THE PRINCESS AND THE PEA
A Study Guide for Teachers and Students
Artwork for Study Guide by Emily Grosland
Based on the Fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen
Adapted for the stage by Gayle Cornelison
SYNOPSIS
In a few days, Prince Peter is slated to become King--that is, if he can make a
decision on which princess will be his bride. Dozens of princesses from all over the
world have been invited to the castle! However, Peter’s conniving cousin, Rolf,
second in line to the throne, will stop at nothing to become king. So, Rolf and his
dim-witted brother Ivan kidnap all of the princesses from the castle, hoping to
make it impossible for Prince Peter to select a princess by the appointed time.
Just as they have completed their evil plan, Count Schwartz arrives at the castle
with his sister, Bertha, whom he is trying to pass off as a “real princess” though
she clearly is not princess material!
Meanwhile, Ivan has found one last princess, and on his way to dispose of her,
Prince Peter catches him in the act and demands to know the real contents of
Ivan’s “potato sack” that Ivan is using to smuggle out the princesses. Ivan opens
the sack and out pops Princess Christina, a truly lovely and charming young
lady, who Prince Peter immediately likes very much. Furious, Bertha and Rolf
plot to eliminate Princess Christina by exposing her as an impostor.
Rolf tells Prince Peter that he has placed a large, hard rock underneath Princess
Christina’s mattress to test whether or not she is a real princess, because a real
princess would be sensitive enough to feel it. However, Rolf plans to trap
Christina by placing a single pea, instead of a rock, beneath a massive stack of
mattresses on her bed--but little does he know that Christina is a very clever
lady and will not be easily fooled! Because she is a real princess, she can feel the
pea under her mattresses, and it disturbs her sleep. In the morning, she presents
the pea to everyone, and it is proven that she is the true princess! She and Prince
Peter are married, the villains get their comeuppance, and Peter, not Rolf,
becomes king!
GENERAL DISCUSSION
1. The phrase “real princess” is repeated over and over in the play, because it is
so important that Prince Peter’s chosen bride be an actual princess, otherwise he
will not become the King. Discuss the definition of “real princess” with your
students. What qualities are required to be one? What makes Christina a real
princess, and why isn’t Bertha?
2. Discuss the morals and lessons learned in the play. What is the author of the
original story, Hans Christian Andersen, trying to teach his audience? What
literary and dramatic devices, such as plot, character, theme, setting, and
symbols, are used in the story to convey messages?
GEOGRAPHY/HISTORY
1. Discuss arranged marriages with your class and research some of history’s
most famous arranged marriages. What does an arranged marriage mean?
What is the purpose of an arranged marriage? What are the advantages and
disadvantages?
2. Prince Peter lives in a majestic castle somewhere in Europe. It is not said
where, but we can be sure it is in a land far, far away! Using the Internet or
books from the library, have your students research some real European castles
and write a paragraph on one of them. Have them find out the age of the castle,
who designed and built it, who has lived there over the years, and how the castle
was actually used.
ART
1. Have your students pretend that they are theatrical set designers and they
have each been asked to design a castle for a play. Using their imaginations,
have students draw pictures of their castles. They can model them after the
castles they researched or the one in the play, but have them be creative! They
should make their castle their own by experimenting with color, texture, line,
shape, and other artistic elements.
2. Imagine some other objects that might disturb your sleep if they were placed
under your mattress--a basketball, a computer, a car, anything! Have each
student draw a picture of him/herself on a stack of mattresses with the object of
their choosing underneath.
LITERATURE/CREATIVE WRITING
1. Before the show, read Hans Christian Andersen’s original version of “The
Princess and the Pea” with your class. Based on what you read, what might you
see onstage when you see the play? How do you think things from the book, such
as the enormous castle, will come to life onstage? How might the play be different
from the book?
2. This play features six different characters who come from different walks of
life. Have students choose one of the characters and write a journal entry from
the character’s point of view. They can write about a day during the action of
the play, or a time immediately before or following the play’s action.
SCIENCE/MATH
1. Would a human being really be able to feel a pea underneath seven
mattresses if they did not know it was there? Determine the weight, mass, and
volume of a
