The film begins in a fairytale style. This is indicated by the production team which is Dream Works Production. The man sitting on the moon and the background music indicate that the movie is going to be an animated romantic comedy. The movie starts by showing a fairytale book depicting a prince, proposing to a princess, with flowers in his hands. The story book begins with the line “Once upon a time” which is a typical beginning of a fairytale. However, while the story progresses, a mammoth green hand rips the page out and uses it as a toilet paper. This is a beginning of a series of events, which tell the audience that the movie is diverting from the conventions of a traditional fairytale movie. As soon as the bathroom door opens, we see a huge, ugly giant standing in front of us. He is the hero of the story, Shrek. The hero of a fairytale story is usually a charming young prince and not an ugly ogre. Shrek is an introvert and prefers to have his privacy. A prince on the contrary is outspoken and likes to interact with other people. The introduction of the character Donkey, confirms our suspicion of the movie Shrek not being a fairytale. When the Donkey accidentally bumps into Shrek and hides behind him, instead of being frightened, portrays that something is amiss. The Donkey realizes that Shrek maybe the only person who can save him from the ruthless aggression of the outside world and therefore immediately takes a liking for him. The prince, who is a traditional hero, is introduced as a villain approaching his prey, contradicting the image of a young prince galloping on his horse. His stature, physique and popularity among his own people soon turn the tide against him. Shrek’s behaviour at the tournament in Duloc is unusual of an ogre. Shrek prefers to sort out matters over a pint of beer and not get physical. A typical ogre would not even think of negotiating, he would straight away start fighting.
Shrek, the protagonist of the movie has been introduced in a vile and uncouth fashion. He is seen taking a bath with mud, frightening people with his ghastly size and ripping the page of his storybook and using it as toilet paper. He is a loner due to the fact that the outside world portrays him as a dangerous creature. He fancies his privacy and is totally ignorant about the matters and concerns of the outside community. He is self-centred and is only concerned about living his own personal life and not getting into useless matters. Shrek possesses humane qualities and has the virtues of a good human being. This is supported by the fact that when the donkey bumps into him, Shrek stands up for him and helps him from Lord Farquad’s army. Shrek has also been shown in a very positive light during the tournament. At the tournament he does not revert to fighting straight away, but prefers to work calmly. Shrek, rescuing Princess Fiona shows his valiant character. Later, his love for Princess Fiona is the confirmation of him possessing human qualities and not having a stone heart like a typical ogre.
Donkey’s relationship with Shrek develops dramatically over a period of time. The relationship with donkey influences Shrek to such an extent that he starts sharing his personal thoughts with the Donkey. In the beginning of the relationship, Shrek doesn’t like the Donkey as they both are of a contrasting nature-Shrek is an introvert while the Donkey is an extrovert. However, while going to rescue Princess Fiona, Shrek realises Donkey’s loyalty and friendship. Their friendship is so strong that Shrek risks his life to save Donkey’s. Shrek’s heroism is proved when he takes upon himself the duty of getting fairytale creatures back to their home. A typical ogre wouldn’t demonstrate such actions as he would neither care nor be bothered. Shrek believes strongly in non-violence, when there is no reason to fight. His behaviour at Lord Farquad’s convent gives an impression to the audience that some ogres adhere to the policy of the opponent attacking first. A typical ogre would immediately start fighting. Shrek’s audacity to take on a fiery red dragon and risking his own life to save two other lives just proves that he is not self-centred and differentiates from typical ogres in a very large way. Shrek’s gleaming attire in the creepy castle portrays his heroism and his attitude shows his caring nature. His relationship with Princess Fiona corroborate to our earlier deductions of him not being a typical ogre. The manner, in which he approaches Princess Fiona to propose to her, depicts the symptoms of a charming young prince. His kind and loving nature sufficiently compel us to believe that he is a human being and not a man-eating ogre.
Lord Farquad has been introduced in a very unconstructive manner. He has been introduced like the villain in the movie “Star Wars”. He enters a dark castle, wearing his gloves and instructing his men to open the large doors to the torture room. His stature in comparison to his guards just shows that he is a gutless and is not a real prince who will risk his own life to save others. His mocking laugh is of a villain and not a charming young brave prince. He himself doesn’t carry on the torture but orders his men to do so. He is impolite and believes that the world is at his disposal and he is the supreme ruler. During the tournament, he makes a public statement that rescuing the princess will involve sacrificing lot of lives. He adds that it is a sacrifice he is willing to make. This shows his selfish behaviour and his non-popularity among the people of Duloc. This is the reason why his army has to hold up boards during public functions, demanding the people to do what is written on the boards. He views Princess Fiona as an epitome of beauty and a paragon of women. However, while Shrek is Rescuing Princess Fiona, Lord Farquad is sipping martini and admiring her in the magical mirror. At the wedding, he is very impatient and does not handle things in a composed manner. He is pretty much ignored by the audience, as well as Shrek and Princess Fiona. He mocks Shrek and Princess Fiona’s relationship and doesn’t ever appreciate the fact that Princess Fiona was at the wedding due to Shrek’s efforts.
At the end of the long unwinding movie, Shrek and Lord Farquad receive the true treatment they deserve. Lord Farquad is devoured with relish by the female dragon, which helped Shrek and Donkey reach the Princess’s wedding. On the other hand, Shrek reaches for Princess Fiona and delivers a kiss. Princess Fiona’s true state is revealed when the sun goes down. She transforms from a beautiful princess to a fat ugly ogress, which is in contrast to a typical fairytale ending where the reverse takes place. Shrek and Princess Fiona have a fairytale wedding in a non-fairytale story. The audience is elated at the sight of the pair- Shrek and Fiona. As the audience already knows the role Shrek and Lord Farquad play, they are delighted when the good wins over the evil. The audience feels strongly about the end of Lord Farquad as they have already witnessed his cunning and cheeky deeds.
This film has presented Lord Farquad and Shrek in a very exciting and progressive manner. Shrek has been presented as not a typical ogre and has been introduced as a true hero who risks his life. He possesses humane qualities and can fall in love with human beings. He is only similar to typical ogres in physical features. Lord Farquad has been introduced as a typical villain. The animators have shown him in a negative light throughout the movie and have convinced the audience that he is not the typical young prince and is more like a malicious and spiteful ruler who oppresses his people. The film departs from the conventions of a fairytale but not to such an extent. The film contains traditional fairytale conventions such as a princess being locked in the highest room of the tallest tower but the film also departs from fairytale conventions such as the prince being the villain and the ugly ogre going and rescuing the princess. The film teaches a number of morals to young children. It teaches them not to judge a book by its cover and that appearances and images of people can be deceptive and misleading. It also imparts the important message that people should not be judged by their outside beauty but by their inner beauty.
