A lot of versions I've seen turn the antagonist and the marriage object into two different people or just take out the death threats. I can name three versions off the top of my head which have the king as good and the scheming or just unpleasant advisor as the one who imposes the threat. (Simsala Grimm, Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theatre, and the Muppets version. All of which are much better than this one.)
Come to think of it, Rumpelstiltskin demanding the girl's symbolic virginity in return for the basic decency of saving an endangered life comes across as Nice Guy: The Fairytale in the first place.
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Date: 2017-11-13 11:49 pm (UTC)Come to think of it, Rumpelstiltskin demanding the girl's symbolic virginity in return for the basic decency of saving an endangered life comes across as Nice Guy: The Fairytale in the first place.