William Tell

[Music] foreign [Music] long long ago the country of switzerland in europe was ruled by the duke of austria in one part of switzerland there was a road that led over the beautiful snow-capped mountains of the alps the road was important for many people used it to reach cities and market towns austrian soldiers had been sent to guard the road with strict orders to collect a fee for use of the road from each and every traveler who used it all the money that was collected found its way into the strong box of the duke of austria's governor his name was herman gessler he was a cruel man who ruled by forcing people to do his bidding from the poor swiss people he demanded high taxes which the people had great trouble in paying and when the people could pay no more gessler became furious he would order his soldiers to put the people to work building a great castle for gessler but there was one man in switzerland who was not afraid of gessler he raised goats and was called a goat herd his name was william tell there were four things william tell loved first his fine flock of sure-footed goats second his strong and trusty crossbow fortel was a skilled hunter and marksman third and much more important william tell loved his son walter and fourth tell loved freedom freedom for himself and his son to live as they wished freedom to show walter the wonders of his country how proud william tell was of his son walter was so gentle even the timid creatures of the forest would eat from his hand [Music] and walter was so strong he could handle a heavy crossbow all by himself but he wasn't very good at target practice walter would either aim too high or too low too much to the left or too much to the right even with the most famous archer in all switzerland for a father he just couldn't hit the bullseye william tell was disappointed but one day watching walter tend the flock of goats the famous archer thought to himself everyone should be free to do what they can do best i can use the crossbow better than any man in switzerland but my son is interested in other things he's so kind and loving all the animals know he's their friend yes walter will make a better goater than i could ever be that night william tell told walter he would never have to practice with the crossbow again walter was glad to hear it to tell the truth he was just a little bit afraid of the crossbow so each free to do the things he could do best father and son passed their days [Music] but many of the swiss people were not as free hundreds worked at building gessler's castle worked because they could no longer pay the high taxes worked until every bone in their bodies ate gessler soldiers sought of that and in the village where he made his headquarters was the tyrant gessler he was in an ugly mood he wanted to teach the swiss people a lesson a lesson that would show them that he was the complete master of their lives yes a lesson for them all as the next morning dawned the villagers awakened to see a strange sight very strange very strange indeed right in the middle of the village square there was a pole a tall tall tall pole and at the top of it was a cap gessler's cap the soldiers shouted to the people bow down bow down to the cap of gessler the people were terribly frightened and did as they were told soon the square was filled with people bowed down before the cap of the hated tyrant gessler now on that very day william tell and walter came to the village both william tell and his son were surprised to behold the site of a square full of people bowing down to a cap of all things almost at once gessler soldiers stop them crying you there bow down to the cap again the soldiers cried bow down to gessler's cap but william tell replied i will never bow down to the tyrant gessler himself much less his dirty cap at that moment gessler appeared gessler was quickly told of william tells defiance gessler was furious quietly gessler himself ordered william tell to bow down before the cap [Music] gessler grew angrier and angrier sees that boy he ordered [Music] slowly the people raised their heads they heard gessler snarl you are insolent william tell and i could easily have you jailed but i am too kind a man to do that instead you shall perform a task of skill you are an excellent shot with the crossbow i have heard i have also heard that you love your son more than anything else in the world the boy will be freed as you shall be if if you can shoot this apple off your son's head at a distance of 50 paces i can't thought william tell i can't risk hurting walter an apple is much too small a target but walter shouted that he was not afraid of the test after all wasn't his father the best archer in switzerland [Music] all right then william tell would do it for his and walter's freedom a hush fell over the square as william tell reached for an arrow inside his cloak and fitted the razor sharp arrow into the crossbow carefully the great archer took aim and then lowered the bowl what if he should miss the apple and kill his own son from now on gessler thought these people would know who their ruler was then walter called out shoot father shoot i am not afraid again william tell raised his weapon again he took aim straight and true the arrow flew william tell had saved his son the evil gessler had been outwitted so murmured the swiss people if the tells were not afraid of gessler why should the rest of the people of switzerland fear him as walter was released an arrow from under william tells cloak dropped to the ground gessler asked what was that for that arrow was to put in your heart gessler if i had harmed my son [Music] the people were greatly impressed with william tells brave speech while gessler was frightened by it now the tyrant knew that it would not be long before the swiss people rose up against their enemies and forced them out of switzerland tell knew this too and it wasn't long before his country switzerland was free and independent gessler and his soldiers were forced to leave by the road they had come to guard and so william tell had taught the swiss people and everyone a lesson never to be forgotten tyrants must back down before men who will not bow down [Music] you