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The Fisherman and His Wife

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The Fisherman and His Wife illustrated in a colorful cartoon style, showing the fisherman and his wife standing by the sea as a magical golden fish rises from the water, with a small cottage and a grand castle in the background.
A magical moment from The Fisherman and His Wife—the fisherman meets the enchanted fish that will change his family’s fate, reminding us that true happiness comes from gratitude, not endless wishes.

The Fisherman and His Wife is a timeless fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm that explores the dangers of greed and the importance of gratitude. Through the magical encounter between a humble fisherman and an enchanted fish, the story shows how wishes can grow larger—and more dangerous—when satisfaction is never enough.

CHARACTERS:

FISH

MAN

WIFE

NARRATOR

SCRIPT: 

NARRATOR: Once upon a time, in a small, weathered hut by the sea, lived a fisherman and his wife. Every day, the fisherman went down to the shore to cast his line. He sat, and he watched the water. One day, his line pulled deep, and he hauled in a massive, shimmering fish. But as he went to grab it, the fish spoke.

FISH: Please, fisherman! Let me live. I am not a real fish—I am an enchanted Prince. What good is a talking fish to you anyway? I wouldn’t taste nice. Put me back into the waves and let me go.

MAN: (Startled) Well! You needn’t say another word. I’m not about to eat a fish that can talk. Swim away, sir.

NARRATOR: The man put the fish back into the clear, sparkling water. It left a long streak of blood behind it and sank to the bottom. The man went home to his wife in their cramped hut.

WIFE: Husband, did you catch anything today?

MAN: Only an enchanted prince. He told me he was a man under a spell, so I let him go.

WIFE: (Frowning) Did you not ask him for a wish first?

MAN: No. What should I have asked for?

WIFE: Look at this place! It’s tiny, dark, and disgusting. We shouldn’t have to live in a shack like this. Go back and call him. Tell him we want a cozy cottage. He owes you his life, doesn’t he?

MAN: But the sea was so peaceful… I don’t want to bother him.

WIFE: Nonsense! You did him a favor. Go now, before he swims too far.

NARRATOR: The man did not want to go, but he feared his wife’s temper. When he reached the shore, the sea was no longer clear; it was a murky green and yellow. He called out:

MAN: Prince of the Ocean, hear my plea. My wife, Ilsebill, has sent for me. She wants a wish, she wants a change, she finds our lives much too strange!

FISH: (Surfacing) Well? What does she want?

MAN: She says I should have asked for something. She no longer wants to live in the hut. She wants a cottage.

FISH: Go home, then. She is already there.

NARRATOR: The man returned. Where the hut had stood, a beautiful stone cottage with a tiled roof and a small garden now stood. His wife was sitting on a bench by the door.

WIFE: Come inside, husband! Isn’t this much better?

NARRATOR: The cottage was perfect. It had a warm kitchen, a soft bed, and a yard filled with chickens and ducks. For a week, they were happy. Then, the wife stopped smiling.

WIFE: Husband, this cottage is too cramped. The yard is small, and I’m tired of looking at these chickens. I want to live in a great stone castle. Go tell the fish to build us a palace.

MAN: Oh, wife! The fish just gave us this. I don’t want to be greedy.

WIFE: He can do it easily! Don’t stand there arguing. Go!

NARRATOR: The man’s heart was heavy. When he reached the sea, the water was a dull, thick violet. The wind began to whistle. He called out:

MAN: Prince of the Ocean, hear my plea. My wife, Ilsebill, has sent for me. A cottage is fine, but she wants more. She’s waiting for me on the shore.

FISH: What does she want now?

MAN: She… she wants to live in a great stone castle.

FISH: Go home. She is standing on the steps.

NARRATOR: The fisherman returned to find a massive palace of marble and gold. Servants opened the doors. Inside were crystal chandeliers and tables groaning with food.

MAN: Now, wife, we shall live here forever and be content.

WIFE: We shall see.

NARRATOR: The next morning, the wife woke up and looked out at the vast kingdom surrounding the castle. She poked her husband awake.

WIFE: Husband, get up! Why should we just live here when we could rule it? Go to the fish and tell him I must be King.

MAN: (Shocked) A King? Why would you want that? I don’t want to be a King!

WIFE: Then I will be King! Go! Now!

NARRATOR: The man walked to the shore, trembling. The sea was now a dark, stormy grey, and the water boiled and foamed. He shouted into the wind:

MAN: Prince of the Ocean, hear my plea. My wife, Ilsebill, has sent for me. A castle is grand, a castle is fair, but now she wants a Crown to wear!

FISH: What is it now?

MAN: She wants to be King.

FISH: Go home. She is the King already.

NARRATOR: The man found the palace had grown into a fortress of gold. His wife sat on a throne two miles high, wearing a crown of diamonds.

MAN: Wife, are you satisfied now that you are the King?

WIFE: (Coldly) Being King is not enough. If the fish can make me King, he can make me Emperor. And after that, I shall be Pope! Go, tell him!

MAN: Wife, have mercy! The fish cannot make you Pope. There is only one Pope in the world!

WIFE: (Screaming) I am the King! You are my subject! Do as I say!

NARRATOR: The fisherman stumbled toward the sea. A Great storm was rising. The sky turned black, and the trees bent to the ground. The waves crashed like thunder.

MAN: Prince of the Ocean, hear my plea! My wife, Ilsebill, has sent for me! She’s Emperor now, and Pope as well, but her soul has a hunger I cannot quell!

FISH: (Voice booming over the storm) WHAT DOES SHE WANT?

MAN: She wants… she wants to be the Pope!

FISH: Go home. She is sitting on her throne.

NARRATOR: The man returned to find his wife surrounded by thousands of candles, wearing three golden crowns, with Kings and Queens kissing her feet. He whispered:

MAN: Wife, you are Pope. Surely, there is nothing left to desire.

WIFE: (Looking at the sun rising) Why does the sun rise without my permission? Why does the moon move if I do not tell it to? I cannot rest while the sky obeys a power higher than mine. Husband! Go to the fish! I want to be like God!

MAN: (Falling to his knees) Wife! I beg you! Ask for anything else, but not this!

WIFE: (Eyes wild) GO! I will not have a moment’s peace until I rule the sun and the moon!

NARRATOR: The fisherman ran through a nightmare. The earth shook, mountains crumbled into the sea, and the sky turned as black as ink. He had to scream with all his might to be heard above the howling gale.

MAN: PRINCE OF THE OCEAN, HEAR MY PLEA! MY WIFE, ILSEBILL, HAS SENT FOR ME! SHE WANTS THE SUN! SHE WANTS THE SKY! SHE WANTS TO BE THE LORD ON HIGH!

FISH: (The water goes suddenly, terrifyingly silent) Go home, then. She is again sitting in the hut.

NARRATOR: The fisherman ran back as the storm began to fade. The marble walls had vanished. The servants were gone. The golden throne had turned into a wooden stool. There sat his wife, in the same old, dirty hut, with the smell of salt and old fish hanging in the air.

(A brief silence as the Man and Wife sit in the hut, looking defeated)

NARRATOR: And there they remain to this very day. For greed is a sea that can never be filled, A hunger that grows once the spirit is stilled. He who asks for the sun when he has all the earth, will soon find out what a “nothing” is worth. So cherish the cottage, the bread, and the light, Before all your riches vanish from sight.

The End

Author: Brothers Grimm

Adapted by: K I D S I N C O

Moral of the Story: Greed has no limit. The wife is never satisfied; as soon as she gets what she wants, she immediately focuses on the next thing.

The Lesson: If you aren’t happy with what you have, you will never be satisfied with what you want. Happiness comes from within, not from possessions or titles.

Moral Values:

  • Gratitude: The characters were given a miracle—a talking fish—and several beautiful homes. Instead of saying “thank you,” the wife looked for what was “missing.” The story teaches that gratitude is the key to maintaining a blessed life.
  • Humility: The wife’s final wish to be “like God” is the ultimate act of pride (hubris). The story teaches that humans must recognize their place in the world and not try to control things that are beyond them (like the sun and moon).
  • Moderation: This is the value of knowing when “enough is enough.” The Fisherman knew they had enough at the cottage and the castle, but he failed to set boundaries.
  • Personal Responsibility: While the wife is the “villain” of the story, the man is also responsible because he didn’t stand up for what was right. He practiced obedience to his wife, but it was “blind obedience” that led to their downfall.

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