Which Fairy Tale Features The Evil Duchess Grognon?
In the story “Graciosa and Percinet” the Duchess Grognon hates her beautiful stepdaughter, Princess Graciosa, and plots to destroy her. Graciosa is always helped by her suitor, the fairy prince Percinet. He takes her to his magic kingdom and asks her to marry him, but Graciosa cannot bear to leave her father, who is inconsolable as he believes her to be dead. Percinet reluctantly lets her go; Graciosa returns home, but Grognon manages to convince the king that his “real” daughter is dead and this one is an impostor. Graciosa is imprisoned, and set to do a series of impossible tasks. Each time she is helped by Percinet, until in the end he grows tired of her refusal to leave her father and leaves her. Finally Graciosa is about to be executed; in her last moments she calls out fro Percinet, wishing she had agreed to marry him and hoping he knows that she loves him. He appears and again rescues her; this time she marries him. The evil Grognon is executed instead.
