The Emperor’s New Clothes
Two tricksters promise a vain Emperor clothes that foolish people cannot see, and weave nothing at empty looms. Everyone pretends to admire them, until a little child in the procession says, “But the Emperor has nothing at all on!”
Scene 1: An Emperor Who Loved Clothes
The Emperor’s New Clothes. Many years ago, there was an Emperor who loved new clothes more than anything. He spent all his money on them, and had a different coat for every hour of the day. So instead of saying he was with his council, people always said: “The Emperor is in his dressing room.”
Scene 2: Two Tricksters
One day, two tricksters came to town. They said they could weave the most beautiful cloth in the world. And clothes made from it could not be seen by anyone foolish, or not fit for his job. The Emperor thought: “Those must be splendid clothes! With them, I could tell the wise from the fools.” So he gave the tricksters a big bag of gold, to begin at once.
Scene 3: The Empty Looms
The tricksters set up two looms and pretended to weave. But there was nothing on them at all. They asked for the finest silk and the purest gold thread, and put it all into their own bags. Then they worked away at the empty looms, late into the night.
Scene 4: The Old Minister
The Emperor sent his faithful old minister to see the cloth. The old minister opened his eyes very wide, and thought: “Goodness me! I can’t see a thing!” But he did not want to seem foolish. So he said: “Oh, it is beautiful! Quite charming!” Another official went, and the same thing happened to him.
Scene 5: The Emperor Sees Nothing
At last, the Emperor went to see the cloth himself. He stared at the empty looms, and thought: “I see nothing at all! Am I not fit to be Emperor?” But out loud he said: “Oh, it is beautiful! It has my highest approval!” His courtiers saw nothing either, but they told him to wear it in the great procession.
Scene 6: Sixteen Candles
The night before the procession, the tricksters sat up with sixteen candles burning. They cut the air with scissors, and sewed with needles that had no thread. At last they said: “Now the Emperor’s new clothes are ready! They are as light as a spider’s web.” In the morning, the Emperor took off his clothes, down to his underclothes. The tricksters pretended to dress him, and he turned round and round before the mirror.
Scene 7: Nothing at All On
Then the Emperor walked in the procession, under a tall red canopy. All the people in the streets and at the windows cried: “How beautiful the Emperor’s new clothes are!” But a little child said: “But the Emperor has nothing at all on!” Soon everyone was whispering it. At last, all the people cried: “But he has nothing at all on!” The Emperor knew they were right. But he held his head high, and the procession went on. The little child told the truth. Be brave enough to say what you see.
Moral: Tell the truth, even when everyone else is pretending. Be brave enough to say what you see.
Questions about The Emperor’s New Clothes
What did the Emperor love more than anything?
New clothes.
What did the two tricksters put into their own bags?
The finest silk and the purest gold thread.
What did the old minister see on the looms?
Nothing at all.
How many candles did the tricksters have burning the night before the procession?
Sixteen.
Who said, “But the Emperor has nothing at all on!”?
A little child.
More stories to read aloud
- Goldilocks and the Three Bears — While the Three Bears take a walk until their porridge cools, a little girl called Goldilocks walks into their house and tries their porridge, chairs and beds.
- Hansel and Gretel — Left in the forest, Hansel and Gretel find their way home by moonlit white pebbles, but the next time birds eat their breadcrumbs and they come to a house of bread and cake.
- Henny Penny — An acorn falls on Henny-penny's head, and she is sure the sky is falling, so she sets off to tell the king with Cocky-locky, Ducky-daddles, Goosey-poosey and Turkey-lurkey.