Cinderella

"Cinderella" or "The Little Glass Slipper," is a folk tale with 69 variants that are told throughout the world. The protagonist is a young girl living in forsaken circumstances who is suddenly blessed by remarkable fortune, with her ascension to the throne via marriage. The story of Rhodopis, recounted by the Greek geographer Strabo sometime between 7 BC and AD 23, about a Greek slave girl who marries the king of Egypt, is usually considered to be the earliest known variant of the Cinderella story.

In Rogers and Hammerstein's rendition, Cinderella is forced into a life of household chores by her wickedly cruel stepmother and stepsisters, and dreams of a better life. The town crier announces a royal ball at which the Prince of the kingdom intends to find a bride, and Cinderella wishes she could attend. When her stepsisters and stepmother go off to the ball, a Fairy Godmother appears and magically grants Cinderella’s wish. At the ball, Cinderella and the Prince meet and instantly fall in love, but she abruptly excuses herself at midnight, leaving only a glass slipper on the palace steps. After an extensive search throughout the kingdom, the Prince and Cinderella are magically reunited and blissfully married.