Sleeping Beauty
Once upon a time there lived a King and Queen who longed for a child. When they are
finally rewarded they arrange a christening and invite all the known fairies in the
Kingdom. They find seven fairies. Each fairy will bestow a gift upon the Princess
Aurora.
Each fairy has a gold and jewel studded place setting, with a gold cover for the dish. As
the christening starts an old crone appears- she is in fact the eighth fairy who, shutting
herself away in a tower for fifty years has been forgotten.
The “Bad” fairy, called Uglyane, is angry that she was not invited. She is however
treated with courtesy by the King who arranges an extra setting at the table.
Unfortunately there is no gold cover for the dish- only seven were made, and Uglyane
takes offence.
Seated next to her the Fairy Hippolyta hears the old crone muttering, and fears she will
do harm to the child in her gift. Hippolyta leaves the table and hides behind the curtain
awaiting Uglyane’s gift.
Uglyane brings no gift to the child, she brings a curse. She vows that the Princess will
reach her sixteenth birthday and will prick her finger on a spindle (the sharp point of a
spinning wheel) and die. She then leaves the Christening and returns to her tower.
Hippolyta tells the stricken court that, although she cannot reverse the spell of
Uglyane, she can alter it. The child, with her blessing, will not die, but will merely sleep
for a long period of time. She will then be awakened by the kiss of a handsome Prince
who will fall in love with her.
Sixteen years pass. Princess Aurora is wandering the palace one day, on her sixteenth
birthday, and finds a room in a tower she has never been to before. Inside the tower she
finds an old servant spinning. The servant is unaware that the King has prohibited
spinning wheels throughout the Kingdom. The Princess is invited to watch her spinsomething she has never seen before, pricks her finger on the spindle, and falls to the
ground, apparently dead.
The old servant rings the alarm bell, and the court is summoned. The King dispatches a
dwarf wearing seven league boots to find Fairy Hippolyta. The Fairy arrives from many
thousands of leagues away, and casts her spell over the court, so that everyone within
the palace will fall asleep too, ensuring her Princess will not be lonely when she wakes
up.
Thorns and Briars grow around the Castle, and soon it is almost invisible and nearly
forgotten. A passing Prince, and his father the King hear of the legend of “The Sleeping
Beauty”, and Prince Florimond declares he will rescue her from her sleep.
The Briars and thorns part to admit him to the Palace. He discovers the court where
they lay asleep. On exploring he discovers a bath has been prepared for him, and a fine
suit of clothing laid out. The clothing is of the era when the court fell asleep.
Prince Florimond reaches the tower, discovers the sleeping Princess and awakens her
with a kiss. The court awakes, and the briars part to admit the Prince’s father. The Two
Kings discuss how they are reaching an age when they will not be ruling for very much
longer, and, Prince Florimond, declaring his love for Princess Aurora, they agree to the
marriage. The two kingdoms will become one. Prince and Princess live happily ever
after.