Blog Entry 10

 English Talking Book - Rapunzel

The cartoon I found online that shares the same “Rapunzel” motifs was of the video “English Talking Book - Rapunzel” by the cartoonist and YouTuber ‘APPUSERIES.’ This video is both similar and different to that of the Grimm version of “Rapunzel.”

            In the YouTube video, there is a farmer and his wife. They stole fruit from a witch’s garden. The witch then threatened them that if they steal from her again she would turn them into rats. She did not make a deal with them that they could take as much fruit or vegetables from the garden in exchange for their first born child, like in the Grimm version. Instead, she told the farmer and his wife that she would let them go unharmed if they agreed to give up their first born child to her.

            As time goes on, the witch names the child Rapunzel, just like in the Grimm version. Then she locks the girl in a tower. The girl grew up to beautiful with long, golden hair. The only person who Rapunzel was familiar with was the witch. She would come to the tower every day and call out “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!” The witch would climb up Rapunzel’s hair to get into the tower.

            Another difference with this story and the Grimm version is that the prince that is in the Grimm version hears Rapunzel’s voice and follows it. In the YouTube story, the prince passes by the witch and his curiosity got the best of him as to what she is up to. But similarly to the Grimm version, the prince decides to use what the witch says: “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!” He was able to climb up to her room.

            The prince and Rapunzel fell in love at first sight and began to secretly meet every day after the witch left. Then Rapunzel mistakenly said the witch that she is much heavier than the prince. The witch was infuriated and cut off Rapunzel’s hair and sent her off deep into the forest. In the Grimm version, Rapunzel was sent out into a desolate land.  Further into the YouTube video, the prince found the witch waiting for him at the tower and she cast a spell on him to lose his eyesight. In the Grimm version, the prince was taken up by the witch to the tower using Rapunzel’s hair and then fell out the window by surprise. He fell into a thorn bush and lost his eyesight from that.

            Days later, Rapunzel found the prince wondering around the forest and wounded. She started to cry about his eyesight being gone. Her tears cured his blindness just like in the Grimm version. They found love within each other again and went away to the prince’s kingdom and lived happily ever after.