Verdict: Guilty! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Hansel and Gretel

The children plead that they were in a state of emergency at the beginning. Abandoned in the woods by their very own father - who claims that he was forced to this by his now late wife, because of a lack of food at home - they were mad from hunger when they reached the victim's house and thought it was made of gingerbread.

They say that the girl was forced to work for the "witch" while her brother was locked in and fattened. The attorney suspects that the kind old lady just let the girl work as a repayment for the damage they did at her house, while the boy just stuffed himself. Maybe she locked him in, because she was afraid of him, who knows? The most dangerous of these siblings was the girl: she pushed the old helpless woman into an oven, stating that the poor lady wanted to bake her and her sibling. The woman burnt alive!

After that they stole jewels they found and escaped to live with their now widowed father.

There can be only one verdict: guilty of murder and robbery.

The wrong answers are couples who can be found in Shakespeare's plays.

Answer: The Valiant Little Tailor

The killing of the flies may be easily understood: they had settled on his bread with jam. But look how he tricked the first giant: pretending that he was able to press water out of a stone while it was only a cheese. And throwing a bird into a sky pretending it was a stone, not to mention letting the poor vertically challenged man carry the tree alone. By these tricks he obtained an invitation to the giant's home. His claim the giant wanted to kill him there: no proof given.

Then, again pretending to be a hero, he gained a job with the king. With the prospect of a half kingdom and the king's daughter's hand he tricked two giants into killing each other. After this he was responsible for damage to a tree by letting an unicorn run into it. And can you imagine the havoc the wild boar did while trapped in the chapel!

This so called harmless tailor, this so called hero, is a vandal. The only possible verdict: guilty.

Answer: Little Red Riding Hood

This girl said that the wolf led her astray while she was on the way to her grandmother. She continued, saying that the wolf ate her granny and dressed up as that old lady, and she really believed he was her granny when she arrived. Then she was eaten herself by that wolf. She was saved by a passing hunter who cut her and her granny out of the belly.

Can you believe this story? A speaking wolf, who is able to swallow a grown woman and a girl in the whole without killing them? I don't. This leaves just one fact: the wolf was killed brutally and a fabulous story was made up.

Verdict: Guilty of killing an endangered species!

Answer: Frog

That poor, poor frog: how badly was he rewarded! He got the golden ball out of the pond where this careless princess had dropped it. He just wanted some diversion from life in the pond - an evening out, eating from the princess's plate, sleeping in her bed - what harmless wishes. And how does "Her Royalty" react? He is only allowed on the table when her father forced her, the same in the bedroom. And then the final act: she threw him against the wall, just because he wanted to hop in the bed!

She claims now that she broke a magic spell and changed him into a prince that way, but honestly, do you believe this? Let's face it: I think that frog died after that cruel act. And the trumped up story of frog turning into a prince was just a try to explain the appearance of a young man in her bedroom!

My verdict: Guilty of frog murder!

Answer: Mother Hulda

After her sister appeared loaded with gold after working for Mother Hulda the poor one thought she might try herself. So she threw her spindle into a well and jumped after it. Just like her sister - the only difference, her sister dropped it by mistake. True, the sister didn't ask for payment when she entered the services of Mother Hulda, but couldn't the second one expect the same payment? Mother Hulda complains that the girl didn't work well and didn't shake up the beds enough to let it snow properly, but why punish the girl? She could have thrown her out instead of getting her covered in pitch. Painful and stinking stuff!

My verdict: Guilty!

Answer: The Town Musicians of Bremen

A donkey. A dog. A cat. A rooster. All together: a criminal gang. Cast out of work by their former employers because they were too old, they came to a cottage, a gang of so called robbers enjoying a nice evening. They performed some horrid music, and the inhabitants ran away. After they entered the cottage without permission, they consumed - and therefore stole - food they found there. When the old owners returned in the night to get their cottage back, they were scared away with some mean tricks. After that, the animal gang kept the cottage and everything in it.

This is illegal! Verdict: Guilty.

Answer: Three golden hairs

When the boy was born it was predicted that he would marry the king's daughter. The king tried to kill the child, but it was saved. When the boy was grown up they met again. The king recognized him and sent him with a letter to the queen. He carried a letter with the order that the messenger should be killed. On the way to the castle some robbers substituted that letter for a order to let the princess marry the young man. The queen obeyed the fake letter. So far our sympathy may be with the young man.

But what happened next? The king - shocked by the events - asked him to bring him three golden hairs of the devil. The accused says that his victim wanted to get rid of him again. With the help of the devil's grandmother - instead of just asking the devil or buying them - he steals the golden hairs. Later he tricks the king into taking the everlasting job of a ferryman, with the result that he got the vacant throne. He is just a common usurper. Verdict: Guilty!

Answer: King Thrushbeard

The poor princess, a modern young lady who judged her suitors with a sharp eye and tongue, was forced into marriage with a passing minstrel. In reality it was King Thrushbeard in disguise. To humble her and break her will he forced her to do poor people's work like selling pottery and working as a servant. And he looked to it himself that she failed in her work.

This wicked action has to be punished! Not only do forced marriages have to be condemned, she had to live in poor conditions and had to do work out of her class.

Verdict: guilty!

King Harold can be found in "Shrek" and King Louie in "Jungle Book".

"King Ralph" appears in a 1991 John Goodman movie.

Answer: Snow White

Child of a first marriage, the relation to her stepmother was strained. On a hike into the wood together with a hunter, (she says) the man confessed that her stepmother had ordered him to kill her. She then escaped into the woods. She came to the house of seven single working men who were at work at this time. Instead of waiting for the return of the owners she entered the house, stole some food and fell asleep there. Instead of being prosecuted for her deeds, she was offered work when the seven short gentlemen returned.

While staying at this place some incidents (tight stay-laces, poisoned comb and apple) endangered her. Again, she blamed her stepmother, without having proof: the giver of the dangerous goods was in disguise. Later, after her marriage to another royal, she ordered her stepmother to be executed. She was forced to dance in red hot iron shoes until her gruesome end.

Definitely one of the worst cases of royal cruelty in this court. Verdict: Guilty!

Answer: Sweet Porridge

Poor little girl gets a magical present: a pot which cooks a lot of sweet porridge when she just says the right thing. One day she leaves her mother alone with this item. That careless women can't wait her daughter's return and makes herself some food. Sadly, she doesn't know the commands, and masses of sweet porridge fill the whole village. Fortunately, the child returns and the porridge flooding is stopped.

This may be just gross carelessness, but look at the damage! Verdict: Guilty!