MANY, many years ago lived an emperor,2 who thought so much of new clothes that he spent all his money in order to obtain them; his only ambition was to be always well dressed.3 He did not care for his soldiers,4 and the theatre did not amuse him;5 the only thing, in fact, he thought anything of was to drive out and show a new suit of clothes. He had a coat for every hour of the day; and as one would say of a king “He is in his cabinet,” so one could say of him, “The emperor is in his dressing-room.”
The great city where he resided was very gay; every day many strangers from all parts of the globe arrived. One day two swindlers6 came to this city; they made people believe that they were weavers1,7 and declared they could manufacture the finest cloth to be imagined. Their colours and patterns, they said, were not only exceptionally beautiful, but the clothes made of their material possessed2 the wonderful quality of being invisible to any man who was unfit for his office or unpardonably stupid.8
“That must be wonderful cloth,” thought the emperor. “If I were to be dressed in a suit made of this cloth I should be able to find out which men in my empire were unfit for their places, and I could distinguish the clever from the stupid.9 I must have this cloth woven for me without delay.” And he gave a large sum of money to the swindlers, in advance, that they should set to work without any loss of time. They set up two looms4, and pretended to be very hard at work, but they did nothing whatever on the looms. They asked for the finest silk and the most precious gold-cloth; all they got they did away with, and worked at the empty looms till late at night.
“I should very much like to know how they are getting on with the cloth,” thought the emperor. But he felt rather uneasy when he remembered that he who was not fit for his office could not see it. Personally, he was of opinion that he had nothing to fear, yet he thought it advisable to send somebody else first to see how matters stood. Everybody in the town knew what a remarkable5 quality the stuff possessed, and all were anxious to see how bad or stupid their neighbours were.10
“I shall send my honest old minister to the weavers,” thought the emperor. “He can judge best how the stuff looks, for he is intelligent, and nobody understands his office better than he.”
The good old minister went into the room where the swindlers sat before the empty looms. “Heaven preserve us!” he thought, and opened his eyes wide, “I cannot see anything at all,” but he did not say so. Both swindlers requested him to come near, and asked him if he did not admire the exquisite6 pattern and the beautiful colours, pointing to the empty looms. The poor old minister tried his very best, but he could see nothing, for there was nothing to be seen. “Oh dear,” he thought, “can I be so stupid? I should never have thought so, and nobody must know it! Is it possible that I am not fit for my office? No, no, I cannot say that I was unable to see the cloth.”11
“Now, have you got nothing to say?” said one of the swindlers, while he pretended to be busily weaving.
“Oh, it is very pretty, exceedingly beautiful,” replied the old minister looking through his glasses. “What a beautiful pattern, what brilliant colours! I shall tell the emperor that I like the cloth very much.”
“We are pleased to hear that,” said the two weavers, and described to him the colours and explained the curious pattern. The old minister listened attentively7, that he might relate to the emperor what they said; and so he did.
Now the swindlers asked for more money, silk and gold-cloth, which they required for weaving. They kept everything for themselves,12 and not a thread came near the loom3, but they continued, as hitherto, to work at the empty looms.
Soon afterwards the emperor sent another honest courtier to the weavers to see how they were getting on, and if the cloth was nearly finished. Like the old minister, he looked and looked but could see nothing, as there was nothing to be seen.
“Is it not a beautiful piece of cloth?” asked the two swindlers, showing and explaining the magnificent pattern, which, however, did not exist.
“I am not stupid,” said the man. “It is therefore my good appointment for which I am not fit.13 It is very strange, but I must not let any one know it;” and he praised the cloth, which he did not see, and expressed his joy at the beautiful colours and the fine pattern. “It is very excellent,” he said to the emperor.
Everybody in the whole town talked about the precious cloth. At last the emperor wished to see it himself, while it was still on the loom. With a number of courtiers, including the two who had already been there, he went to the two clever swindlers, who now worked as hard as they could, but without using any thread.
“Is it not magnificent?” said the two old statesmen who had been there before.14 “Your Majesty8 must admire the colours and the pattern.” And then they pointed9 to the empty looms, for they imagined the others could see the cloth.
“What is this?” thought the emperor, “I do not see anything at all. That is terrible! Am I stupid? Am I unfit to be emperor? That would indeed be the most dreadful thing that could happen to me.”
“Really,” he said, turning to the weavers, “your cloth has our most gracious approval;” and nodding contentedly10 he looked at the empty loom, for he did not like to say that he saw nothing. All his attendants, who were with him, looked and looked, and although they could not see anything more than the others, they said, like the emperor, “It is very beautiful.” And all advised him to wear the new magnificent clothes at a great procession which was soon to take place. “It is magnificent, beautiful, excellent,” one heard them say; everybody seemed to be delighted, and the emperor appointed the two swindlers “Imperial Court weavers.”
The whole night previous to the day on which the procession was to take place, the swindlers pretended to work, and burned more than sixteen candles.15 People should see that they were busy to finish the emperor’s new suit. They pretended to take the cloth from the loom, and worked about in the air with big scissors, and sewed with needles without thread, and said at last: “The emperor’s new suit is ready now.”
The emperor and all his barons11 then came to the hall; the swindlers held their arms up as if they held something in their hands and said: “These are the trousers!” “This is the coat!” and “Here is the cloak!” and so on. “They are all as light as a cobweb, and one must feel as if one had nothing at all upon the body; but that is just the beauty of them.”16
“Indeed!” said all the courtiers; but they could not see anything, for there was nothing to be seen.
“Does it please your Majesty now to graciously undress,” said the swindlers, “that we may assist your Majesty in putting on the new suit before the large looking-glass?”
The emperor undressed, and the swindlers pretended to put the new suit upon him, one piece after another; and the emperor looked at himself in the glass from every side.
“How well they look! How well they fit!” said all. “What a beautiful pattern! What fine colours! That is a magnificent suit of clothes!”
The master of the ceremonies announced that the bearers of the canopy12, which was to be carried in the procession, were ready.
“I am ready,” said the emperor. “Does not my suit fit me marvellously?” Then he turned once more to the looking-glass, that people should think he admired his garments.
The chamberlains, who were to carry the train, stretched their hands to the ground as if they lifted up a train, and pretended to hold something in their hands; they did not like people to know that they could not see anything.
The emperor marched in the procession under the beautiful canopy,17 and all who saw him in the street and out of the windows exclaimed: “Indeed, the emperor’s new suit is incomparable! What a long train he has! How well it fits him!” Nobody wished to let others know he saw nothing, for then he would have been unfit for his office or too stupid.18 Never emperor’s clothes were more admired.
“But he has nothing on at all,” said a little child at last.19 “Good heavens! listen to the voice of an innocent child,”20 said the father, and one whispered to the other what the child had said. “But he has nothing on at all,” cried at last the whole people. That made a deep impression upon the emperor, for it seemed to him that they were right; but he thought to himself, “Now I must bear up to the end.”21 And the chamberlains walked with still greater dignity, as if they carried the train which did not exist.
1. The Emperor's New Clothes: Frank and Frank write:
In a preface to a later collection of his tales, Andersen explained that "The Emperor's New Clothes," published in 1837, is "of Spanish origin." He went on to say, "We owe the amusing idea to Prince Don Manuel," who was born in the late thirteenth century. Andersen also pointed out that Cervantes used the idea in an "entr'acte." But if the idea of "The Emperor's New Clothes" was centuries old, it did not become international shorthand for all sorts of conformist behavior until Andersen wrote it his way (Frank and Frank 105).
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2. Emperor: From Wikipedia:
An emperor is a (male) monarch13, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress is the feminine form. As a title, "empress" may indicate the wife of an emperor (empress consort) or a woman who is a ruling monarch (empress regnant). Emperors are generally recognised to be above kings in honour and rank.
Both kings and emperors are monarchs14. There is no single rule to distinguish the one from the other: several factors, like interpretations15 of historians, the size and characteristics of the governed realm, and the title(s) chosen by the monarch play a part in distinguishing the one from the other. General characteristics indicating that a monarch is to be considered an emperor rather than a king include:
- The monarch goes by a title that usually translates as "emperor" in English, and/or is accepted as the equivalent of "emperor" in international diplomatic relations;
- The monarch rules (de facto or nominally) over other monarchs, without stripping monarchy16-related titles from these subjects ("vassals" or non-sovereign monarchs);
- The monarch rules several formerly17 sovereign countries, or peoples from different nations or ethno-cultural provenance19.
- The monarch assumes divine or other high-ranked religious characteristics (see: imperial cult18, caesaropapism);
- European (Christian) tradition: The monarch traced his imperial title to Roman precedent20 or recognition by a Roman (Byzantine) emperor or supreme21 ecclesiastical official (the Pope or the Oecumenical Patriarch), see also: translatio imperii.
Where the title chosen by the monarch has become a separate concept in the English language, the distinction whether this monarch would have been an "emperor" or a "king" is often no longer made: for instance caliph, sultan or khan as a concept of a type of monarch is usually defined separately, making it redundant22 to apply the emperor/king distinction to these types of monarchy ("Emperor" Wikipedia 2006).
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3. His only ambition was to be always well dressed: Maria Tatar writes:
For Andersen vanity was the cardinal23 sin of human nature. Excessive attachment24 to dress appears particularly absurd in a monarch who allows it to interfere25 with his royal duties. Tall and gawky, Andersen was always self-conscious about his own physical appearance and found the airs of the aristocracy particuarly offensive (Tatar 270).
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4. He did not care for his soldiers: As the monarch, the emperor is the head of the military and his country's security. His ambivalence26 towards his soldiers is one way in which Andersen demonstrates the emperor's incompetence27 before the incident of the invisible clothing, showing that his vanity is not his only fault as a ruler.
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5. The theatre did not amuse him: Andersen's first love was the theatre. His lifelong dream was to be considered a great playwright28, not an author of children's tales. Thus a lack of interest in the theatre is not a meritable quality in Andersen's eyes.
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6. Swindlers: Swindlers and tricksters are often the heroes of fairy tales and folktales, such as Jack29 in Jack and the Beanstalk. While the tricksters in this tale are not honest, they serve an important purpose and are not judged any more harshly than the emperor and his court in the tale. Their ability to pull of their scam is ingenius and rather admirable. Andersen, as narrator, is careful not to cast judgment30 on any of the characters, allowing their actions to speak for themselves to the reader.
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7. Weavers: Weavings and weavers are common in folklore31 and mythology32. All Fiber33 Arts.com has an extensive listing of tales and other resources about weaving.
You can also read more about the process of weaving on Wikipedia.
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8. Wonderful quality of being invisible to any man who was unfit for his office or unpardonably stupid: The swindlers are wise and have some understanding of psychology35 to invent qualities for the cloth which play with the insecurities of those around them.
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9. “If I were to be dressed in a suit made of this cloth I should be able to find out which men in my empire were unfit for their places, and I could distinguish the clever from the stupid.”: The emperor little realizes he will be hoist36 on his own petard, or caught in his own trap. His rationalization also is another mark against his ability to be a good leader and emperor, demonstrating his own inability to distinguish the clever from the stupid. Looking for shortcuts37 in his duties, he does not trust his own instincts, rightly so it appears.
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10. All were anxious to see how bad or stupid their neighbours were: Andersen understands human psychology and the desire to judge and gossip about others. So do the swindlers who use this desire to fuel their elaborate trick.
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11. “Can I be so stupid? I should never have thought so, and nobody must know it! Is it possible that I am not fit for my office? No, no, I cannot say that I was unable to see the cloth.”: While the statesman is considered honest and worthy38, the swindle still plays with his own self-doubt and succeeds in manipulating him.
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12. They kept everything for themselves: Besides the money they earned for their "work," the swindlers are pocketing all of the materials provided to them for making the cloth, increasing their salary and "take" from the swindle.
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13. “I am not stupid,” said the man. “It is therefore my good appointment for which I am not fit.": This statesman believes in his own intelligence but is insecure in his leadership position, so he still falls for the swindle.
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14. “Is it not magnificent?” said the two old statesmen who had been there before: The emperor is not the only fool in this tale--his leaders are equally at fault for refusing to admit to their own inability to see the cloth and thus furthering the swindlers' purpose. The deception39 continues to grow and become more complicated as each person contributes to the problem with their dishonesty.
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15. Burned more than sixteen candles: Sixteen candles and more would be a luxury and added expense to the making of the clothes. Sixteen candles also requires a significant amount of time to burn, so the swindlers maintain the appearance of hard work.
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16. “They are all as light as a cobweb, and one must feel as if one had nothing at all upon the body; but that is just the beauty of them.”: While the extra fine qualities of this particular cloth is an invention to suit the swindlers' purposes, fine and light clothing is not unusual in folklore. Heroines are often charged or credited with creating such clothing, such as Vasalissa in Vasalissa the Beautiful.
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17. Emperor marched in the procession under the beautiful canopy: Illustrators have long struggled with illustrating40 this key scene in the story, determined41 to meet the decency42 standards for a children's book in their respective times. Some, such as Arthur Rackham, Margaret Tarrant and William Heath Robinson, illustrated43 the parade scene in silhouette44 with a well-placed leg to hide the emperor's anatomy45. Others, such as Edmund Dulac and Milo Winter, have kept the emperor in his underwear, a less satisfactory approach as it lessens46 the impact of the story. Another group have avoided committing the scene to illustration at all, choosing other, less problematic scenes, to highlight.
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18. Nobody wished to let others know he saw nothing, for then he would have been unfit for his office or too stupid: Everyone's refusal to admit to seeing nothing only serves to prove their stupidity and that they are unworthy to hold their offices or positions of leadership. Peer pressure and hypocrisy47 are strong motivators, often leading to increased embarrassment48, as this story teaches.
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19. “But he has nothing on at all,” said a little child: The story supports the Biblical idiom, "Out of the mouths of babes." Over the years, the idiom has come to mean unexpected wisdom coming from children. The phrase originally appears in both the Old and New Testaments49 with a somewhat different meaning:
Psalms50 8:2. Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained51 strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger52.
Matthew 21:16. And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?
Maria Tatar writes:
That it takes a child to cut through the hypocrisy of the adult world is a powerful insight that will be particularly appealing to child readers, many of whom will identify with the heroic child (Tatar 276).
Diana Crone and Jeffrey Frank write:
Andersen had already sent the manuscript to the printers when he wrote to Edvard Collin, who proofread53 his work, asking him to change the ending. In doing so, he added the famous line "which will give everything a more satirical appearance." That line may have originated in a childhood memory. In 1872, Andersen told the painter William Block about standing34 with his mother in a crowd, waiting to see King Frederik VI. When the king stepped from his carriage, Andersen said, "Oh, he's nothing more than a human being!" His mother, as Bloch recalled it in a memoir54, tried to quiet him, and said, "Have you gone mad, child?" (Frank and Frank 110).
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20. Listen to the voice of an innocent child: The revelation of the emperor's nakedness needed to come from an innocent child to make the story most effective. The innocence55 shows that the child has no guile56 or need to pretend to see the clothing and thus quickly proves to the entire audience that the emperor is in fact, incontrovertibly, naked.
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21. Now I must bear up to the end: Pride is one of the greatest faults of everyone in the tale, unwilling57 to admit to possible stupidity or weakness, everyone falls to one of the greatest weaknesses of all.
Maria Tatar writes:
The emperor's tenacity58 and his unwillingness59 to concede an error, along with the chamberlains' insistence60 on carrying a train that does not exist, reveal the degree to which Andersen faulted the artistocracy for its resistance to embrace the truth or to change in any way at all (Tatar 277).
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