When a simple merchant, his young son and mute servant are out in the
woods, they chance upon a drifting boat, in which there is a baby girl
and a bowl containing a live goldfish. The merchant realises that the
baby is unusual because her life is bonded to the fish: if the fish
leaves the water, she stops breathing. The merchant adopts the baby as
her own and names her Bidasari. Years later Bidasari grows up into a
beautiful young woman while the merchant has prospered into a wealthy
businessman.
At the royal palace of this kingdom, the King has just
remarried a beautiful woman, the Permaisuri (Queen). The Permaisuri is a
proud woman who secretly practises witchcraft. Hidden in her chambers
is a magic mirror that can show her anything she asks. She uses it to
ask who the most beautiful in all the land is. One day when she asks the
mirror this question, the image of Bidasari appears in it. She is
enraged by this and carries out a search to find who Bidasari is.
Her
search leads her to the merchant's house. Under the guise of kindness,
the Permaisuri asks the merchant for permission to bring Bidasari to the
palace to be her companion. Although the merchant is reluctant to part
with his beloved daughter, he lets her go. But once Bidasari arrives at
the palace, she is sent to the kitchens as a servant, where she is
starved and given the dirtiest jobs.
After the Permaisuri is
satisfied that Bidasari has been ruined, she once again asks her magic
mirror who is the most beautiful in the land. When the mirror shows
Bidasari yet again, the Permaisuri flies into a rage and runs to the
kitchen where she grabs burning pieces of firewood which she tries to
burn Bidasari's face with. She is shocked when the fire goes out and
Bidasari's face is left untouched. Bidasari, who has by now realised
that the Permaisuri's malice is targeted only at her and will never
stop, begs for mercy and explains her life is bonded to that of a fish
that is kept in a bowl in her father's garden.
The Permaisuri has a
servant steal the fish for her from the merchant's garden, and as soon
as the fish leaves the water, Bidasari collapses and stops breathing.
Satisfied that Bidasari's life is in her hands, the Permaisuri hangs the
fish around her neck as a trophy. When she asks the mirror who is the
most beautiful in the land, the mirror shows her own image.
The
merchant realises that the fish is missing, and is told that Bidasari
died mysteriously at the palace. Her body is returned to him and he
builds a small tomb for her in the woods where her body is laid out in
peace.
Meanwhile, the Permaisuri's stepson the Prince has been having
dreams about Bidasari, although he has never met her. The dreams plague
him even in his waking hours, despite his father's advice that such a
beautiful woman cannot exist. The Permaisuri sees her stepson acting
this way and plants a painting of Bidasari in his room. The Prince finds
the painting, which leads him to the merchant who explains the sad tale
of Bidasari's death and the mysterious disappearance of the fish.
The
Prince decides to visit Bidasari's tomb to see her beauty with his own
eyes. Coincidentally at this time, back at the palace the Permaisuri is
having a bath in the royal bathing pool. The fish manages to break free
of its locket and drops into the water where it starts swimming. This
causes Bidasari to wake up right before the Prince's eyes. Bidasari
tells him of what the Permaisuri did to her, which confirms the Prince's
suspicions of his stepmother.
When the Permaisuri finishes her bath,
she discovers that the fish has gotten free. She manages to catch it
just as the Prince is about to help Bidasari leave the tomb, causing her
to fall unconscious again. The Prince places Bidasari back in the tomb
and promises to make things right.
The Prince returns to the palace
in a fury, demanding that the Permaisuri give him the fish. The
Permaisuri pretends not to know anything, and when the King listens to
the Prince's explanation, the King declares that his son has gone insane
and calls the royal guards. A fight ensues, during which the Permaisuri
is injured and dies.
Just before the Prince is about to be captured,
the merchant and the Prince's loyal manservants arrive with Bidasari on
a stretcher. The merchant explains that the story about the fish being
bonded to Bidasari's life is true. The Prince takes the fish from the
locket around the Permaisuri's neck and puts it into a bowl of water. As
soon as the fish enters the water, Bidasari comes back to life. The
King apologises to his son, and the Prince and Bidasari are married
Bidasari - Ang Kwento ng Epiko at Aral Nito
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