The Adventures of Puss in Boots
“Master Cat, or The Booted Cat (Il gato con la stanza; French: Le ma couches ou le chats bouquet),” also known as “The Puss in Boots,” (Il gato con la stanza; Italian: Le ma couches ou le chats bouquet), commonly referred to in English as “The Puss in Boots,” is an Italian and later European fictional fairy tale about an anthropomorphized cat who uses deceit and trickery to acquire wealth, power, and the hand of an unsuspecting princess in marriage. The cat in question is given the name Puss in Boots by his clever and manipulative master, who intends to make him the most influential feline in all of Italy. Puss is indeed clever and manipulative, using his tail and teeth (the claws of his front paws) in a variety of ways to manipulate his way into the possession of the princess, and eventually marry her. The story revolves around a plot where Puss is captured by the kingdom of Bulgan and is sent on a journey to face an execution for murder. There he is dismayed by the cruelty and coldness of the people in the kingdom, whose sole purpose is to use him for labor and entertainment.
When Puss finally arrives at the palace, where his master awaits, she informs him that she has arranged for a meeting between her son and her daughter-in-law, which will unite her daughter-in-law against her son. With the help of her magic carpet, Puss jumps through a portal to the princess’ kingdom, where she promptly sends her servant, a boy named Millar, to meet him. Millar follows the booty to the fortress of the kingdom, where she kills the princess. Enraged, the prince leads his army to annihilate the city, but Puss arrives just in time to save the prince from a bullet meant for him. Now the two of them become friends, though their friendship is marred by the prince’s desire to marry the princess.
Eventually, however, Millar betrays the princess and kills Puss, but not before she transforms herself into a monster to get her hands on Puss’ fortune, so that she may find a cure for her disease and return to her kingdom. But when Millar tries to steal the princess’ heart from her father and return to earth, Puss gets stuck in the role of a good king for reasons that are not explained. He then lets the boy lives, promising him his freedom in exchange for helping him defeat the evil witch and restore peace to earth.