Essay on Shrek: The Kindness of the Ogre Revealed

his meal. The man recognized the tail and shot the monkey, so he could retrieve

Now imagine if a little girl or boy was pretending to be a princess waiting to meet her prince or the boy being the prince trying to save the princess. Some of these jokes that are in the movie Shrek would brake the kid’s heart if they found out what they

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 creature is aware of how much strength he possesses and often has moments of pure rage while contemplating the general destruction of all that surrounds him.

Farquaad is about to marry Fiona and Shrek wants to apologize to her. By spending time with Fiona, Shrek has become a better person, with a heart and is able to apologize. Farquaad's men attack Shrek. All the people laugh at Shrek being ugly. Shrek doesn't care and still tells Fiona he loves her.

Shrek tells the story of a green ogre named Shrek and a princess named Fiona. Shrek was feared by all the people in the town of Duloc. He lived alone in a swamp, which he one day found to be swamped with fairy tale creatures. The fairy

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

After eating some food and resting, he headed to the village nearby. At his arrival, “the whole village was roused”. “Children shrieked” and “women fainted”. “Some fled, some attacked” the creature. The creature was “grievously bruised by stones and many other kinds of missile weapons”. He ran away and “fearfully took refuge in a low hovel”. (p. 83)

He notifies the landlord of the fire, and runs away from his family. ¡§He [Sarty] did not look back¡¨ (¡§Barn Burning¡¨, 25). He does not want to let his father controlling him anymore. He wants to start his own life.

enraged and reminds Neil that he is in command and must do as he tells him,

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.

blood [and] cut off the race just dashing into life!" (107) He is a bloody

Shrek and Reversal of Fairytale Tradition Shrek directed Andrew Andamson and Vicky Jenson by contradicts the traditional view of a fairytale characters and settings. Although your first impressions may lead you to believe that that the story is totally different to a traditional fairytale looking more closely you find that there are a few similarities. This essay will be looking at the characters and the different presentational devises used to show how fairytale traditions are reversed. The presentational devices which are looked at are camera angles, lighting and music. In a traditional fairytale you would expect to find a prince and a princess who fall in love and live happily ever after.

have to ask for his swamp to be returned to him. Donkey tells Shrek to

`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.