  "bluebeard" (french: la barbe bleue) is a french folktale, the most famous surviving version of which was written by charles perrault and first published by barbin in paris in january 1659 in histoires ou contes du temps passÃ©. the tale tells the story of a violent nobleman in the habit of murdering his wives and the attempts of one wife to avoid the fate of her predecessors. "the white dove", "mister fox" and "fitcher's bird" (also called "fowler's fowl) are tales similar to "bluebeard". ==plot summary== bluebeard is a wealthy aristocrat, feared and shunned because of his ugly, blue beard. he has been married several times, but no one knows what became of his wives. he is therefore avoided by the local girls. when bluebeard visits one of his neighbors and asks to marry one of her two daughters, the girls are terrified, and each tries to pass him on to the other. eventually he talks the younger daughter into visiting him, and after hosting a wonderful banquet, he persuades her to marry him. after the ceremony, she goes to live with him in his chÃ¢teau. very shortly after, bluebeard announces that he must leave the country for a while; he gives all the keys of the chÃ¢teau to his new wife, telling her they open the doors to rooms which contain his treasures. he tells her to use the keys freely and enjoy herself whilst he is away. however, he also gives her the key to one small room beneath the castle, stressing to her that she must not enter this room under any circumstances. she vows she will never enter the room. he then goes away and leaves the house in her hands. immediately, she is overcome with the desire to see what the forbidden room holds; and, despite warnings from her visiting sister, anne, the girl abandons her guests during a house party and takes the key to the room. the wife immediately discovers the room's horrible secret: its floor is awash with blood and the murdered bodies of her husband's former wives hang from hooks on the walls. horrified, she drops the key into the pool of blood. she flees the room, but the blood staining the key will not wash off. she reveals her murderous husband's secret to her sister anne, and both plan to flee the castle the next day; but, bluebeard returns home unexpectedly the next morning and, noticing the blood on the key, immediately knows his wife has broken her vow. in a blind rage, he threatens to behead her on the spot, but she implores him to give her a quarter of an hour to say her prayers. he consents, so she locks herself in the highest tower with anne. while bluebeard, sword in hand, tries to break down the door, the sisters wait for their two brothers to arrive. at the last moment, as bluebeard is about to deliver the fatal blow, the bro
1697_short_stories Characters_in_fairy_tales Fairy_tales Fictional_serial_killers French_folklore Grimms\'_Fairy_Tales Works_by_Charles_Perrault