Prince Darling

Synopsis

An aged king who is a widower lavishes indulgence on his only son, whom the people call 'Prince Darling.' Fearing he will die before the child is of age, he confesses his concern to his friend, the Fairy of Truth. The fairy promises to grant the boy a boon such as beauty, wealth or military success, but the king asks only that she make the boy a good person. The fairy says she cannot change the boy's character, but she can give him advice and correct him when he errs. After the king's death, the fairy appears to Prince Darling, now the king, and gives him a magic ring that will prick his finger whenever he does something bad or wrong. Prince Darling follows the instructions of his wise old mentor, Suleiman, but begins carousing at night with power-seeking sycophants who encourage his bad behaviour. He meets a young shepherdess and arrogantly announces he will marry her; she refuses because of his wicked reputation. The sycophants tell him that if he won't punish subjects who disobey him, his power will dissolve and the people will depose him. By this time Prince Darling has discarded the magic ring because it was almost constantly pricking him. He puts the shepherdess in prison to force her consent; when she mysteriously vanishes, the sycophants accuse Suleiman of freeing her and undermining Prince Darling's authority. Prince Darling then imprisons Suleiman. The Fairy of Truth appears in a rage, saying that because he did not heed the ring's gentle correction he has become a monster. She transforms him into a creature with a head of a lion, the horns of an ox, the feet of the wolf, and a body of a snake, telling him his soul is a hundred times more hideous. She disappears, leaving the creature alone in the woods. The monster prince is captured by a hunter, who hopes to sell him as a curiosity. On the way to town, they encounter a reveller who says the whole town is rejoicing because Prince Darling is dead, that the people have released Suleiman and crowned him as the new king. The hunter decides to take the monster to the new king as a coronation gift. At the ceremony, they hear Suleiman announce he is only taking the throne in trust for Prince Darling, who is not dead and will return. The hunter presents the monster, and the king puts it in his menagerie. In his cage, Prince Darling observes that the animal keeper is a drunkard who abuses the animals. He reflects that he was wrong about Suleiman, who only has his best interests in mind, and realizes his friends were manipulating him. He resolves to do only good from now on. When the animal keeper has a near-fatal accident, the monster breaks out of his cage to save him. The Fairy of Truth appears momentarily, saying good actions will be rewarded, and transforms him into a dog. The animal keeper takes the dog to King Suleiman to report a miracle. Suleiman's daughter takes a liking to the dog and keeps him. One morning the dog receives a spare breakfast of one dinner roll, which he takes out in the countryside. He discovers a house of splendour made of jewels, with well-dressed people going in but coming out thin and pale in rags. A young girl crawling out attempts to eat a blade of grass; the dog gives her his roll. She warns him not to go in the house, the Palace of Pleasure, because all the food is poisoned. The dog sees the shepherdess entering the palace and is desperate to save her. The Fairy of Truth appears and rewards his generosity by turning him into a dove. The dove prince flies around the palace and through a window sees the shepherdess, who suddenly vanishes in a puff of smoke. Resolving to find her, he flies across the land. Eventually he spies her in a remote place, walking with an old beggar woman in rags. He flies down and lights on the shepherdess' finger, cooing. She remarks it is the most beautiful dove in the world and that if it were a man, she would marry it. The beggar woman throws off her rags and reveals she is the Fairy of Truth. She transforms the dove back into Prince Darling. The prince kneels and begs the shepherdess for forgiveness. The fairy declares the girl had always loved the prince but didn't like his bad behaviour. Prince Darling and the shepherdess are married, and he resumes the throne to become a just and beloved ruler. He once again wears the ring on his finger, but it never pricks him.