The Emperor's New Clothes

This story is called Emperor’s New Clothes by Hans Christian Andersen. This is a LibraryCall adaptation and recording. Many years ago, there was an Emperor who loved clothes so much that he spent all his money on being well dressed. He had a different suit for each hour of the day. He didn’t think much about his soldiers or his subjects. He did not care about going to the theater or having dinner with his advisors; he only saw these things as opportunities to show off his new clothes. One day, two men wearing very fine suits arrived at the Emperor’s kingdom. They were tricksters, but they told the Emperor they were skilled weavers and clothing makers. “These men wear such splendid suits,” thought the Emperor. “I must have a suit like that right away!” He gave the men a large sum of money and asked them to begin their work immediately. So the two tricksters set up looms for weaving cloth and pretended to work very busily. In reality, they did nothing at all. They asked the Emperor to provide them with the most delicate silk and the purest gold thread. Once they had these expensive materials, they hid them in their bags, then pretended to work at the empty looms until late at night. “I wonder how my suit and robes are coming along,” thought the Emperor. “I will send my faithful old minister to the weavers. He is a person of good sense and taste. He will be able to give me a sensible report on my clothes.” So, the faithful old minister went into the hall where the tricksters were working. The minister looked around, opening his eyes very wide. “I don’t see a bit of thread on the looms!” he thought. “What do you think?” asked one of the tricksters, pointing to the empty looms. “Aren’t the colors beautiful? Will the Emperor be pleased?” The poor minister looked and looked, but he could not see anything on the looms. This was for a good reason: there was nothing there! “How is this possible?” thought the minister. “Are my eyes working properly?” He was so embarrassed that he decided to pretend he had seen the cloth. “Well, Sir?” said one of the tricksters, still pretending to work. “Do you approve of the designs?” “Oh, it is excellent!” replied the minister. “This pattern! And the colors… yes! I will tell the Emperor how very beautiful they are.” “We would appreciate that,” said the tricksters. Then the tricksters asked for more silk and gold to complete their work. Of course, they hid all these materials in their bags, then continued pretending to work on the empty looms. A few days later, the Emperor sent an officer of his court to see how the clothes were coming along. Like the minister, the officer could see nothing at all. “Isn’t the cloth looking magnificent?” asked the tricksters, gesturing to designs and colors that were not there. “What’s wrong with me?” thought the officer. “How can the Emperor trust me to do my duties if I can’t see a thing? If I want to keep my job, I’d better pretend to see the cloth.” So, he praised the cloth he could not see, and declared that he was delighted with both colors and patterns. When he returned to the Emperor, he reported, “Your Imperial Majesty, the cloth is looking absolutely magnificent.” The whole city was talking of the splendid cloth and the talented visiting weavers. The Emperor himself wished to see how the clothing was coming along, so he went to visit the weavers with his minister and officer. As soon as the tricksters saw the Emperor approach, they pretended to work more diligently than ever. “Isn’t the work absolutely magnificent?” exclaimed the officer and the minister, still pretending to see the cloth, for they imagined everyone else could see it. “What a splendid design! What glorious colors!” “I don’t understand,” said the Emperor to himself. “I can’t see a thing! What’s wrong with me? Am I unfit to be an Emperor?” The tricksters began to describe the fabric in great detail, and the Emperor believed their lies. Not wanting to embarrass himself in front of the weavers or his advisors, he said, “Oh, the cloth is charming! It has my complete approval.” He smiled graciously and looked closely at the empty looms, hoping that if he squinted hard enough, he might see something. “We will use this fabric to make you the most beautiful suit and robe for your upcoming parade through the capital,” said the tricksters. “Magnificent! Charming! Excellent!” said the Emperor and his advisors. The tricksters stayed up the whole night before the parade, keeping the candles burning to show how hard they were working. In the morning, they pretended to roll the cloth off the looms, cut the air with their scissors, and sew with needles without any thread in them. “There!” they cried at last. “The Emperor's new clothes are ready!” “Here are your pants, Your Majesty! Here is your jacket, and here is your robe! The whole suit is as light as a cobweb. It is so delicate that you might feel as if you are wearing nothing at all!” “Yes indeed!” said all the advisors of the court, though not one of them could see anything at all. The tricksters then asked the Emperor to take off his clothes so they could dress him in his new suit. When they were done pretending to dress him, the tricksters stood back and cried, “How splendid his Majesty looks in his new clothes! They fit perfectly! Doesn’t everyone agree?” The Emperor and his advisors responded, “What a design! What colors! These are indeed royal robes!” The Emperor was eager to show off his new clothes in the parade. He couldn’t wait to hear the crowd’s reaction. The parade began. The Emperor led the procession, and his nobleman pretended to carry his long robe behind him. He walked through the streets, waving to the people of the capital city. The people watching the parade acted as if they could see his suit and robes, exclaiming, “Oh! How beautiful are our Emperor's new clothes!” No one would admit they couldn’t see these much-admired clothes. Then suddenly, the voice of a small child cut through the noise of the crowd, “Beautiful clothes? But the Emperor has nothing on at all!” The child’s honesty was contagious. Soon, everyone began to whisper and then shout to each other, "He has nothing on at all. He has nothing on at all!" The Emperor shivered. He knew they were right. But he thought, "The parade must go on." So the Emperor walked with more pride than ever, and his noblemen followed, holding high the train of a robe that wasn't there at all. The End This story is called Emperor’s New Clothes by Hans Christian Andersen. This is a LibraryCall adaptation and recording.