Donkey questions Shrek about what he is; Shrek shouts "What am I?" Shrek emplys that he is a monster but it doesn't scare Donkey. Shrek tries desperately hard trying to get rid of Donkey but Donkey refuses to listen to or understand any of the comments that Shrek makes.
At one point during their meeting Shrek asks Donkey ‘ To go and celebrate his freed om with some of his friends’. Donkey replies by saying he has no friends and that he would like to be friends with Shrek. This comment rely suprises Shrek as he has no friends as everyone thinks that he is a terrfying Ogre. Inside Shrek is not at all scary and he doesn’t want people to know him because of his ferocity. Hwen Shrek hears about Donkey liking him and not being afraid of him Shrek is pleased but does not want to show this.
Shrek finds Donkey very irritating and without being invited runs into Shreks house and bounces on his chair. Shrek does not succeed when he tries to stop Donkey, which suggests that Shrek isn't really a terrifying ogre! Shrek shows that he has had enough of Donkey when he tells him to stay outside. However Shrek is remourseful towards this act as he keeps looking out of the window to see what donkey is doing. Inside Shrek is a very nice person but no one is willing to let him show this, they just judge him from the outside.
This latter part of the scene is not very stereotypical of a fairy tale as the ugly, ferocious characters are not lijked by anyone no one is wanting to go near them as they are scared however this is reversed in Shrek as Donkey does not seem to mind Shrek despite him being the way he is.
Unknown to Shrek fairytale characters have been evicted by Lord Farquaad and came to Shreks swamp. Shrek noticed three mice on his table and up his shoulder. It is comedy as he fails to catch the mice. Shrek shouts "I'm a terrifying Ogre, what do I have to do to get a little privacy?" The behaviour of Donkey and the mice suggests that Shrek maybe not as frightening as an ogre should be.
Shrek decides to make a visit to Duloc and meet Lord Farquaad in order to get his swamp back. The only person who knows the way to Duloc is Donkey. Both Shrek and Donkey embark on a journey to Duloc to try and get Shrek’s swamp back.
In the folowing Scene we see Lord Farquaad. We have heard of him in previous scenes, the way he is described one could imagine him to be someone who has a number of qualities and someone who is a imposing character. This is the streotypical view we have of someone like Lord Farquaad.
The makers of Shrek have used ingenius camera angles to create suspension. Tension is created when Lord Farquaad is introduced. Instead of focusing on his face the camera focuses on Lord Farquaads hands whilst he is putting on a pair of gloves as if he means business. The cmaera angle starts at the bottom with a shot at Farquaads feet gradually moving upwards revealing his true height (which is barely above the door handle) again this is showing tension . This scene is not at all stereotypical of a fairy tale as a Prince is meant to be a charming character who is handsome however this is not the case with Lord Farquaad. The scene escalates by showing ven more that it si not conventional as it shows Lord Farquaad torturing the ginger bread man. He is shown holding the gingerbread mans legs saying ‘ run run as fast as you can ..’ A low angle camera shot is used as this is useful to show Lord Farquaad looking down on his subjects.
This scene is again not stereotypical as Lord Farquaad should be kind and good hearted person however this scene shpows that he is a evil twisted perosn only desiring a perfect kingdom.
On seeing Lord Farquaad some tradition is used in this scene by showing the type of clothing Lord Farquaad wears. Traditional Elizabethan period attire which is dark red with puffed sleeves, tights and a red cloak and hat and belt all coordinating red and gold rimmed is being worn by Lord Farquaad. He lives in an elaborate castle that is extremely grand this is streotypical as it shows that Lord Farquaad is rich.
After this scene has ended Shrek and Donkey arrive in Duloc to see Lord Farquaad. On seeing Shrek a man dressed up in a costume of Lord Farquaad runs away from Shrek and runs into a wall knocking himself out. This is stereotypical of a fairy tale as people are scared of Ogres. As both Shrek and Donkey delve further and further into Duloc the town seems uninhabited until they hear the sound of trumpets.
By following the sound they enter a courtyard in which Lord Farquaad is giving a speech to the knights telling them that they are going to have a tournament to see who is the strongest. The strongest one will then embark on a qust to save Princess Fiona. Lord farquaad uses this sentence ‘Many of you will die, but it is a sacrifice I am willing to take.’ This is not stereotypical as it is normally the Prince or in this case the Lord himself who would go and rescue the Princess he wouldn’t send others on his behalf. This again shows that Farquaad is not the stereotypical Prince as he should be couragous.
Shrek enters the courtyard and shouts at Farquaad demanding his swamp back. Some humour is exchanged which is not normally visible in fairy tales. Farquaad refuses to give Shrek his swamp back and tells the Knights that the one who kills the ogre will be the one embarking on the quest to rescue Princess Fiona.
A stereotypical fight from a fairy tale would involve people fighting one another with swords. However this is not the case in Shrek as a modern sound track cuts in and Shrek jumps into a wrestling ring and starts preforming wrestling moves pn the Knights that try to kill him. Donkey also helps from outside the ring headbutting people etc.
After Shrek has knocked out all of the Knights the crowd cheer him and again humour is exchanged betwwen characters. Farquaad tells Shrek that if he embarks on the quest to svae Fiona and brings her to him he will give Shrek his swamp back.
Shrek agrees and with Donkey he goes to rescue Princess Fiona.
On arriving at the castle were Princess Fiona is being kept it seems like a traditional fairy tale castle as it is being guarded by a fire breathing dragon, it has a rickety old bridge leading to the entrance underneath which is molten lava. This gives the impression that no one is meant to get into the castle and no one is meant to leave.
On entering the castle Shrek and Donkey split up Shrek goes to find the dragon and Donkey goes to try and find the Princess. Camera angels and lighting effects are used a lot in this part of the film as it helps magnify the dragon and to show how terrifying it is. The camera uses head on shots to show large the dragon is it also uses this to magnify the fire when it is breathed out. Dragons because they are ferocious creatures are stereotypically Male however in Shrek this is reversed and the dragon is actually a female. Also dragons are meant to have no feelings in this case however the dragon falls in love with donkey.
While fighting the dragon Shrek is flung of its tale into the tower where Princess Fiona is waiting. On seeing Shrek land in the middle of the room she lies in a stereotypical Princess fashion holding flowers in her hands awaiting the kiss of the Knight who has come to rescue her. Music is played it is soft and soothing like that a Princess would listen to.
Shrek does not give Fiona a kiss that she has been awaiting and this breaks the normal tradition of a fairy tale. He picks her up and shakes her violently making her get up. Again tradition is reversed as Shrek has not slayed the dragon before coming to Princess Fiona. Shrek now goes to rescue Donkey agin cmaera effects are used to outline the size of the dragon.
After escaping from the dragon Princess Fiona admits that the rescue was ‘a little unorthodox’ meaining that she wasn;t expecting it in this way. She is pleased however about being resued and asks Shrek to remove his helmut so that she can kiss him. After much negotioating Shrek agrees to remove his helmet but Fiona isn’t impressed as she is expecting a hanbdsome knight . Again tradition is reversed as Shrek is not the handsome prince that Fiona is expecting and donkey is not a noble steed these are two things expected in a fairy tale contianning a prince and a princess.
Princess Fiona refuses to go back to Duloc with Shrek. She wants tradition to remain and she wants Lord Farquaad to come and get her himself. Shrek grabs hold of her and drags her back. By lookingf at Princess Fiona sheis stereotyipical of a Princess, she is kind, beautiful etc. but as the journey back to Duloc continues we learnt that she I not a stereotypical Princess after all.
At night Princess Fiona turns into an ogre like Shrek however when night falls for the first time the camera angle is such that we cannot see Fiona’s face as the lighting causes it to become very dark and so she is not visible as an ogre.
The following morning Fiona returns to her beautiful self and cooks eggs byu killing a bird for its eggs this again is not stereotypical princess as they do not kill things. Continuing on the journey they encounter a group of people who are meant to be Robin hood and his merrymen again Princess Fiona beats them all up which is not stereotypical for a Princess. As the journey grows on Shrek and Fiona begin to like each other more and more as they can see the similarities between themselves.
As the journey comes to an end and Duloc is within sightfiona and Shrek decide to stay the night waiting until the morning to see Lord Farquaad. Just as Shrek is about to reveal to Fiona that he loves her. He over hears her and Donkey talking about how hideous Fiona becomes at night. Shrek thinks that they are talking about him. This is stereotypical again as everyone thinks that ogres are horrible, ugly creatures.
Shrek decides to inform Lord farquaad that he has rescued Fiona. In the morning Farquaad arrives to collect Fiona and on seeing him Fiona is not impressed by Lord Farquaad as he is not at all charming. however she agrees to marry hinm so that the curse can be lifted from her. In stories such as ‘Sleeping Beauty’ curses are placed upon the Princess.
Shrek is given his swamp back as he has rescued Princess Fiona and completed his part of the deal. As Shrek is leaving to go back to his swamp Fiona wants to express her feeling to him about how she loves him but Shrek is unwilling to listen. Lord Farquaad says ‘Ogres don’t have feelings.’ This is again stereotypical as Ogres are regarded as brutal creatures who have no care for anyone or anything therefore they must not have any feelings. However in this film the tradition is reversed as Shrek does have feelings this is justified as he loves Princess Fiona.
Donkey and Shrek have an arguament as Shrek tells him what he heard Donkey talking to Fiona about. Donkey tries to explain that it wasn’t about Hsrek but Shrek is unwilling to listen. Donkey brings up the subject of friendship and ho they shuld always trust each other and lsiten to one another. after Doinkey tells Shrek what Fiona and him were talking aobut., Shrek and Donkey race of to the wedding to try and stop it.
When they arrive there Shrek runs in and stops the wedding. Lord farquaad laughs as he says the Ogre has fallen in love with the Princess. This is stereotypical as ogres arn’ t meant to feel emotions such as love again tradition is reversed.
Fiona shows Shrek that she is also an Ogre. When farquaad sees this he orders her to be killed. This is npot stereotypical and traditon is revrsed as Prince’s are meant to be kind to women and in this case Farquaad has ordered for Fiona to be killed. This shows that he is cruel and unkind man and the only reason he wants to get married is so that he can have a perfect kingdom and that so he can be a king. The guards begin to capture both Shrek and Fiona however as traditon is followed in the next few events. Love, good overcome the struggle and beat evil. Farquaad is eaten by the dragon who is in love with Donkey this is again stereotypical as good overcomes evil and the bad is always killed or got rid off at the end of the film.
As Shrek kisses Fiona she takes her true form of beauty. Traditionis again reversed as trhe beuty would have been in her Human form but it is changed to the ogre form.
Shrek and Fiona return to the swamp and have a wedding many of the fairy tale creatures come and Shrek gets his swamp back the ending of the film reverses tradion again as it is not a solemn wedding but one with lots of modern music and dancing etc. The ending of the film is reminiscent of Cinderella as Shrek and Fiona leave for there honeymoon in a carriage made by a onion.
Shrek is a great film and has turned the fairy tale traditon upside down it uses modern technology combined with old tradition to produce a great film that has won many oscars and has gained it self credibility along side all the greatest fairy tales. It is slighly different to normal fairy tales changing the tradition slighly. shrek incorporates both tradition and modern technology to take fairy tale stroies to new limits. As a fairy tale Shrek had to be different in some way as fairy tale stroies are growing fast out of date as technology advances. Shrek lived up to its potential and has created a new era of fairy tale stories cxombining both the old with the new.
Shrek reverses traditon in some areas but the makers of the film have incorporated new ideas along side with the tradition to keep up with the ever progressing time.
Omar Jamshad 10S