ABOUT THIS WORK
Princess Maleine, a retelling of a Maeterlinck play, is based on a Brothers Grimm tale. The princess is expected to marry Prince Hjalmar, of a neighboring kingdom, but their fathers start a war. Maleine is consigned to a tower but escapes with her handmaiden. Boldly concealing her identity, she becomes a servant in the house of Hjalmar. The prince is by now engaged to Ursula, whose mother Queen Anne has insinuated herself into King Hjalmar’s court. Anne discovers Maleine's identity and coaxes the King to help her kill her daughter’s rival. Horrified by the murder, the prince kills Anne and then himself.
