Introduction
Robert Browning is a famous British poet. He has written many poems, which are more dramatic in form. The Pied Piper of Hamelin is a poem written for child, William Macready, who was ill. The poem has a subtitle ‘A Child’s Story’, which suits the purpose. Browning retells the existing legendary story in a very poetic form.
Hamelin and its Troubles with Rat
Hamelin is a town in Brunswick. River Weser runs near the town. It is a very pleasant town. Five hundred years ago, the town was plagued by rats. Rats were found all over the town. They disturbed everyone in the town. They fought with dogs, killed cats, bit babies, ate cheese, drank soup, made nest in men’s hat and jumped on women while they had a chat. People of Hamelin became restless and they warned the mayor to control the rats, if not he would not be elected the next time. The mayor called his council and ate a lot but could not provide a solution for the rat menace.
The Pied Piper and His Demand
A man, the Pied Piper came to the town and said that he would kill the rats and free the people. The man was wearing a yellow and red coloured cloth. He was tall and thin, with loose hair and blue eyes. Everyone admired him. The pied piper said that he had been to many places and had killed many scorpions and snakes. He promised that he would kill the rats from Hamelin and they had to pay him 5000 guilders. The mayor accepts deal.
Rat Compared to Julius Caesar
The pied piper went to the street and played his pipe. People heard noise from all over the town and almost all kinds of rats from the houses came running in the street. They followed the piper as though they were charmed. The piped piper played the music and went to the street and went near river Weser. All the rats followed him and jumped into the river and they died. Only one rat, which was stout, escaped from the river. The rat was stout and it is compared with Julius Caesar, who won death. The rat was believed to narrate it escape story to all other rats in other towns, by maintaining a personal diary.
Piper Changes His Fashion
The piper went to the mayor and asked for the money. The mayor replied that all the rats were killed and the people were happy and they would not pay 5000 guilders, instead they would only 50 guilders. The piper became angry and changes his fashion. He took out his pipe and started to play. Once again more sound was heard and all the children from every house came running to the street and started to walk behind the piper. The Hamelin people did not believe their eyes. They waited for a long time, thinking that the piper would stop playing the music. The piper started climbing a mountain and it opened and closed.
The Lame Boy Debarred
Almost all children vanished with the piper except for a lame boy. He walked slowly and was left behind. The boy was angry because he did not go to the new country. He dreamt of the country, which his friends would enjoy in his absence. The lame boy imagined that the country would have gushing water, fruit trees, flowers, brighter sparrows, bees without stings, horses with wings and much such fantasy.
Text in “The Pied Piper of Hamelin”
The people of Hamelin stand helpless. They send people in all direction to find the lost kids. Nobody finds the lost children. The people of Hamelin realized that they could have paid the money to the piper which would not have made them loose their children. The text in the poem refers to a modern proverb that says, “Heaven’s gate opens to the rich at as easy rate”. This text has two meanings – if they had paid the money they would not lived a life in hell and the second meaning is the lame boy thought that the other children were living in heaven and it was owned by the piper, who is richer.
Conclusion
The poem concludes by saying that there is still a street called the Pied Piper’s Street since 22nd July 1376. No one is allowed to play music in the street because it is sign of bad omen.
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