How we cite our quotes: (Tale.Page)
Quote #4
"There will be no mercy," said the old king. "He was ready to die with you and brought you back to life, but you killed him in his sleep, and now you shall receive your just reward." (The Three Snake Leaves.61)
Betrayal often has the most severe consequences in these tales. Why do you think that is?
Quote #5
The evil queen was so petrified with fright that she could not budge. Iron slippers had already been heated over a fire, and they were brought over to her with tongs. Finally, she had to put on the red-hot slippers and dance until she fell down dead. (Snow White.188)
What a way to go. Then again, she did try to kill her stepdaughter like four times. So maybe dancing to death isn't so cruel and unusual here. Either way, we're glad we don't own those shoes.
Quote #6
And the ungrateful son had to feed the toad every day; otherwise, it would have eaten away part of his face. Thus the son wandered about the world without a moment of rest. (The Ungrateful Son.459)
Getting really creative with the punishments, eh? This is one of those tales with a super-important moral, though: don't hoard food and don't be unkind to your parents. Which makes sense, given that these tales were supposed to indoctrinate kids with proper values (among which would be the message to be grateful to their parents).