Shrek, Basic Communication

Femininity is a concept whose attributes are contingent on the culture it is in—what one culture may consider typically feminine traits could largely vary from what another culture views as being feminine. While theater can sometimes subvert theses ideals and present women who function in ways that are not typically feminine, theater can often present idealistic representations of women who exemplify that culture’s ideals of femininity. Take, for example, the female characters in both Guan Hanqing’s Snow in Midsummer and Hroswit’s Martyrdom of the Holy Virgins. While both texts come from largely different cultural contexts—Snow in Midsummer was written in thirteenth century China for a general population whereas Martyrdom of the Holy Virgins was written in tenth century Germany as a closet drama—both texts have female protagonists whose rebellions exemplify feminine ideals of the respective cultures.

Fairy tales have existed for years, some starting as oral stories for decades before ever being recorded on paper. These tales continue to hold an importance in the present such that they reflect the changes in time and progression of thought and ideas. Over time, many fairy tales are retold for various reasons including reforming them to be used for new audiences to make the story more relatable or to convey a different point of view to various specific audiences. This can be seen in various renditions; Andrew Anderson’s Shrek can be compared to Steig’s “Shrek!” and Perrault’s “Sleeping Beauty in the Wood” and evaluated as a retelling of either based on specific criteria. Although some may argue that William Steig’s “Shrek!” appears more closely similar to Anderson’s Shrek, as evaluated from the presence of similar characters, general plot structure, and targeted audience, the movie Shrek is more closely a retelling of Charles Perrault’s “Sleeping Beauty in the Wood.”

The movie Shrek is a fairytale that you can watch with family. It’s a movie that not only entertains, but it also teaches valuable lessons. Shrek puts the viewers in awe and gets them excited, so this movie is definitely worth watching! One of the main themes in this movie is the acceptance of people for who they truly are. In this movie we witness a lot of prejudice, or just assumptions. People assume that because someone looks a certain way that they are dangerous. Appearances are deceiving, and this movie shows us exactly that. To begin, you should all know that Shrek is not your normal fairytale. This movie brings in different characters with different abilities and characteristics. For example, the main character is Shrek , an ogre who is feared and seen as a threat by the entire village where he lives. Donkey is a friendly donkey that has the ability to speak. Fiona is a princess who has been put in a castle with a dragon and whose only way out is to be saved by a prince.

People have always watched fairytales at a very young age, growing up to believe in them. Some watched them to obtain some kind illusion, for pure entertainment, and others for the sake of love. However, not every fairytale has a purpose of giving us an illusion, of entertaining us, or making us believe in love. Shrek is not a typical fairytale. Even though many people see Shrek along with other fairytales as any other movie created for entertainment, it is a satirical critique of the archetypes involved in a fairytale. While in many fairytales we have a knight, a damsel in distress, a partner, and a villain, Shrek changes

The concept of femininity and masculinity is mentioned many times throughout the essay to highlight it

4. When Princess Fiona is rescued, she is the embodiment of a damsel-in-distress who was waiting for her "prince" to come rescue her. Later on in the film, she stands up for herself and does not wait to be rescued, breaking stereotypes based on sex and gender.

In society the purpose of gender roles is to group people into two opposite categories, men and women. These categories however, encourage toxic masculinity and gender inequality. In movies or books characters tend to fall into one category, when in reality most people don’t fit into just one. Shakespeare explores the idea of conformity and categorization in Macbeth. In Macbeth, the characters conformity to gender roles are the root of all their problems.

Overall, the film Shrek, provides an outstanding example of contemporary satire that is not only indirect and horatian but also well-known to society. Through what appears a children’s film, Dreamworks has effectively tackled one of society’s pressing matters when addressing society's unrealistic expectations of perfection in accordance to fairy

Moving onto the topic of masculinity, there is a striking difference in the way we portray masculinity in the

Growing up, most people read fairytales such as “Cinderella” and “Little Red Riding Hood”. These stories set up some sort of expectation for what life will be like. However, fairytales are just as messed up as life. DreamWorks created the movie Shrek to make fun of fairytale’s social prejudge and idealism. Shrek uses reversal and irony to create a satire about the flaws of fairytales.

It is inevitable that society has made a stereotype for the definition on what it means to be a man or a woman, it was stated and believed a long time ago and has just moved through life, generation after generation. Society believes that men are the workers and providers and essentially the strength of the family, and women take more of a nurturing and caring role. From this, a man’s physical strength is portrayed as being strong and brave at superior and horrific times, yet through literature like Shakespeare’s Macbeth, it shows that they can end up weak. There are many times in William Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, where the acts of “reverse-gender roles” are being detected in terms of what

In Macbeth by William Shakespeare, gender plays a pivotal role in the development of the overall plot and as the play advances, certain characters, including Macbeth and Lady Macbeth experience a reversal in traditional gender behaviors. Additionally, we see gender confusion among other characters that enhances conflict in the play. Originally, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are portrayed in ways that enforce their respective masculinity and feminism in accordance to the society around them. As Macbeth begins to contemplate his decision regarding the killing of Duncan, his marriage becomes the primary driving force behind his action and thoughts in this matter. Although in some cases, male and female roles in this play remain static, the

From the minute one is born the division between genders is placed. The phrases “act like a lady” or “be a man” become everyday practices and lifelong slogans. Fairy tales are always focused on women who play the beautiful damsel in distress persona and on men who play the handsome knight coming in to save them. Whether you are female or male, it is important to remember that these fixed characteristics placed on genders are never to be reinforced. In a world full of gender stereotypes, the Disney movie Mulan challenges the societal construct of masculinity and femininity by proving that gender roles are not fixed traits, but socially constructed views that can be changed.

In the movie, we meet Princess Fiona. She is beautiful and is looking for her Prince Charming. Shrek is far from a handsome prince and is not what Fiona was expecting. It turns out, Fiona was not a normal princess, but actually a secret ogre at night. This is ironic because she would make fun of Shrek during the day and get angry at how he was not supposed to rescue her since he was not handsome.

`Shrek' is the ultimate fractured fairy tale, a film that manages to simultaneously honor and lampoon the conventions of its genre without becoming smug or condescending in the process. For while it is sardonic, `Shrek' is never cynical, so confident and assured are its makers in establishing and maintaining just the right tone for a revisionist exercise such as this one. The film certainly conveys a modern sensibility, yet it is a gentle sort of iconoclasm that allows us to enjoy the more conventional aspects of the story (the happily-ever-after ending, for example) even as we are laughing at the obvious absurdities contained within them.