Who was this king and who was this queen? Rather, what were their names?
· What did they look like?
· How old were they when the story begins?
· What time of the year does the story begin?
· What day of the week and time of the day?
· Was the king a good ruler? Or was he a bloodthirsty tyrant or just incompetent?
· What was the queen like? Kind hearted, generous, religious minded or bad tempered?
· Did they have children? How many? How old?
· What were their names?
· What were these children like? Obedient, respectful, stupid, spoilt, lazy, extravagant?
· Or did they not have any children at all?
· Any other family? A wise aunt or a scheming uncle by chance?
· Where was their kingdom located?
· What was it named?
· Was it a prosperous state? Were the people overtaxed? Did law and order prevail?
· Who were the officials who helped them to run their kingdom?
· Is there some major problem confronting the king or the queen or both of them?
· How are they trying to solve it and who is helping them or working against them?
· Does this problem contribute to their end?
· What were the exact circumstances that led to the king and queen’s death?
· Were these purely external circumstances or was any one of them or both responsible through
their actions for their tragic fate?
· Does some event occur right in the beginning of the story that suggests what might happen at
the end?
· Was their death caused by illness, or at the hands of their enemies?
· Were they shot, poisoned or stabbed? Or maybe someone used a magic spell?
· Does their end suggest a new beginning or does it mean total destruction of the kingdom?