# Clever Grethel explained — Household Tales

> Chapter companion for Household Tales by Jacob Grimm.

## What happens

A cook named Grethel, proud of her appearance and fond of wine, eats both fowls she was roasting for her master and an expected guest. When the master returns with the guest, she tricks the guest into fleeing by claiming the master intends to cut off his ears, then tells her master that the guest stole the chickens. The master chases the guest with a knife, each misunderstanding the other's cries.

## Themes in this chapter

### Virtue Rewarded and Vice Punished

Grethel's gluttony and deceit are not punished; instead, she escapes blame by shifting it to the guest, subverting the typical moral outcome.

### Greed and Its Downfall

Grethel's greed leads her to eat both fowls, but her cleverness prevents any downfall for herself, while the master and guest suffer loss and confusion.

## Character check-ins

### Grethel

The clever cook who eats the fowls meant for the guest and deceives both her master and the guest.

### the master

Grethel's master, who is tricked into believing the guest stole the chickens.

### Unknown

The guest invited to supper, who is frightened away by Grethel's lies.

## Key lines

> The cook must know what the food is like.

Grethel justifies tasting the food she cooks as necessary for quality control.

_Grethel uses this reasoning to indulge in eating the fowls._

> Hush! hush! get away as quickly as you can, if my master catches you it will be the worse for you; he certainly did ask you to supper, but his intention is to cut off your two ears.

Grethel warns the guest to flee, claiming the master plans to cut off his ears.

_This lie causes the guest to run away, allowing Grethel to blame him for the missing chickens._

> Just one, just one

The master chases the guest, asking for just one chicken back.

_The guest misinterprets this as a demand for one of his ears, heightening the comedic misunderstanding._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/household_tales_se/chapters/clever-grethel
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/household_tales_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/household_tales_se/chapters