shrek archetype essay

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Shrek Fairy Tales Analysis

• Categories: Fairy Tale Feminist Literary Criticism Gender Discrimination

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Published: Mar 16, 2024

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Subversion of protagonist, empowered princess character, humanized villains.

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Shrek Hero’s Journey

• Post author By Punit Thakkar
• Post date March 14, 2024

One of the most beloved animation movies, Shrek is a classic that captivates audiences with its humor, heart, and memorable characters. Behind the layers of fairy-tale parody lies a narrative structure deeply rooted in the hero’s journey archetype. In this blog post, we’ll explore how Shrek follows the 12 steps of the Hero’s Journey .

1. Ordinary World

Our story begins in the Ordinary World of Shrek, a reclusive ogre who enjoys his solitude in his swamp. He’s content with his solitary life until his peace is disrupted by the arrival of fairy-tale creatures, exiled to his swamp by the tyrannical Lord Farquaad.

2. Call to Adventure

Shrek’s Call to Adventure comes when he confronts Lord Farquaad, who demands that he rescue Princess Fiona from a dragon-guarded tower in exchange for reclaiming his swamp. Reluctant at first, Shrek embarks on the quest to save his home.

3. Refusal of the Call

Initially, Shrek refuses the call, preferring to return to his solitary life. He sees the quest as an inconvenience and is resistant to change. However, circumstances force him to accept the challenge, setting him on a path of self-discovery.

4. Meeting the Mentor

Throughout his journey, Shrek encounters several mentors who guide him along the way. Most notably, he forms a bond with Donkey, who becomes his loyal companion and provides support, advice, and comic relief during their adventures.

5. Crossing the Threshold

Crossing the Threshold occurs when Shrek and Donkey venture into the unknown, leaving the safety of Shrek’s swamp behind. They enter the fantastical world of Far Far Away, where they must confront numerous obstacles on their quest to rescue Princess Fiona.

6. Tests, Allies, Enemies

As Shrek progresses on his journey, he faces Tests, encounters Allies, and confronts Enemies. Along the way, he forms unlikely alliances with characters such as Princess Fiona and Puss in Boots, while also clashing with antagonists like Lord Farquaad and the dragon.

7. Approach to the Inmost Cave

The Approach to the Inmost Cave occurs as Shrek and his allies prepare to confront their greatest challenge: rescuing Princess Fiona from the dragon-guarded tower. This pivotal moment tests their courage, determination, and teamwork.

The Ordeal is the climactic moment of Shrek’s journey, where he faces his greatest fear and undergoes a transformative experience. In Shrek, the Ordeal occurs when Shrek battles the dragon to rescue Princess Fiona, ultimately revealing his true feelings for her.

Following the Ordeal, Shrek receives the Reward of his journey: the realization of true love and acceptance. He saves Princess Fiona, but more importantly, he discovers that he doesn’t have to hide behind his tough exterior to find happiness.

10. The Road Back

The Road Back marks the return journey for Shrek, as he and his companions leave Far Far Away and head back to their Ordinary World. However, their journey is not yet complete, as they must still confront Lord Farquaad and his army.

11. Resurrection

The Resurrection occurs when Shrek faces one final confrontation with Lord Farquaad, who seeks to marry Princess Fiona and claim the kingdom for himself. In a dramatic showdown, Shrek defeats Farquaad and asserts his true identity as a hero.

12. Return with the Elixir

In the final step of the hero’s journey, Shrek Returns with the Elixir: true love and acceptance. He marries Princess Fiona, breaks the curse that transformed her into an ogre at night, and discovers that he has found a family and a home in Far Far Away.

Related Read: Harry Potter Hero’s Journey

If you’d like to see the story analysis of any other movie, be sure to comment below!

• Tags heros journey , joseph campbell , shrek , shrek heros journey , shrek story

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The Movie “Shrek”: Analysis Through The Sociological Perspective

Table of Contents

This is my initial statement.

Analyse of Shrek from a Sociological Perspective

In conclusion,

Introduction

This is an introduction to the topic.

Symbolic interactionionism is an integral part of society. Shrek’s light-hearted comedy proves that it is the antithesis of this idea. Shrek depicts a story about an ugly, fearful, and frightening protagonist who defies society’s expectations. Donkey, Princess Fiona, and Lord Farquaad are all characters that challenge the stereotypes of society. This film is different from others and highlights sociological perspectives, particularly symbolic interactionism. When viewed in terms of the many stereotypes, ideas, beliefs, and attitudes we have toward symbols in society, this movie really stands out. Analysis of Shrek from a Sociological Perspective “Shrek” tells the story of an ogre living alone. He is banished from society because he is an ogre and he prefers to be with his family. His private time with himself is interrupted by Lord Farquaad’s exclusion of the “fairy-tale creatures” who now live in the swarm. To get his swarm, he agrees to Lord Farquaad’s terms that he will return his swarm if he rescues Princess Fiona and brings her back home to Farquaad. Shrek meets Princess Fiona on his trip with Donkey. Unfortunately, because of the complications between humans and Ogres and the princesses curse their relationship is not possible. Shrek’s misunderstanding causes him to fall back into an apathetic state and lose touch with society. Donkey eventually helps him realize the right way to go. Shrek defeats Lord Farquaad and Fiona reveal their love; Shrek becomes a member of a community. The 2001 Dream works 3D animated film is a great example of the rich symbolic interactionionism and diverse sociological perspectives that are present. This movie has great comedy. “Symbolic interactionism considers society to be composed of symbols people use to define meaning, establish their relationship, develop and communicate their worldviews, and create meaning.” This framework helps us to better understand the ways individuals see and interact with each other. The interactions between Shrek, Donkey and Princess Fiona are a good example of symbolic interactionism. It also shows how the fantasy world operates in today’s social system. Although Shrek is depicted as a terrifying and angry creature in the movie’s story, it soon becomes clear that this is not the case. Shrek explains that ogres are similar to onions. The symbolic interactionist approach to judgment is based on the analogy of an onion, which demonstrates how appearances can be misleading. Shrek’s prejudice is due to the fact that there have been ogres for many years. The society depicted in the movie has a negative symbol about ogre-s. Henslin says that these are symbols that are part of our daily lives. These symbols help us to identify our status, place, and relationship. Shrek, in this instance, is a symbol monster that the society fears and hates. He is banished from the society. Two main characters, Princess Fiona (or Lord Farquaad), break the stereotype of symbolic interactionionism in the society. She is shown as a typical damsel-in distress, waiting for her prince/prince (or Princess Fiona) to save her from the dragon. I think this was intentional to show how Fiona’s role as princess broke the stereotype. Fiona fights off the stereotype of princesses as having ladylike manners and being a damsel. As Shrek found her comfort zone, she began to accept his Ladylike manners. “Sexual behavior, just like all human behaviour, is symbolic.” Longmore, 1998 Fiona disagrees with this statement. She breaks the stereotypes that society holds about Shrek. While heroes are traditionally tall, handsome, powerful, and loved by society, Shrek is quite the opposite. Lord Farquaad is a counter to what one might expect from a brave knight in shining armor. Farquaad, who is stereotyped as tall and handsome and young, would be depicted as a knight-in-shining armor, but he is shorter and older than that. He is also disreputable and villainous. Faquaad dresses in a costume to disguise his long legs and show that his arms are longer. ConclusionShrek has captured the symbolic interactionism that our society is used too and perfectly illustrated the opposite. Shrek is shown as ugly, repulsive and feared. Fiona, the princess, is independent and transparently “unladylike” and not a damsel in distress. Farquaad, the knightly king, is short, disreputable, and villainous. The movie allows the audience to see the preconceived notions society places on symbols. The film’s multiple examples of symbolic interaction show how society functions. Different symbols are used to differentiate, place and relate people in society. This movie validates the prejudices and preconceived notions society has about things.

Emerson McKinney is a 31-year-old mother and blogger who focuses on education. Emerson has a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from the University of South Carolina. She is currently a stay-at-home mom and blogger who writes about her experiences as a mother and educator. Emerson is also a contributing writer for the Huffington Post.

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Shrek as an Epic Hero Character Analysis

Although most people find the film “Shrek” to be just a comical film, it actually fulfills the requirements needed to prove that Shrek is indeed an epic hero. “Shrek” is a 2001 computer-animated fantasy-comedy film based on William Steig’s fairytale picture book, “Shrek!” He has all the characteristics of an epic hero archetype, regardless of his hideous and vulgar appearance as an ogre. Shrek is brave, loyal, and lives up to the standards our society expects and appreciates. Shrek presents himself as evil and mean but on the inside he is actually compassionate and gentle. Campbell’s Monomyth and the process for an epic hero that includes the departure, the initiation, and the return are all present in Shrek’s journey making him an epic hero.

The process of a myth begins with the character’s departure into their journey. Shrek finds his isolated life bothered when thousands of different fairytale characters are banished into his swamp by order of the obsessive, evil, fairy-tale hating Lord Farquaad. This is Shrek’s first call to adventure. Campbell claims, “One may be only casually strolling when some passing phenomenon catches the wandering eye and lures one away from the frequented paths of man.” This is sort of what happened to Shrek in that he was just living his life when the fairytale characters entered his swamp. Shrek announces to the fairytale creatures that he will go to see Farquaad to move them out of his swamp and back to where they came from. Shrek crosses the first threshold to go see Lord Farquaad and brings along a talking donkey.

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Upon arriving at the castle, Shrek and Donkey see a guard that represents the threshold guardian, but the guard runs away fearful of the ogre. Campbell speaks of the threshold guardian when he stated, “Beyond them is darkness, the unknown and danger.” Shrek and Donkey enter the mysterious castle and proceed to an arena. They realize they are now in the middle of a tournament. After defeating a few knights in the tournament Farquaad tells Shrek that he will give him back his swamp if he brings back a princess (Princess Fiona). After refusing to do so (refusal of the call) Shrek finally agrees to accept the mission. The final separation or belly of the whale is when Shrek and Donkey walk out of the castle and enter the sunflower field to start their journey. By crossing the field Shrek shows willingness to undergo a metamorphosis.

Campbell had a strong point when he wrote, “The idea that the passage of the magical threshold is a transit into a sphere of rebirth is symbolized in the worldwide womb image of the belly of the whale. The hero, instead of conquering or conciliating the power of the threshold, is swallowed into the unknown and would appear to have died.” This is what Shrek goes through as he realizes he is about to enter an unknown world on the quest he is about to take. Although Shrek doesn’t inherit a supernatural aid, he is born with unnatural strength and uses it effectively in battle and on his journey. The departure of an epic hero is influential in that it introduces the character and can foreshadow future events.

The initiation is the second part of the monomyth process. After crossing the sunflower fields, Shrek crosses many different landscapes on his way to the princess. As Shrek and Donkey look over the mountain they know they are entering the road of trials. A rickety old bridge overlooking a lava lake is the dangerous crossing that many myths contain. Donkey is resistant to the crossing but he is pushed into the road of trials by Shrek forcing him across. Another frequent symbol is the warning before the danger. The warning in this tale is the skeleton that lay in front of the steps. Shrek finally finds the princess locked away in the highest point of the tower. Shrek meets the romantic challenge as he and Fiona develop their relationship. The action of the movie then takes place as Shrek, Donkey, and Fiona escape the fire-breathing dragon, barely making it over the bridge.

Fiona believes that Shrek is there to rescue her from the castle and be her prince. Fiona requests that Shrek take off his helmet so that they can kiss demonstrating the meeting of the oracle. Shrek resists the seizing of the sword and will not take off his helmet. They go back and forth until Shrek resists the journeying to the sword and picks up Fiona and carries her away. Shrek has a near death experience as he battles Robin Hood and ends up with an arrow in his butt. The atonement of the father is revealed when Shrek and Fiona fall for each other. The apotheosis of the monomyth is when Donkey finds Fiona and realizes that she turns into an ogre at night.

The ultimate boon could be one of two things in this tale. At first Shrek planned on the ultimate boon to be getting Fiona back to Lord Farquaad. However, right when he is about to return her, his ultimate boon is to get her to love him back. In Campbell’s book the ultimate boon is described as, “What the hero seeks through his intercourse with them is therefore not finally themselves, but their grace.” For the most part the initiation is the capturing of the princess and escaping the dragon. However, the return of the hero mixes in with the initiation due the journey not being complete.

Since there are two climaxes to the movie, the return can either be after the capture of the princess or after Fiona declares her love for Shrek. The refusal of the return is Shrek not wanting to bring Fiona to Lord Farquaad due to him falling in love with her. Campbell explains the refusal as, “When the hero-quest has been accomplished, through penetration to the source, or through the grace of some male or female, human or animal, personification, the adventurer still must return with his life-transmuting trophy.” The magic flight is when the hero escapes with the boon. This is presented in Shrek returning Fiona to Lord Farquaad and going back to his isolated home. Rescue from without is a crucial part of this movie in that Donkey visits Shrek to tell him that Fiona loves him and not to quit on his mission.

Campbell clarifies this by stating, “The hero may have to be brought back from his supernatural adventure by assistance from without.” Shrek is brought back to his secondary journey with help from Donkey. Donkey also has good news for Shrek when he tells him that he has fallen in love with the fire-breathing dragon and they are going to fly back to Farquaad’s castle on her. This action is the crossing of the return threshold. Due to there being two semi-journeys in this tale, the ending of the movie can be two different monomyth processes. Right as Lord Farquaad is about to marry Fiona Shrek stops the wedding and confesses his love for Fiona.

The antagonist (Farquaad) reveals himself as only wanting to marry so he could become a king. The sun goes down and Fiona turns into an ogre again. The hero and antagonist battle occurs when Shrek fights the guards as they try to take Fiona away. The dragon eats Farquaad proving a victory for the hero. The master of the two worlds is the entire ending of the movie because Shrek stops being stubborn and confesses his love for Fiona, completing his metamorphosis.

Campbell’s Monomyth and the process for an epic hero that includes the departure, the initiation, and the return are all present in Shrek’s journey making him an epic hero. Shrek conquers his inner and romantic challenge when he tells Fiona, “I love you.” He now has the freedom to live and the marriage is the celebration and ceremony. Shrek most definitely follows the characteristics of an epic hero. He is an ogre, making him supernatural or special. He is given a quest to complete and completes it. He goes through trials and challenges designed to test his strength and intelligence. He goes to unnatural worlds that others are too fearful to enter. He gets help from companions even if they are not godly. Shrek fights through the low points and is restored to the right place. These qualities help prove that Shrek is indeed an epic hero on the justification of Joseph Campbell’s Monomyth.

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