The most well-known fairy tale, Cinderella, is a timeless tale of goodness being rewarded. The story belongs to the folklore and fairy tale genres. It has been retold in numerous cultures and languages under different aliases. There is also a popular telling that Cinderella’s real name was Ella, and as she slept near the cinders, her step-family called her “Cinderella.” The term “Cinderella” also refers to someone who unexpectedly finds enormous success after experiencing long periods of neglect. Hundreds of films have been made over the years that are either direct adaptations of Cinderella or have plots loosely based on the story.
Cinderella by Charles Perrault
Once upon a time, a beautiful young girl named Cinderella lived with her cruel stepmother and two stepsisters, who mistreated her and forced her to do all of the household chores. One day, the king of the kingdom invited all the eligible young women to a magnificent ball he was hosting. Being not able to attend the ball, when Cinderella was crying herself to sleep at night, a fairy godmother appeared in her dream. She promised to assist Cinderella in attending the ball, given she returned before midnight. The fairy godmother waved her wand, transforming Cinderella’s old dress into a lovely ball gown and glass slippers.
Everyone was in awe of her beauty when she arrived at the ball, and she danced all night long with the prince. As the clock struck midnight, she remembered her promise to the fairy Godmother and ran off, leaving one of her glass slippers behind. The glass slipper was put on every girl’s foot in the kingdom the next day in an effort by the prince to identify the girl. When they got to Cinderella’s house, the glass slipper fit her like a glove, and Cinderella and the prince married happily ever after.
The Evil, Wicked Stepmother – Lady Tremaine
Lady Tremaine married a nobleman with a daughter named Cinderella, and she had two daughters. The three Tremaines turned cruel after Cinderella’s father passed away and made her work as a servant in her own house. She is continually driven by her envy of Cinderella’s superior beauty to her daughters.
What Are The Names Of Cinderella’s Stepsisters?
1️⃣ Drizella Tremaine is Lady Tremaine’s eldest daughter, Cinderella’s older stepsister, and Anastasia’s biological older sister.
2️⃣ Anastasia Tremaine is Lady Tremaine’s youngest daughter, Cinderella’s younger stepsister, and Anastasia’s biological younger sister.
Intending to make them both high-class women, Lady Tremaine lavished the family’s fortune on them both. They did not, however, develop into affluent women but instead became cold and unempathetic people. The sad fact is that both of these sisters were thought of as a means of bringing wealth, status, and reputation to their families. Anastasia and Drizella were never brought up to crave romance or freedom. Their goal was to elevate their family’s prominence.
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They were only ever taught that dressing up, engaging in fancy hobbies, marrying a rich guy, and living comfortably would lead to happiness. Their understanding of the meaning of life is limited to that. There is also one version of a tale where the stepsisters cut their heels and toe to fit themselves into the glass slipper. This depicts that they were brought up in a dysfunctional household under bad parenting that valued male acceptance over everything.
Physical Traits Of Cinderella’s Step Sisters
Drizella is of slim build, with fair skin, dark eyes, and hair rolled to the back of her head and is styled with a light blue ribbon. She has worn her hair in the same style since childhood. In the Cinderella story, she is also portrayed as having huge, clumsy feet, which is why Cinderella’s glass slipper doesn’t fit her.
Anastasia is also of a slim build, fair skin, long red hair, and black eyes. Her signature outfit is a long, short-sleeved gown in many pink and magenta hues paired with coordinating slippers. She has a golden hair clip on her head, and her long, red hair is curled into numerous ringlets. Her feet are also similar to Drizella’s, so the slipper didn’t fit her either.
Their ages have been reported to be between the mid and late teens.
Personalities Of Cinderella’s Step Sisters
Drizella is shown as ugly and unattractive on the inside and out. She constantly makes an effort to ruin Cinderella’s life under all circumstances. Throughout the narrative, Drizella mostly stays harsh, selfish, and rude, never completely regressing her hatred of Cinderella.
In contrast to Drizella, Anastasia later becomes more interested in finding someone who will accept her for who she truly is, leaving all her old habits behind. So Anastasia gradually changes her bitter habits and becomes a compassionate and good-natured woman.
Cinderella’s Stepsisters In The Novel
These sisters constantly mock Cinderella, modeling their behavior after their mother. As Cinderella, who was always looked down upon by them, achieves a far more respectable position than them in her life, what did they do after that? Their only characterization in Charles Perrault’s version of the Cinderella tale was that they were both evil. The step-sisters’ personalities were developed during the 20th century in Disney films. Several books tell the perspective of the stepsisters. The plot line changed between shows and novels, but the characters’ bones remained unchanged.
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The Disneyfication Of Cinderella’s Stepsisters
After Cinderella’s wedding, the stepsisters were left to fend for themselves. The following storyline in the second installment of the Disney movie allowed Anastasia to escape the clutches of her mother and Drezilla. Much to her family’s dismay, she falls in love with a baker because they prefer someone wealthy. She receives help from Cinderella, who gives her a makeover, advises her on love, and lets the past go. Despite her mother’s efforts to stop her, she even attends the ball with the baker.
Thus, Anastasia finds a middle ground between Drizella and Cinderella as she gradually starts to reform. She cannot entirely change, but she does her best and begins to focus on her love. Anastasia’s rebellious behavior, on the other hand, shocks Drizella. She still respects her mother’s opinions and strives to satisfy her. Drizella also warns her mother that Anastasia has turned into a disaster and that she and her mother will be made fun of by everyone in town.
A different timeline is introduced in the third installment. Anastasia gets the magic wand that Lady Tremaine uses to alter the timeline and transform Anastasia into Cinderella’s look-alike. Drezilla initially feels let down when her mother picks Anastasia over her, but she later decides to stand with her mother in the wrongdoing. Anastasia, however, realized that she wanted to be loved for who she truly was and not for some magic. She apologized for what she had done and returned the wand to Cinderella.
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This humble deed won her everyone’s forgiveness, including Cinderella herself, and the king’s respect. She eventually moved in with Cinderella as her court lady and reunited with the baker she had fallen in love with. In contrast, Drizella gained the enmity of everyone for following her mother’s advice. She and her mother are never pardoned and are forced to work as maids for all their misdeeds. Among Cinderella and Anastasia, who did you like the most and why? Do share your comments below! Happy reading!