The Tale of Rapunzel. In a time long past, before the forests were tamed and the world was fully charted, there lived a simple man and woman who yearned for a child of their own. Their house backed onto a magnificent garden, but this garden was no comfort, for it belonged to a fearsome sorceress. It was the presence of a single, humble plant in that forbidden place—the beautiful rampion—that would set in motion a chain of events, sealing a desperate bargain, and forever linking the fate of a helpless infant to a wicked witch and the lonely walls of a tower. This is the story of Rapunzel.
CHARACTERS:
NARRATOR
WOMAN
MAN
WITCH (DAME GOTHEL)
RAPUNZEL
PRINCE
SCRIPT:
NARRATOR: Once upon a time, there was a man and a woman who in vain wished for a child. They had a little window at the back of their house from which a splendid garden could be seen. This garden was full of the most beautiful flowers and herbs. A high wall surrounded it, and no one dared to go into it because it belonged to a wicked witch named Dame Gothel. One day, the woman saw a plant called rampinon, used to make salads.
WOMAN: My darling, I have a strong desire for a salad made from that plant.
MAN: What did you say?
WOMAN: I want to eat rampion!
MAN: The only way to get rampion is from the witch’s garden. And I’m not going there. That’s for sure!
WOMAN: But darling, if I don’t eat it now, I know I will surely die.
MAN: Very well, my dear, if you want it, you will have it.
NARRATOR: So the husband climbed the wall into the garden of the witch and started taking some rampion.
MAN: Rampion, rampion, this is for my darling wife.
NARRATOR: The man took the rampion, and his wife made a salad of it and ate it.
WOMAN: It tastes so good! But I want more.
MAN: I’ll get you some more.
WOMAN: Just be careful. I hope the witch doesn’t see you.
NARRATOR: So her husband went once again to the garden.
MAN: Rampion, rampion, this is for my darling wife.
NARRATOR: When he had the rampion in his hands, he saw the terrible witch standing before him.
MAN: Oh, my dear lord!
DAME GOTHEL: How dare you come into my garden and steal my rampion like a thief! You will suffer for it!
MAN: Oh, please forgive me! My wife saw your rampion from the window, and she wanted it so bad that she would have died if she didn’t have some to eat.
DAME GOTHEL: If you’re telling me the truth, I will let you take with you as much rampion as you want, but I make one condition. You must give me the child that your wife will bring into the world. It shall be well treated, and I will care for it like a mother does.
MAN: No! I can’t do that!
DAME GOTHEL: Then your wife and your baby will die tonight!
MAN: No, please, don’t harm them. I promise I will give you my child.
DAME GOTHEL: Very good, then. Get out of here and take as many rampinon as you want!
NARRATOR: When the baby was born, the witch appeared, gave the child the name of Rapunzel, and took it away with her.
DAME GOTHEL: Ha, ha, ha, ha.
NARRATOR: Rapunzel grew into a beautiful child. She played in the woods and took very good care of her long hair.
RAPUNZEL: I like to comb my long, beautiful hair.
NARRATOR: When she was twelve years old, the witch shut her into a tower in the middle of a forest. The tower had neither stairs nor a door, but near the top was a little window. When the witch wanted to go in, she placed herself beneath it.
DAME GOTHEL: Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair to me.
RAPUNZEL: Yes, let me unfasten my braided tresses so that you can climb up.
NARRATOR: After a year or two, the King’s son was walking in the forest when he heard a song, which was so charming that he stood still and listened.
RAPUNZEL: Du, du, du, la, la, la.
PRINCE: Oh, what a beautiful song! Who is singing so beautifully?
NARRATOR: The lovely voice came from Rapunzel’s tower. The King’s son wanted to climb up to her and looked for the door of the tower, but none was to be found.
PRINCE: Now what shall I do? There’s no way of climbing up. There are no stairs and no doors.
NARRATOR: He went back home, but the singing had touched his heart so much that every day he went out into the forest and listened to it. One day, he was standing behind a tree when he saw the witch coming, and he heard what she said.
DAME GOTHEL: Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair to me.
NARRATOR: Then Rapunzel let down the braids of her hair, and the witch climbed up to her.
PRINCE: So that’s the way I can climb to the tower! I will do the same thing.
NARRATOR: Next day, when it began to grow dark, he went to the tower.
PRINCE: Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair to me.
NARRATOR: Immediately, the hair fell, and the King’s son climbed up. Rapunzel was surprised to see him.
RAPUNZEL: Oh, who are you?
PRINCE: Darling, my heart is yours. I have never seen anybody as beautiful as you. Will you marry me? Will you be my wife and live with me in my kingdom?
RAPUNZEL: Yes, I will. You’re young and handsome.
PRINCE: Then it is settled. We’ll get married right away. Just let down your hair and let’s go.
RAPUNZEL: I will go away with you, but how should I descend? If I let down my hair for you, how will I ever reach the ground myself?
PRINCE: You’re right.
RAPUNZEL: You have to go now. The witch will come soon.
PRINCE: Yes, but don’t worry, Rapunzel, I’ll think of something.
NARRATOR: When the King’s son was getting down, the witch was already there, and said:
DAME GOTHEL: You have come to take Rapunzel. Now you will never see her again! Ha, ha, ha, ha.
NARRATOR: The witch cast a spell on the prince, and he wandered in the woods, without seeing a thing and eating only plants, roots, and berries. Meanwhile, in the tower…
DAME GOTHEL: Ah, you wicked child! I thought I had separated you from the world, and yet you have deceived me, and just for that, I will cut your beautiful hair!
NARRATOR: In her anger, the witch cut Rapunzel’s beautiful tresses. Then she took her into a desert where she had to live in great grief and misery. Meanwhile, the prince roamed about in misery for two years, and finally, he arrived in the desert, where Rapunzel, with the twins she had given birth to —a boy and a girl —lived in poverty.
PRINCE: That voice that I hear seems so familiar to me.
NARRATOR: He went towards it, and when he approached, Rapunzel said:
RAPUNZEL: Oh, Prince, I missed you so much that I want to cry!
NARRATOR: Two of her tears wetted his eyes and they grew clear again, and he could see with them as before.
PRINCE: I can see again! Oh my sweet Rapunzel, what have they done to us? Let’s now go to my kingdom.
NARRATOR: He took her to his kingdom, where they were joyfully received, and they lived happily ever after.
In “The Tale of Rapunzel,” we witness how love, courage, and perseverance can overcome even the darkest magic. Though Rapunzel was locked away and separated from the world, her kind heart and hope never faded. The prince’s bravery and Rapunzel’s tears of love broke the witch’s cruel spell and reunited them once again. This timeless story reminds us that no matter how high the tower or how deep the sorrow, love and faith will always find a way to bring light into the darkness.
The End
Author: The Brothers Grimm
Adapted by: K I D S I N C O
Moral of the Story: True love and faith can overcome any obstacle, even when hope seems lost.
Moral Values:
- Courage: Facing fear and taking action, even in the face of danger.
- Faith: Believing that good will triumph over evil.
- Love: Showing compassion and devotion even through hardship.
- Hope: Never giving up, even when trapped by life’s challenges.
- Kindness: Remaining gentle and caring, no matter how cruel the world may seem.
👉 Read more classic fairy tale plays on our website:
- Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf’s Trick
- Cinderella and the Glass Slipper
- The Dusty Maid
- Alice’s Magical Journey In Wonderland
- Peter Pan and the Journey to Neverland
- The Enchanted Flute of Hamelin
- The Enchanted Rose: A Tale of Beauty and the Beast
- Dorothy and the Magical Land of Oz
- The Enchanted Flute of Hamelin
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👉 External Resources:
- Grimms’ Fairy Tales – The Project Gutenberg
- Rapunzel Story – Bedtimes Stories
- Rapunzel – Text, Audio, Video
The Origin of Rapunzel:
The story of Rapunzel was first written down by the Brothers Grimm in 1812, but its roots go back even further to European and Persian folktales about maidens trapped in towers. In the original Grimm version, Rapunzel is not a princess — she is the daughter of a poor couple who make a desperate bargain with a witch named Dame Gothel. Taken away as a baby, Rapunzel grows up in isolation, her golden hair becoming both her prison and her key to freedom. When Disney adapted the story into the 2010 film Tangled, the character was reimagined as a lost princess with magical hair that could heal and restore youth. This change gave Rapunzel’s story a royal backdrop that added depth, emotional resonance, and a strong sense of destiny. By making her a princess, Disney emphasized themes of identity, self-discovery, and the power of finding one’s true place in the world — ideas that connect deeply with modern audiences.
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