The Little Mermaid: A Silent Sacrifice is a heartfelt story about love, courage, and the difficult choices we make for those we care about. Deep beneath the shimmering waves lies a majestic underwater kingdom ruled by the Sea King, where his youngest daughter, the Little Mermaid, dreams of exploring the world above. Her longing to see the sky, feel the sunshine, and learn about human life sets her on a journey filled with wonder, danger, and sacrifice. As she follows the call of her heart, she discovers the beauty and heartbreak that come with true love. This play invites us to dive into a magical ocean world of coral palaces, sea creatures, fierce storms, and gentle fairies — and to reflect on how bravery and kindness can shape our destiny.
CHARACTERS:
NARRATOR
SEA KING
RED SHRIMP (A servant or attendant)
LITTLE MERMAID (The youngest daughter)
GRANDMOTHER
FISH
PRINCE (Eric)
GIRL 1
GIRL 2
GIRL 3
FOUR SISTERS
WIND FAIRIES
SCRIPT:
NARRATOR: At the bottom of the blue ocean, there was a palace where the Sea King, an old man with a flowing white beard, lived. The palace was a splendid mansion whose walls were built of coral, and the roof was formed of luminous shells.
(The stage is dimly lit with rippling blue-green light. Sound of gentle, atmospheric water movement. The palace is suggested by high, curving coral arches.)
SEA KING: Red Shrimp! Have you seen my daughters lately?
RED SHRIMP: Yes, Your Majesty. They were just going out to the sea to watch the ships passing by on the surface.
SEA KING: What about the youngest?
RED SHRIMP: She is in her room, Sire.
SEA KING: Very good. She is not yet allowed to go out with her sisters into the sea. She is still too young.
NARRATOR: The Little Mermaid was exquisitely beautiful. She loved to sing, and when she did, all the fish in the sea came to listen to her beautiful songs. Seashells would open, showing their lovely pearls, and the jellyfish would stop floating. One day, she was talking to her grandmother.
LITTLE MERMAID: Oh, Grandmother, I wish I could go out of the sea to watch the sky. Everyone says it’s magnificent! And how much I would like to hear the voices of men and smell the perfume of flowers!
(The Little Mermaid sits on a low, mother-of-pearl bench, tail draped gracefully. She looks longingly UP, toward where the surface would be. Her movements are fluid and graceful.)
GRANDMOTHER: You are still too young, my dear. In a couple of years, when you are fifteen years old, the King will allow you to go out to the sea, just like your older sisters do.
LITTLE MERMAID: I want to know the people who live in the world up there. My sisters have told me so many wonderful stories.
GRANDMOTHER: Stop dreaming, child. It’s time for you to go and tend to the garden. And remember to feed the dolphins and the seahorses.
(The Grandmother gently pats the Little Mermaid’s head. She wears darker, heavier robes, suggesting age and authority. She points offstage.)
LITTLE MERMAID: Dolphins are great company and love to play with me, but the seahorses don’t seem to like me that much!
GRANDMOTHER: Nevertheless, go now. It’s getting late.
LITTLE MERMAID: Good-bye, Grandmother.
GRANDMOTHER: Good-bye, my child.
Scene Change: The Fifteenth Birthday
NARRATOR: When it was her fifteenth birthday, she was too excited to sleep all night. The next morning, her father spoke to her.
SEA KING: Very well, my precious daughter. You may now go out of the sea, breathe the fresh air, and see the sky! Just remember this… that world is not our world. We can only admire it. We don’t have a soul, as humans do. We belong to the sea. Be careful, and don’t get near people. You could get into trouble!
LITTLE MERMAID: Yes, Father! I understand!
NARRATOR: So the Little Mermaid kissed her father goodbye and started swimming away.
LITTLE MERMAID: I feel so happy! I have to swim as fast as I can!
(She “swims” rapidly by miming a strong push with her tail/legs and ascending. The lights should transition quickly from deep blue to brighter, shimmering aqua.)
FISH: Wait! We are going with you!
LITTLE MERMAID: (Laughing) Ha, ha, ha, ha, try to catch me if you can!
NARRATOR: Then she finally broke the surface of the water.
(A platform or riser is used to lift her, symbolizing the surface. Light shifts dramatically to brilliant, warm sunshine. Sound of crashing waves and distant seagulls begins.)
LITTLE MERMAID: This is so fascinating! The blue sky is incredibly beautiful.
FISH: Yes, it is!
LITTLE MERMAID: What is that big yellow circle over there?
FISH: That is the sun! And those birds are seagulls!
LITTLE MERMAID: This is wonderful! Everything is so beautiful.
NARRATOR: Then they saw a ship. The sailors threw the anchor into the water.
(A large wooden mast or railing section descends/is wheeled on stage to represent the deck of the ship.)
LITTLE MERMAID: I can hear their voices! I wish I could talk to them! But… I don’t have legs. I will never be like them!
NARRATOR: Aboard the ship, the sailors were dancing and celebrating.
SAILOR: Hooray for our Captain! Happy twentieth birthday!
NARRATOR: At that moment, the Little Mermaid saw the young man.
LITTLE MERMAID: Oh, he is so handsome, and he looks so happy! I can’t stop looking at him!
Scene Change: The Storm and Rescue
FISH: A storm is coming! Look at the black sky!
(The stage lights cycle between dark, stormy blues and flashes of white lightning. The sound is dominated by thunder and strong wind effects. Actors sway dramatically.)
LITTLE MERMAID: Oh, I can feel the strong waves… and the thunder… Oh, the ship! Be careful! The sea is growing wild!
(She is pushed and tossed by the “waves” (stagehands or other actors). She clings to a set piece or bobs frantically.)
NARRATOR: But nobody heard her cries. The wind was strong, and the waves were so high that they rocked the ship violently. A dreadful storm was approaching.
LITTLE MERMAID: Be careful! The sea!
NARRATOR: In vain, she kept shouting. The sailors were screaming, the ship’s lights were extinguished, and the vessel kept rocking up and down. Then the ship rolled over onto its side, the water rushed in, and the ship finally sank. She saw the Captain sinking into the depths.
(The ship piece is quickly removed. The Prince falls dramatically into the dark-lit water below. The Little Mermaid dives after him.)
LITTLE MERMAID: I have to help him!
NARRATOR: And she started swimming toward the young man. She took him by the hand and pulled him out of the water. He was unconscious. She held his head above the water and let the waves drift them where they would. In the morning, the sun rose up, red and glowing from the water.
(They are center stage. She supports the Prince by placing one hand on his back and the other under his head, moving slowly and laboriously. The light is soft and hazy.)
LITTLE MERMAID: I have to take him to the beach.
NARRATOR: So she swam with the handsome Prince to the beach, which was covered with fine, white sand, and there she laid him in the warm sunshine. She stayed there for a while, holding his hands. Then she heard people talking. She kissed him quickly and swam out farther from the shore, placing herself between some high rocks that rose out of the water. She covered her head and neck with the foam of the sea so that her face might not be seen, and watched to see what would become of the poor Prince.
GIRL 1: Run! Run! There’s a man on the beach!
GIRL 2: He’s alive! Oh, poor man, it must have been the storm! Let’s take him to the castle!
GIRL 3: No! No! Let’s get help first!
NARRATOR: The young man woke up. He saw one of the girls, the one who was the most beautiful, and told her.
PRINCE: Thank you for saving me!
NARRATOR: The Little Mermaid saw that the young man was going to the castle with the three girls. He didn’t know that it was she who saved him, and not the other girl.
LITTLE MERMAID: I must go home now… and leave him there. Oh… that was the most wonderful time I have spent… holding him in my arms!
Scene Change: The Sea Witch’s Lair
NARRATOR: When she got back to her palace, she went straight to her room and started to cry. She stayed there for many days without wanting to see anyone, and without eating.
LITTLE MERMAID: Oh, I am in love, and I know that I will never marry him! I have to do something, but who can help me?
NARRATOR: Desperately, she started thinking about what to do. Then she remembered the Sea Witch.
LITTLE MERMAID: She is the only one who can help me! But at what price? Anyway, I will go and see her.
NARRATOR: When she arrived at the Sea Witch’s lair, the Witch spoke.
(The stage instantly turns to deep, murky green and black. Sound of grotesque, bubbling water and maybe a deep, echoing laugh. The lair is filled with twisted, skeletal coral and bizarre objects.)
SEA WITCH: I know what you want! It is very foolish of you, and your decision will bring you sorrow, my pretty princess.
(The Sea Witch should be imposing—possibly taller or elevated. Her movements are slow and deliberate, designed to intimidate the Little Mermaid.)
LITTLE MERMAID: I just want to get rid of my fish’s tail.
SEA WITCH: I suppose you want legs like human beings on Earth. Right?
LITTLE MERMAID: Yes, I want the young Prince to fall in love with me.
SEA WITCH: Very well! But you will suffer. Every time you walk, you will feel a terrible pain, as if a sharp sword were passing through you.
LITTLE MERMAID: I don’t care! I just want to be with him again!
SEA WITCH: I haven’t finished yet! I must be paid! You must give me your beautiful and sweet voice. You will not charm the Prince with it; you will not speak or sing; you will remain speechless forever! But remember: if the man you love falls in love with another woman, your body will dissolve into the water, just like the foam of the waves.
LITTLE MERMAID: But if you take away my voice, what is left for me?
SEA WITCH: Your beautiful body, your graceful walk, and your pretty eyes. Do you want more?
LITTLE MERMAID: I accept! Give me the magic potion.
(She holds out her hands, trembling slightly. The Sea Witch produces a vial of brightly glowing liquid.)
Scene Change: On Land
NARRATOR: Then she went to the beach and drank the potion. Suddenly, a severe pain made her lose consciousness. When she woke up, she saw the Prince beside her.
PRINCE: Don’t be afraid. You are safe. Where do you come from?
NARRATOR: But she could not speak.
PRINCE: I will take you to the palace and take care of you until you get well.
NARRATOR: For a few days, her life changed. The Prince gave her wonderful dresses, and she was his constant companion.
PRINCE: Tonight you will go with me to a party. I know that you can’t talk, but I can see in your eyes that you are happy here.
NARRATOR: And she was very happy, but every movement from her legs caused her great pain, just as the Sea Witch had told her.
(Whenever the Little Mermaid walks or dances, she must show visible signs of effort and pain—a sharp intake of breath, a slight wobble, or a hand gripping her side, then quickly concealing it with a forced smile.)
NARRATOR: But that was the price she was paying for being with her loved Prince. That night, the Prince said.
PRINCE: I have to tell you something. One day, I was rescued by a beautiful girl, and since that day, she has been in my heart and in my mind. But I never saw her again; she returned to her own country.
LITTLE MERMAID: (thinking) Oh, it was me who rescued you! But I can’t tell you!
PRINCE: I feel very good with you, but I can’t forget her.
NARRATOR: When she heard those words, she went running toward the beach and started crying.
PRINCE: Wait! Please, I didn’t mean to…
NARRATOR: But it was too late; she was gone. One day, they were in one of the towers of the palace, when the Prince saw that a big ship was approaching.
PRINCE: Look! There’s a ship approaching. Let’s see who is coming.
NARRATOR: And when the people were coming down from the ship, he was surprised.
PRINCE: Oh, it’s her! She came back to me!
LITTLE MERMAID: (Thinking) Oh, I feel a terrible pain in my heart. I am sure I will lose him forever.
NARRATOR: And she did, because the Prince and the girl got married. A few days after the wedding, they were invited for a trip on a ship, and she also went with them.
LITTLE MERMAID: (Thinking) I lost him forever! And now, just as the Sea Witch said, I will disappear in the ocean.
NARRATOR: Then she heard someone calling her from the seawater.
FOUR SISTERS: Little Mermaid! Little Mermaid! It’s us, your sisters! Look, we have a potion! The Sea Witch gave it to us in exchange for our long hair. Give the potion to the Prince—he will then perish, and you will be a mermaid again!
NARRATOR: The Little Mermaid took the potion and went to the Prince’s room, where he was sleeping, while her sisters returned to the deep sea.
LITTLE MERMAID: (Thinking) I can’t do this! I love you so much. I will just kiss you and leave forever.
(On the ship’s deck, she takes a final, sorrowful look at the sleeping Prince, places the vial on a table, and then gracefully steps off the edge of the set piece into the darkness below.)
NARRATOR: After kissing the Prince, she threw herself into the sea.
LITTLE MERMAID: (Thinking) I want to disappear and turn into foam. Good-bye, my love.
Scene Change: Ascension
NARRATOR: When she turned to see the ship for the last time, suddenly, a mysterious force pulled her out of the water and took her to the sky, and she felt the warmth of the sun. Then she heard some voices that sounded like tiny bells.
(A soft, golden, or pink light floods the area where she fell. The Little Mermaid is gently lifted (via wire work or a hidden platform) back into view. Her body may now be suggested as luminous and airy, perhaps covered in sheer white fabric.)
WIND FAIRIES: Little Mermaid! Little Mermaid! Come with us!
LITTLE MERMAID: Who are you? Where are you? Oh, I can speak again!
WIND FAIRIES: You are with us in the sky. We are the Wind Fairies. We don’t have a soul as humans do, but it’s our responsibility to help those who have been kind to us.
(The Fairies, dressed in light, flowing costumes, appear around her. The stage is bathed in warm, cloud-like light.)
NARRATOR: The Little Mermaid looked down at the sea where the ship was, and started to cry.
WIND FAIRIES: Look! The flowers of the Earth receive our tears and turn them into morning dew. Come with us! We will help mankind wherever we are, and we will be part of their happiness. You have shown the same effort and suffering in your heart as we have, and you have passed the test. Now you are a spirit of the air. Here, your actions can earn you an immortal soul.
NARRATOR: The Little Mermaid raised her arms to the sky and cried. Then she saw the ship, the Prince, and his beautiful bride, and said.
LITTLE MERMAID: You can’t hear me or see me, but I will always love you, and I wish you happiness.
NARRATOR: Then she flew away with the other Wind Fairies, floating through the air on a pink cloud.
(She mimes a light kiss toward the ship below. She and the Fairies ascend or float away as the lights fade to black.)
This story reminds us that love sometimes requires strength, understanding, and selflessness. Though her dream to be with the Prince did not come true, the Little Mermaid found a new purpose — one born from compassion and sacrifice. Her courage earned her a place among the Wind Fairies, where she could help bring happiness to the world and continue to grow toward an eternal reward. In the end, she learned that even the greatest pain can lead to a new beginning, and that every act of kindness leaves a lasting mark. As the Little Mermaid soared into the sky, she discovered that love — even silent, unspoken love — has a power that reaches far beyond the sea.
The End
Author: Hans Christian Andersen
Adapted by: K I D S I N C O
Moral of the Story: True love is selfless. When we act with kindness, courage, and compassion — even when it costs us something — we discover our inner strength and open the way to a greater destiny.
Moral Values:
- Selflessness: The Little Mermaid chooses love and kindness over personal gain.
- Courage: She bravely faces the unknown, both on land and in the sea.
- Compassion: Her heart remains gentle, even when she suffers.
- Sacrifice: She gives up her voice, her comfort, and ultimately her chance with the Prince.
- Hope and Renewal: Even after heartbreak, she finds a new purpose and a brighter future.
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👉 Read more classic fairy tale plays on our website:
- The Mice Meeting and the Cat’s Clever Trap
- 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 Princess and the Pea: The Royal Test
- Jack and the Beanstalk: The Magic Climb
- The Magical Tale of Snow White and the Enchanted Forest
- Hansel and Gretel: The Sweet Escape
- Rumpelstiltskin: The Secret Name
- The Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf’s Lesson
- Goldilocks and the Three Bowls of Porridge
- Peter and the Wolf’s Honest Lesson
- The Mice Meeting and the Cat’s Clever Trap
- Puss in Boots and the Marquis of Carabas
👉 External Resources:
- Hans Christian Andersen – Fairy Tales Collection. A free digital library of Andersen’s classic stories.
- Project Gutenberg – Fairy Tale Books. A collection of public-domain fairy tale books available to read online or download for free, including The Little Mermaid
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