The Two Brothers

The Two Brothers is based on an Alexander Dumas (père) fairy tale written during one of the two periods in which he wrote stories for children: 1832 to 1844 and 1852 to 1860. Between these two periods he wrote his great romantic novels, including The Three Musketeers (1844). In 1838 Dumas took a trip down the Rhine, absorbing the wondrous folk tales of that region, many of which live today in Wagner's operas. In 1839 he published The Adventures of Lyderic, which was packaged with The Two Brothers and published in 2008 by Groupe Privat/Le Rocher in their Collection Motifs as Motifs no. 315. In The Two Brothers Dumas creates several magical scenes where five different animals talk and do the bidding of the brothers. In these episodes each animal repeats a phrase or action in a way that is delightfully childlike. The tale develops the moral strengths of brotherhood, perseverance, patience, truth, courage, and faithfulness. The loyalty and fellowship of the five animals, all natural enemies, echoes and reinforces the story's moral themes. Each brother and his animals becomes a family, where the clash of characters is both colorful and a source of strength.