godfather Death”
EXPOSITION – the opening portion of the story
that introduces the characters and tells us
everything we need to know to understand the
story.
The Tale of
“Godfather Death”
EXPOSITION – In this fable the exposition is
brief, but it tells us of the father’s plight and his
bargain with Death.
The Tale of
“Godfather Death”
PROTAGONIST – The character who moves
the story forward.
The Tale of
“Godfather Death”
PROTAGONIST – In this fable the protagonist
is Death’s godson who strives to battle with
Death over the king and the princess.
The Tale of
“Godfather Death”
ANTOGONIST – Character who goes
against the protagonist.
The Tale of
“Godfather Death”
ANTOGONIST – In this tale, the antagonist is
obviously Death. Even though we know that
the godson or doctor has little chance against
such a supernatural force, we are still curious
about the outcome of the fable.
The Tale of
“Godfather Death”
FORSHADOWING – an indication of events to
come in the story.
The Tale of
“Godfather Death”
FORSHADOWING – In this story there are
foreshadowings apparent in Death’s warnings.
(“But if you try such a thing again, it will be your
neck.”)
The Tale of
“Godfather Death”
CRISIS – a moment of high tension in the
story.
The Tale of
“Godfather Death”
CRISIS – In this story there are several
moments of crisis. The doctor defies Death for
the first time, but gets away with saving the
king. Then the doctor defies Death again to
save the princess and this creates another
crisis.
The Tale of
“Godfather Death”
CLIMAX – The moment of greatest tension at
which the outcome of the story is to be
decided.
The Tale of
“Godfather Death”
CLIMAX – In the fable the climax occurs when
the terrified doctor begs for a new candle. Will
Death grant him one? Will he live? Will he
become king and marry the princess?
The Tale of
“Godfather Death”
RESOLUTION / DENOUEMENT – The
conclusion of the story or the tying up of the
loose ends of the story.
The Tale of
“Godfather Death”
RESOLUTION / DENOUEMENT – In this tale
the resolution is swift. Death deliberately
fumbles with the candle and allows it to go out.