...prince and princess waving a tearful goodbye.
Fjerde del af historien handler om Gerdas møde med en prins og en prinsesse. Delen er placeret midt i den samlede historie og begynder derfor "in medias res", hvor vi fra en trejdepersonsfortæller hører om Gerdas møde med en talende krage.
Fremstillingsformen er scenisk og tempoet stille og roligt.
Kragen præsenterer sig selv og sin kæreste og fortæller, om hvordan landets prinsesse for nyligt er blevet gift med en fattig dreng. Gerda identificerer straks drengen som Kay og beslutter sig for at tage op til prinsessens slot. Da Gerda kommer ind i slottet ser hun et væld af kunstige blomster, der strækker sig ud over slottets vægge. Intet i slottet er altså ægte, alting er en kunstig skildring af naturen. Slottet er altså en komplet modsætning til blomsterhaven, som Gerda besøgte i tredje del.
I prinsessens sovekammer forestiller loftet en palme, der er lavet af glas. En ægte palme
symboliserer, ifølge den kristne tro, triumf og sejr, men da denne palme er kunstig, får Gerda kun
en "falsk" sejr ud af hendes besøg på slottet. Det er nemlig ikke den rigtige Kay hun finder, men
blot en dreng, der ligner ham. Derudover hjælper prinsen og prinsessen Gerda videre på sin vej
ved at klæde hende på i det fineste silke og give hende en fuldt bemandet karet af sølv og guld.
Denne hjælp kommer dog ikke Gerda til gode, da hun løber ind i en røverbande, der sandsynligvis
ikke havde haft nogen særlig interesse i hende, hvis hun ikke havde været klædt i silke og kørt i en karet af guld og sølv. Hjælpen er altså ligeså kunstig, som udsmykningen i slottet.
”Sneedronningens” fjerde og femte historie er det primære tema en klassisk romantisk diskussion om forskellene imellem den stive civilisation og så den uspolerede natur, hvor prinsen og prinsessens slot og røverpigens skov optræder som repræsentanter for hver deres karikerede udgave af modsætningerne.
Efter sin flugt møder Gerda en krage, som sammen med sin forlovede fører hende til et slot, hvor hun fejlagtigt tror, at Kay opholder sig. Den nykronede prins på slottet synes nemlig også at være mere præget af fornuft end af følelser (”han var slet ikke kommen for at frie, bare alene kommen for at høre Prindsessens Klogskab” (s. 64)), og hun forveksler ham derfor med Kay, der jo også forsøgte at gøre indtryk på Snedronningen ved at fortælle hende, at han ”kunde Hoved-Regning, og det med Brøk” (s. 54-55).
Men på slottets gange får Gerda det første fingerpeg om, hvad det egentlig er for et besynderligt sted, hun er kommet til, idet hun her møder de drømme og naturlige længsler og behov, som de kongelige har, men ikke får udlevet: ”Heste med flagrende Manker og tynde Been, Jægerdrenge, Herrer og Damer til Hest” (s. 65).
Ægte natur er der da heller ikke meget af på slottet. Sovekamret er spækket med blomster, men i modsætning til hos den gamle troldkvinde, er de alle kunstige: ”Loftet herinde lignede en stor Palme med Blade af Glas, kostbart Glas, og midt paa Gulvet hang i en tyk Stilk af Guld to Senge, der hver saae ud som Lilier” (s. 66). Som i ”Nattergalen” er der tale om en kopi, en imitation, af den ægte natur. Ganske vist i ædle metaller, men ikke tilnærmelsesvis på højde med forbilledet.
Det virker derfor også helt naturligt, at prinsen og prinsessen straks iværksætter de nødvendige foranstaltninger, så lignende episoder med – ellers ret romantiske – indbrud og natteroderier ikke gentager sig: De dresserer de vilde væsener, som har ført Gerda på afveje, og de gør det ved, som Ib Johansen udtrykker det i sin artikel En vinterrejse (2000), at belønne dem ”på ægte biedermeiervis”21: ”Ville I flyve frit?” spurgte Prindsessen, ”eller ville I have fast Ansættelse som Hofkrager med Alt, hvad der falder af i Kjøkkenet?” (II, s. 66).
Og det går som planlagt. Kragerne kan ikke modstå det favorable tilbud og bliver så stopfodrede af deres køkkenjob, at de helt mister deres vitalitet.
På samme måde skorter det heller ikke på forsøg på at tæmme Gerda: Hun bliver ”klædt op fra Top til Taa i Silke og Fløiel”, og får ”baade Støvler og Muffe; hun blev så nydeligt klædt paa, og da hun vilde af sted, holdt ved Døren en nye Karreet af puurt Guld”, ligesom at hendes vogn bliver ”foret med Sukkerkringler, og i Sædet vare Frugter og Pebernødder” (s. 66-67), så også hun kan forspise sig.
Men den livsførelse, som råder på slottet, er på trods af den nydelige overflade ikke brugbar for et (romantisk) søgende menneske som Gerda, idet den på smertefuld vis adskiller hende fra kragen, og dermed fra naturen i hende selv: ”lille Gerda græd, og Kragen græd; - saaledes gik de første Mile; da sagde ogsaa Kragen Farvel, og det var den tungeste Afsked” (s. 67).
Modstykket, til det depraverede ønske om via mad og kostbarheder at passivisere individet, synes derfor at være den romantiske drøm om det ’ægte’ uciviliserede samfund, hvor snærende love og moralbegreber endnu ikke har vundet frem.
Men tilsvarende får man også oplysninger om, at prinsen og prinsessen ”ere reiste til fremmede Lande” (s. 76), og desuden har undertrykt de naturlige elementer så effektivt, at de er forsvundet eller simpelthen blevet ubrugelige.
De har alle tre følt sig nødsaget til at foretage en (dannelses)rejse væk fra deres utilstrækkelige ophav, og Andersen tager dermed ikke umiddelbart parti for nogen af siderne. Forklaringen herpå skal, som med mange af historiens andre konflikter, nok findes i, at hverken konge- eller røverslottets beboere har haft en åndelig dimension at falde tilbage på.
Prinsen og prinsessen, som ensidigt dyrkede fornuften og for hvem kærligheden var noget ganske tilfældigt (”da kommer hun til at nynne en Vise, det var netop den: ’Hvorfor skulde jeg ikke gifte mig!’ ”Hør, det er der Noget i”, siger hun, og saa vilde hun gifte sig” (s. 62)) er på det nærmeste sekulariserede. Det tætteste, de kommer på en tilknytning til det guddommelige, er, at de har en sal af ”rosenrødt Atlask med konstige Blomster op ad Væggen” (s. 65), og så at de forærer Gerda en karet af guld, som stråler ”som det klare Solskin” (s. 67). Den binding til (barne)troen, som måske kunne give det golde liv på slottet en smule mening, er ingen steder at finde.
Historien om Prinsen og Prinsessen er et helt eventyr for sig selv. Hvad er temaet?
very clever. She has read all the newspapers in the world and forgotten them
again, so clever is she. One day she was sitting on her throne, which is not such
an amusing thing to do either, they say. And she began humming a tune, which
happened to be: “Why should I not be married?”[...]. And she made up her mind
to marry, if she could find a husband who had an answer ready when a question
was put to him, not one who could only stand there and look grand, for that is too
stupid.
Khac Ti Ang Thuyet, June 2014
Thesis on Andersen female characters (Excerpt)
...has supposedly married a clever and beautiful princess...
She (Gerta) is helped by the prince and princess, who give her a carriage and horse and a little pair of boots so that she might drive out again into the wide world...
the princess gives Gerda a pair of boots and a muff, a carriage and a horse, together with a coachman, footman and outrider, facilitating her journey;
...a clever princess who gave her (Gerta) a golden carriage and a horse.
These stories provide
all we need in the way of awesome images of very strong female characters, whether
good or evil: in the Fourth Story, the clever princess. They are very free in their
world. They are determined and strong-willed. They are able to make choices and
decide their own destinies. They can do what they like to make their own dreams
come true.
The princess is a supplementary character who only appears in one chapter of the
Snow Queen story, yet she is an admirable and inspirational female character. She is
clever and intellectual.
In this kingdom where we are now, there lives a Princess who is
very clever. She has read all the newspapers in the world and forgotten them
again, so clever is she. One day she was sitting on her throne, which is not such
an amusing thing to do either, they say. And she began humming a tune, which
happened to be: “Why should I not be married?”[...]. And she made up her mind
to marry, if she could find a husband who had an answer ready when a question
was put to him, not one who could only stand there and look grand, for that is too
stupid.
(Andersen, 1997, 226)
This is a refreshingly different way to introduce a character, and we find nothing so
witty, ironic, sophisticated in Grimms’ fairy tales' (18)
emphasis on a fairy-tale princess’ beauty rather than, as here, her intelligence and wit
– though in fact we do not know what this princess looks like. She decides on her own
that she wants to get married, and she then goes on to consider what kind of husband
she is looking for – one who is intelligent, “unabashed of royalty,” and who “feels at
home with her” (Andersen, 1997, 126). The man actually chosen by the princess is not
a prince but a wanderer, one with creaking boots and a knapsack on his back.
However, he is “a picture of good looks and gallantry, and then he had not come with
any idea of wooing the Princess, but simply to hear her wisdom, he admired her just
as much as she admired him” (Andersen, 1997, 129). He does not slay any dragon, but
he can match the princess’s intellect with his own rather than impressing her with
victories. Just as our looks may fade; our wealth and status might also be diminished:
only our intellect and wisdom can last. The princess is not only clever; she is generous
and sympathetic as well. She is willing to help Gerda with her new golden carriage.
At the end of the tale, the princess and her husband go away “to live in foreign
countries”. They are free, totally not bound by the traditional social roles.
(18) This would be true even if we only heard the author, or the Raven, or the princess speaking there, but in fact we hear all three in this complex passage that combines three narrative-discursive levels.
Just like the princess, the robber girl is a very inspirational and admirable
female character. Her reward is her “complete freedom”.
ROSANA DA SILVA SANTOS, 2014
A história de uma princesa que queria casar-se e para conseguir tal feito os candidatos a noivo deveriam falar bem e agradar-lhe. A princesa gostou de um rapaz.
... agora com bons trajes, botas e uma carruagem que lhe foram presenteados pelo príncipe e pela princesa.
Na quarta história, sobre um príncipe e uma princesa, o ambiente é outro e o tempo passou. Já é inverno. No conto “A rainha da neve”, o espaço físico se altera à medida que a ação se desenvolve. O espaço, além de marcar, geograficamente, o local onde ocorre a ação, vincula-se ao espaço psicológico das protagonistas.
A história de uma princesa que queria casar-se com alguém que, além de boa aparência, soubesse responder quando ela lhe falasse, pois considerava-se muito inteligente.
O noivo escolhido para desposá-la.
No terceiro dia de apresentação dos pretendentes, surgiu um rapaz com a seguinte descrição: “[...] um sujeito miúdo, sem cavalo, nem carro, marchando, audacioso e confiante, até o palácio. Os olhos dele brilhavam. Tinha lindos cabelos compridos, mas vinha pobremente trajado” (HANSSEN, 1981, p. 281). Além disso, trazia às costas uma grande mochila e suas botinas rangiam.
Outro aspecto mencionado relacionava-se à inteligência do candidato.
No caminho para os aposentos reais, passam os sonhos dos nobres. O sonho é outro elemento importante na narrativa.
Nos aposentos, Gerda encontra o príncipe e a princesa, cada qual em suas camas,
e conta-lhes sua história. O príncipe dá sua cama para a menina descansar. Ela tem seu segundo monólogo interior: “Como são bons os homens e animais!” (HANSSEN, 1981, p. 284).
No dia seguinte, o príncipe e a princesa presenteiam-na com vestido, sapatos e uma bela carruagem com cocheiros e criados.
dando início à quinta história. Esta história, quinta, é sobre a filhinha dos salteadores e inicia-se descrevendo uma estrada escura onde a carruagem brilha como ouro e chama a atenção de salteadores que
matam o cocheiro, os criados...
De trenó, eles partem para a floresta e encontram a filha dos salteadores, que lhes conta que o príncipe e a princesa viajaram para o estrangeiro.
As personagens secundárias não saem de seu núcleo temático.
Morgens Paahus
Excerpt from H.C. Andersens livsfilosofi (The Life Philosophy of H.C. Andersen)
translated directly from the Danish by the mistress of this blog
A reality phase, where one learns independence and self-confidence and also learns to escape from the different decadence possibilities of this phase: one of which is calculating reason.
[...] - this is the second stage - to be independent and true to oneself. These skills are the ones described in the account of the little lively chap with "fine thick flowing hair, but whose clothes are shabby," who wins the princess, even though he, unlike all the others, has not come to woo the princess, but "only to hear her wise conversation," which he, thus, "liked very well." In this story, it is stressed that this skill to be oneself is something that is far from selfishness and calculations. All other suitors, except the little lively chap, are after all selfish and calculating, besides that they lose their speech (id est, lose their selves) when confused by all of the elegance that surrounds the princess.
Excerpt from H.C. Andersens livsfilosofi (The Life Philosophy of H.C. Andersen)
translated directly from the Danish by the mistress of this blog
A reality phase, where one learns independence and self-confidence and also learns to escape from the different decadence possibilities of this phase: one of which is calculating reason.
[...] - this is the second stage - to be independent and true to oneself. These skills are the ones described in the account of the little lively chap with "fine thick flowing hair, but whose clothes are shabby," who wins the princess, even though he, unlike all the others, has not come to woo the princess, but "only to hear her wise conversation," which he, thus, "liked very well." In this story, it is stressed that this skill to be oneself is something that is far from selfishness and calculations. All other suitors, except the little lively chap, are after all selfish and calculating, besides that they lose their speech (id est, lose their selves) when confused by all of the elegance that surrounds the princess.
Ashe, 20th of May 2015
The Snow Queen-Fourth Story-The Prince and the Princess
The nearby Princess decided that it was time for her to be wed. She wanted to marry a man who could actually talk to her and not lose his words when he came into her presence. There had been many men, but only one had not lost his words. All the other men forgot everything they were going to say and would only repeat the last two words the princess said.
into the castle to have a look at the prince who would not be confounded with words.
They would have to go upstairs to the room where the prince and princess slept. As they crept up the stairs shadows of men and horses sped past them upon the walls. These were dreams flying to their dreamers. They appeared as shadows upon the wall.
the room where the prince and princess slept, but the prince
He awoke and so too did the princess. In the morning, they straightened things out.
The prince and princess were very kind.
the prince and princess. They had gone traveling.
Themes
The princess wanted a man who would not be intimidated by her. This story was published in the 1800s. It’s not as if this story was from the 1500s or the 1600s. Women had more of a right in the world in the 1800s than they did way back when, but powerful women have always been admired. While powerful women have always been admired, they have not been admired as frequently as powerful men, and they were still looked down upon to a degree. Speaking of the same women, they can also intimidate men. Men can be a little scared of a woman who is smarter, more powerful, older, richer, or any other number of “ers” and “mores.”
Men have this idea in their heads, not all men, but usually men have an idea in their heads of how their lives are supposed to work. They have been told they’re the ones who are expected to be the provider, breadwinner, the protector, and many other labels. When they encounter a woman who challenges their idea of what they’re supposed to be, things can get a little odd. Maybe a man is struck dumb at the sight of a woman who is more powerful and has more money than he does. How many men have had the chance to meet their celebrity crushes, only to act completely stupid when they get the chance? Women do that too, by the way.
All these men that had come to see the princess were intimidated. They took one look at her and lost their places in the world. If the princess already had her own money and her own kingdom and her own army, what good were they? The prince who did come along, obviously wasn’t bothered by any of these things. He either was comfortable with the fact that maybe the princess had more or he was comfortable with being able to offer the Princess other things and considered his other offerings just as valuable to her. Because he had this attitude, he wasn’t intimidated by this princess.
This prince teaches us a valuable lesson. Maybe you don’t have all these awesome things about you. Maybe you’re not rich. Maybe you don’t have an army. Maybe you’re not skinny, or tall, or white, or you don’t have a nice booty, whatever the case may be that you feel you lack in, you have to consider that you may not actually be lacking. You have to have the attitude that what you do have to offer, and even your perceived faults, are things that are going to be valuable to people. You have to believe that you’re good enough, even if you can’t afford caviar.
Overall
The thought of shadow dreams running all around the house when we’re asleep is kind of weird.
Weigh In
Do you think the prince and princess ended up being happy together?
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