Shrek is different from more traditional fairytales in that is purposely breaks the orthodox roles. In various parts of the film it even ridicules the standard boundaries, for example the “three blind mice” are used in Shrek to add a comedy value to the film. This is done in Shrek to show how different it is to other fairytales and enables us to compare and contrast. To do this, the writers take these well-known characters and use them in a different situation than they would normally be perceived to be associated with. They also manipulate their own characters to make them appear to be unconventional. The fact that donkey is the traditional “steed” who is derided because he is not strong and fast in a way in which a gallant stallion should be. In the usual fairytales the steed would be dependable and would be fast as lightening to show that the hero of the film has got the best of everything. The steed would also be a background character so as not to take any of the emphasis from the people in the story and so they don’t steal any of the limelight. The donkey, in Shrek, makes a mockery of this stereotype, which is done to add comedy to the film. We also notice that Donkey actually has an important role throughout the film as he also takes part in saving the princess.
Shrek as a character is the true hero of this narrative, however he has none of the stereotypical physical traits of a hero. He is ugly, ungainly and unwilling to conform to the character traits of a hero. He purposely tries to conform the stereotyped ogre at the beginning of the film where we see him threatening the villagers by saying ‘Ogres are worse than giants.’ He also mentions how he will ‘grind your bones for my bread’. These are some of the typical sayings that we are familiar with due to the traditional fairytales such as Jack and the Beanstalk. He does not set out on the expedition to save the princess because he is in love, as is usual in tradition fairytales. He goes on the adventure because he is forced to due to circumstances beyond his control. The Prince in Sleeping Beauty, a standard fairytale, rescues Sleeping Beauty because he is “in love” with her. When Sleeping Beauty was written the target audience would have been extremely contented with the way the beautiful man and woman fall in love and “live happily ever after”. Shrek does not appear to be anything like a hero at the start of the film. He is very harsh with Donkey, and he is very rude to anyone who tries to invade his personal space. He is a very lonesome character who is not liked by almost every other character due to the reputation of ogres in usual fairytales. However as the film progresses and we learn more about Shrek, we realise that although he doesn’t look like a hero, deep down he possesses all of the personality traits of a hero as well as having the heart of a hero. He only appears not to be a champion at the start because he feels threatened, as he does not believe people will understand him. The growing relationship between the donkey and Shrek, and then between Shrek and Princess Fiona, forces Shrek to show more of his true qualities and attributes. This progresses the image of Shrek as a hero.
The real villain of the story is Lord Farquaad, nearly everyone in the story dislikes him or fears him. In a traditional fairytale the villain is a strong evil person who brings fear because of his mere presence on screen. However Lord Farquaad is a small weak looking man, who should not be very frightening to anyone. He is not a moderate character like the “prince” or “lord” is supposed to be, he attempts to send out a subordinate to rescue the princess. If Lord Farquaad really wanted to marry Princess Fiona he would rescue her himself. However he only wants her so that he can obtain more power for personal gains. This is unusual for a ‘Prince’ or ‘Lord’ since they are seen as handsome, courageous and noble in classical fairy stories. We can obviously see how DreamWorks has twisted the traditional expectations. This is another way in which Shrek is different to normal fairytales.
The way in which the villain is shown in an unusual way, is a reference to the modern society and it is trying to state that not everything is as it seems. The way that the appearances of Lord Farquaad and Shrek are almost reversed allows more comedy to be introduced to the film. If the villain had Shrek’s appearance it would be too much like a common tale and not be at all funny. We also notice that the dragon in Shrek is first seen as the stereotypical character that is usually seen in an average fairytale. We later find out that this character is a lovable dragon and we realise that these creatures that are seen as “villains” also have feelings too. We see that the dragon becomes attracted to Donkey since he is kind to her and says kind words. It shows that we need to take note on other people’s feelings no matter what their appearance may be. These examples show how the film Shrek tries to adapt to contemporary audiences needs. It must retain the interest of the viewer, because in society today people have shorter attention spans. The attractions of computers, mobile phones and the Internet have caused people to switch off sooner and get bored more easily. There were not so many distractions when the original fairytales were written, and therefore they could be tedious for short periods of time, without having to worry about losing the audiences attention. The writers for Shrek had to make sure that they didn’t lose interest at all. Therefore they present the heroes and villains in an unconventional way to captivate their viewers.
Shrek is a recent fairytale; the fact that the characters are not similar to other ordinary fairytales is a way in which it transmits its message to the modern audience. Princess Fiona is a strong woman and she saves them from a group of attackers. This realisation could not have happened in an older fairytale, because the audience of the time would not have understood, or related. The way women have fought for equal rights are shown in this film. Women are perceived to be the “damsel in distress” in the older fairytales. However if this film had stuck to traditional stereotypes, they would not have got many people to go and see it. This is because a modern audience would not be able to transfer the messages of the film to their modern days lives. A contemporary audience would be able to recognise the morals of the story on a subconscious level.
Shrek is a cartoon picture and therefore does not have any actual camera work, or camera angles. However the characters are drawn to give a certain perception, the way a camera would be able to angle itself in a real life film. The “camera angles” in Shrek are used to make the film more true to life, and to help the audience relate to the characters. The camera angels are used to distort your first impression of the characters. They are also used to misrepresent the characters in the film and to make you view the film in a certain way. The first view of Lord Farquaad is from a low camera angle to give us the impression of being tall and powerful, and thus more like an ordinary villain or evil character. However this is unrepresentative of his true height and in a way is already mocking his stature. The directors use different points of view to change the way that the characters are seen. In stereotypical fairytale the hero’s and villains would be viewed in ways to exaggerate their appearances, but Shrek deliberately distorts the way you watch the film. This is to keep attention and to bring a funny side to the way the film was produced.
In conclusion, Shrek is a modern fairytale, which allows a contemporary audience to relate to its morals and messages. The characters are not uniform with traditional fairytales but all of the components of the stereotypical story are there. The fact that certain aspects are disguised means that the film can offer different significances to people of different age groups and different backgrounds. It covers a wider range of subject matter, which allows it to offer a lot more than conventional fairytales.
