Analyse the characters of Shrek and Lord Farquaad.
Lorna Edwards
English media coursework
2002
Shrek
In this essay I am going to analyse the characters of Shrek and Lord Farquaad. I will also explore the different presentational devices used by the film creators of Shrek to craft an unusual fairytale.
This film cost $6 million to produce. It is based on a traditional fairytale type story but subverted.
The film was produced by Dreamworks - Steven Spielberg's production company. Dreamworks make animated films. It has a rival animation company in the form of Disney. It was Disney who first brought out a long animated film which was Snow White in the 1950's.
The first computer generated animation was also brought out by Disney called Toy Story in the 1990's.
In traditional fairy tales princes are tall, strapping, handsome and charming. They are the good natured characters in the story who would ordinarily rescue the princess. Ogres or giants or any general evil being would be big, ugly, horrible, nasty creatures and would be the wicked characters in the story. For example the story of Jack and the beanstalk' where the nasty giant is chasing Jack shouting "Fe Fi Fo Fum! I smell the blood of an Englishman!" and obviously trying to eat Jack. He is evidently an evil character. The prince in 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' is a fine example of a typical classic fairytale prince. He comes to rescue Snow White and kisses her when she was in a deep, everlasting sleep to awaken her.
Language is an important device and I am going to write about how language can create the impression of good and evil in both characters, and in films. The film 'Shrek' begins as if we are reading a book or a fairytale. The character Shrek is reading the fairytale story and roughly halfway through he exclaims "Yeah right!" and rips the page out of the book and consequently uses it as toilet paper! We are astonished as the viewers as we were expecting a conventional fairytale. There is a good use of toilet humour and it is aimed at children or teenagers. We know right from the start that Shrek is a nice character as he has a comical impact on the film. The sort of humour makes it different from normal, conventional fairytales and also the big, ugly ogre would normally be a nasty creature but we know straight away that this is not the case and he proves to be quite the contrary as the story unfolds.
At the beginning of the film Shrek tries to threaten the characters that he meets, but Donkey, the mice, the storybook characters and Princess Fiona are not intimidated by him or his appearance. He tries to make them frightened by reminding them that he's a scary, horrible monster. Although Shrek is an ogre he is really nice deep down.
When the storybook characters arrive Shrek threatens to throw them all out of his swamp and back where they came from. There is a close up shot of his mouth, this implicates that Shrek is going to eat them or kill them and enhances the threat.
Shrek tries to frighten them by threatening them, by shouting at them and the close up shot of his mouth develops the idea that Shrek is trying to be scary. The storybook characters applaud Shrek. Shrek's angry words to threaten them backfired and sounded more like a leader or like a politician who was trying to win votes. Shrek tried to be imposing and scary but he came out more like a leader who's main incentive was to help the storybook characters go back home. When Shrek was trying to be frightening the storybook characters did not react and weren't intimidated.
This suggests that Shrek is actually a caring, loving ogre who believes in justice and fairness to others, equal rights. It also tells us that he is not really a mean character as the storybook characters aren't frightened by him. He is a nice character inside.
When Shrek breaks into the castle to rescue Princess Fiona, he acts like an ogre when he greets the Princess. Instead of kissing Fiona to wake her up he violently shakes her to her senses, appearing to be insensitive, rude and a typical rough ogre. This was not expected and Shrek hardly fitted in with Princess Fiona's strict criteria and she is hardly brimming with happiness when he wakes her. We also know she wasn't really asleep as she had quickly checked her appearance and grabbed a bunch of flowers before she lay down on her bed, pretending to be in a deep sleep. She had been in the castle for years so it was not surprising that she was a little bit annoyed when Shrek spoilt her romantic plan, he hadn't read the fairytale script it appears. This definitely suggests that Princess Fiona had had a lot of time to plan that moment and she was expecting it to follow the conventional fairytale storyline.
Although Shrek appears violent we soon learn that he had failed to slay the dragon. The reasons he gives are 'it's on my 'to do' list' and 'I have to save my own ass'. This shows us that Shrek is quite a laid back character who is obviously not worried despite the fact there is an angry, fire-breathing dragon hot on their heels.
In contrast to Shrek, Lord Farquaad is cruel. He watches the torture of the Gingerbread Man, taunting him 'run, run, run as fast as you can'. This tells us that Lord Farquaad is an ...
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Although Shrek appears violent we soon learn that he had failed to slay the dragon. The reasons he gives are 'it's on my 'to do' list' and 'I have to save my own ass'. This shows us that Shrek is quite a laid back character who is obviously not worried despite the fact there is an angry, fire-breathing dragon hot on their heels.
In contrast to Shrek, Lord Farquaad is cruel. He watches the torture of the Gingerbread Man, taunting him 'run, run, run as fast as you can'. This tells us that Lord Farquaad is an evil character, mean and his blackmailing tells us he is a manipulative character. Lord Farquaad threatens to pull off the Gingerbread Mans gum drop buttons. He also throws him in the bin.
Lord Farquaad is clearly the evil character of the story and this is evident right from the start. He is the Prince and so his role combats the original fairytale format as he is the bad character. Lord Farquaad is a mean, manipulative and nasty character who enjoys others suffering.
When a director is making a film it is important that they use a variety of camera angles to create certain effects. At the beginning of the film, Shrek scares the storybook characters away. The use of close up camera angles enhances its desired effect. In this case there is a close up shot of Shrek's mouth to enhance the fact that Shrek is trying to be menacing at this particular point.
Close up shots are also useful for focusing the viewer's attention on the character's emotions. There is a use of this when Princess Fiona and Shrek are smiling at each other. This is used here to make us believe that Shrek and Princess Fiona are romantically drawn to each other.
Tension is created when Lord Farquaad is introduced. Instead of focusing on his face the camera shows him pulling on his gloves and his boots when he is marching to see the Gingerbread Man. This increases tension as extreme close ups are used.
When Shrek visits Lord Farquaad's castle the camera moves from ground level upwards to reveal his tower. This is called a high angle shot. It is useful because it makes Lord Farquaad seem a powerful, imposing ruler. Shrek and Donkey appear minute and unimportant in comparison.
Low angle shots are effectively used because they show Lord Farquaad looking down on Shrek and Donkey.
Mid - angle shots are used when Shrek and Donkey are relaxing together, and when Shrek has cooked Princess Fiona a meal. These shots show both of the characters at the same time and have the effect of unity, sometimes intimacy and it shows both the characters are on the same level. It shows they have something in common and are friends at this moment in time
Sometimes a characters back is shown rather than their face. This is used to suggest isolation from other characters. For example when Shrek overhears Donkey and Princess Fiona's conversation he thinks she is talking about him. We see his back and there is also a shot of the moon, this is to symbolise isolation and loneliness from Donkey and Princess Fiona and also indicates a depressed mood from Shrek.
When we first meet Shrek, it is obvious that he us supposed to look like an ogre because he is large, green, dirty with dirty teeth and alien like ears. He lives in a swamp and bathes in mud and swamp live sewage. He does lot's of disgusting things like using the wax from his ear as a candle and eats bugs and rats etc...
Lord Farquaad seems like a typical Lord. He is dresses in typical, traditional Lord or Prince like attire. His home is trying to achieve perfection. We learn this is his goal as we see the introduction scene of Duloc with the model children are singing 'Duloc is a perfect place...'.His castle is very neat, tidy and symmetrical. He even has prompt signs for audiences with things like 'laugh' or 'applause' written on them so he has a perfect audience and a perfect performance. Lord Farquaad is keen to marry a Princess so his perfect Kingdom is really technically a Kingdom. As he is only currently a Lord he needs to be a King to have a Kingdom therefore he needs to marry a Princess.
Lighting is also used to persuade the viewer to think of a character in a certain way. When Princess Fiona leaves Shrek, Shrek sits with his back to the camera and stares at the moon. At this point darkness is used. This is supposed to reflect Shrek's emotional state at this point. He is feeling lonely and his isolation is emphasised by him having his back to the camera. The blackness of the night makes Shrek stand out which again makes him appear very alone. The moon also is symbolic as it stands out alone in the night sky which makes it seem lonely just like Shrek.
The images of light are used thoughtfully too. Shrek and Princess Fiona are often pictured walking through the meadows on a sunny day with sunlight streaming in through the trees, giving a beautiful dappled affect on the ground and birds are chirping happily and everything is content and joyful. This is used to reflect how both Shrek and Princess Fiona are feeling for each other at this point. They are happy and content when they are together and this is reflected in their surroundings. This tells us that this is a good moment in the story and the bright, airy images of light reflect this.
At the end of the film the film uses brilliant, bright, dazzling light. This suggests that the film has ended happily and shows goodness and a typical magical fairytale ending.
When we first meet Lord Farquaad, and the hooded figure, there is marching music. This music is intimidating and imposing on the audience. It creates a tense atmosphere and tells us we are about to meet the evil character of the fairytale. It suggests that Lord Farquaad is either going into a tense situation or even into battle. Either way we are tense and expectant of a big important moment of the story. When Shrek enters Lord Farquaad's arena, there is loud organ music. This suggests the importance of Shrek's tournament and the importance of the Lord Farquaad. It makes us notice the importance of Shrek's arrival so we know it is significant. It also gives us a feel for the battle that is to become between the two most influential characters of the story. This is Shrek and Lord Farquaad's first meeting so it is trying to create a feeling of tension amongst the viewers.
When Shrek overhears the conversation between Donkey and Princess Fiona, he misinterprets the conversation. At this moment, the music is slow. This suggests sadness and Shrek's own unhappiness and music really gets across to the audience how the characters are feeling and portrays the emotions felt so we can understand more and feel more involved in the story like we are really there. There is a song about broken dreams and promises at this point. This is to reflect how Shrek is feeling and even Donkey and the Dragon are crying. It portrays Shrek's unhappiness and his sad emotions about the situation. The fact that the song talks about broken things makes us feel like Shrek's happiness and faith in Princess Fiona and Donkey has been broken. Just as he was starting to make friends and put trust in others he thinks they have broken his trust by talking about him behind his back. The effect of having Donkey and the Dragon crying is to symbolise the emotions and the atmosphere between the characters. Donkey feels like he has lost his only friend and Shrek feels like he has lost faith in everybody he trusted in the past.
Donkey is an important character in the film, as he helps us to understand the character of Shrek. When Donkey refuses to listen to Shrek, ignores the 'Beware of the ogre' sign, and follows him back to the swamp. This shows us Shrek and Donkey need each other, Donkey follows Shrek which gives us the impression that Donkey wants Shrek and himself to be friends again and as Shrek doesn't kick him out straight away it tells us that Shrek feels the same. Shrek is a much stronger character with the influence of Donkey as Donkey can portray Shrek's thoughts and feelings in a less subtle way so it's more obvious to the viewers what Shrek's feeling at a point in the story. Donkey also has the ability to turn even a potentially tense or serious event into a comical one. The tournament which Shrek takes part in is an example of this. He makes witty remarks and encourages Shrek. He also has comical moments of his own for example when he rolls barrels into knights and also when Shrek is in the boxing ring he impersonates someone from WWF and flattens a knight. This shows us Shrek's powers to be a real ogre aren't really that convincing as when he is trying to be intimidating either people cannot take him seriously or he cannot take himself seriously. Shrek's relationship with Donkey is a close one though it took a bit of convincing on Shrek's part. Donkey has a knack of portraying the feelings and thoughts of Shrek which would have otherwise gone unsaid which helps the viewers understand Shrek a bit more. Donkey also acts as Shrek's advisor and listens to him when Shrek is having difficulties and helps him solve them. Donkey makes us believe that Shrek is not a typical man eating ogre because he is not scared of Shrek. He shows this by refusing to follow Shrek's advice to leave him alone and also when Shrek is trying to be imposing he makes in more of a comical moment and continues to persist with annoying Shrek.
The story of Shrek uses presentational devices to reverse our expectations, so that by the end of the film instead of the viewers disliking Shrek thinking he was an evil ogre they want Shrek to marry Princess Fiona. Instead of the viewers thinking Lord Farquaad was a charming, good character the know he is really an evil, manipulative character who will go to any lengths to get what he wants and the viewers do not want him to marry Princess Fiona.
Perhaps the message of the story is that you can't judge a book by its cover.
Different camera angles are used for a variety of reasons but mainly to shown emotion felt by a character or between characters or to show importance of something by making the viewers focus their attention on it or to make something look imposing compared to something made to look vulnerable.
The settings in the film are not traditional die to a variety of presentational devices which is a contrast to the conventional fairytale. The main settings are Shrek's swamp and Lord Farquaad's castle. Shrek's swamp seems at first a traditional fairytale swamp and home of an ogre. However Donkey and other creatures follow Shrek into it and Donkey even attempts to set up home there. This tells us that the characters do not fear the place so it's not as unwelcoming as it would be in a conventional fairytale. Lord Farquaad's castle and Duloc are not the traditional old castles and old village but modern places. It has modern references such as when Shrek and Donkey first arrive at Duloc it has a car park with sections saying 'You are parked in Lancelot' etc... and it has a fee for entering and is set out like a theme park or a supermarket before you enter. Also you expect the castle to be full of friendliness and good people but instead you have evil characters who torture the gingerbread man, the evil characters like the hooded figure. Also Lord Farquaad makes a spectacle of trying to defeat Shrek in his courtyard. It is a place of violence and secrecy and not something you would expect in a conventional fairytale as it should be a place of splendour.
Lighting in the film is used to portray the atmosphere and feelings of the characters and their surroundings. For example when the Princess leaves Shrek at dusk, he feels alone. His isolation is emphasised by him sitting away from the fire with his back to the camera. He is staring into the black of the night, looking at the moon which symbolises his loneliness. Also after Shrek has met the princess, he is often pictured by the sunset. Shrek and the Princess walk together through the woods on a sunny day with birds chirping and the Princess singing to get across their happiness and contentment. At the end of the film they use brilliant light which suggests goodness and that there has been a magical fairytale ending.
The film makers use music and sound affects to create atmosphere and the tension of a particular scene. It also tells us that something significant is about to happen. For example when we first meet Lord Farquaad and the hooded figure, there is marching music. This helps to build up the tension and suggests that Lord Farquaad is about to go into battle. When Shrek enters the arena, there is organ music being played. This suggests the importance of Shrek's tournament, the importance of the Lord and the enormity of the two most important characters in the story meeting for the first time. Shrek misinterprets the conversation that he hears between Donkey and Princess Fiona. Slow music is used here to reflect his unhappiness and helps the viewers imagine how Shrek is feeling at this particular point of the story. Also when Shrek goes home there is a song about broken dreams and promises. Even Donkey and the Dragon are crying and this reflects how they are feeling in the story.
The Donkey is an important character in the story because he shows us that Shrek isn't as imposing as he first appears and Donkey also gets across to the viewers thoughts and feelings of Shrek which aren't easily felt if it was just Shrek himself. Donkey is a very persistent character and although he is irritating to Shrek they are also very good friends. At the beginning when Shrek and Donkey first meet Shrek is trying to get rid of Donkey but Donkey persists and follows Shrek back to the swamp, ignoring the 'Beware of ogre' sign. He refuses to heed Shrek's advice to leave him alone and though Shrek takes a bit of convincing they soon become firm friends. Donkey is also a very comical character in the story. In a tense situation he has the ability to lighten the atmosphere. For example at the tournament he rolls barrels onto knights and makes the scene funny. When Donkey returns after finding flowers, he looks at Shrek and Princess smiling at each other and says 'My isn't this romantic.' He may have stated the obvious but it was the push that was needed to make the Princess and Shrek come to terms with their feelings for each other. Donkey has one other important role to play, he acts as Shrek's advisor. When Shrek is having difficulties he gives Shrek advice and Shrek listens to him.
Conclusion
The makers of Shrek reverse the traditional fairytale role using a variety of presentational devices which help to transform the story into a completely unique fairytale. This film's brilliance is not just because of the unique characters alone, but also the way the film makers influence the viewers using presentational devices such as the settings, the lighting, the music and the sound affects. The settings provide the viewers with a traditional appearance but soon it is obvious that they are not as clear cut as originally thought. The swamp which should be a dangerous, forbidding place is not as unwelcoming as it should be as the storybook characters follow Shrek into it quite willingly. Lord Farquaad's castle is also not as traditional as it would be in an orthodox fairytale story. It has a very modern image and is the setting for torture, violence and secrecy instead of being a place of splendour and grace.
The use of lighting, music and sound affects helps to set the atmosphere of the particular scene and helps the audience get to grips with the idea of a subverted fairytale.
The reversal of a fairytale is a very bold move by Dreamworks who defy the usual animation skills and traditional role of the characters and storylines to create a totally unique and distinctive piece of animation to be the start of hopefully more to come. A subverted fairytale certainly provides original and interesting viewing!