In medieval times women who were ‘bad’ were viewed as snakes, treacherous vile manipulative things, and witches were even worse. She is vain and yearns for youth and beauty and is a manipulative witch. In a contrast to this Mother Gothel is portrayed as all the bad points in the female stereotype. This sun motif portrays her ongoing spirit, optimism and inner beauty. Rapunzel is also represented by the sun, the ray of sunlight which created the flower, which Rapunzel is now the embodiment of, and also the sun which is the symbol of her kingdom. The use of both a frying pan and her hair, a symbol of femininity, as weapons which best those used by the finest guardsfolk in the kingdom definitely shows that female power is being emphasised in this text. Rapunzel’s weapon of choice is ironic if the feminist point of view is taken, as a frying pan is a quintessential kitchen implement, yet it is used here as a highly praised weapon.
This in itself is enough to make her more than a dreary trapped princess, however it is later when she finds herself threatened that Rapunzel shows her true bravery and spirit. Some of the initial traits one notices in Rapunzel is that she is: optimistic, determined, resourceful, has amazing skills with her hair, is competent in a wide range of activities, is creative and artistic and is intelligent. The hair is magical and cannot be cut, however the nature of the magic itself is pure and comes from a ray of sunshine, it has the power to heal and to keep things young – this idea of purity and youth can be directly linked to the original contextual concept of virginity.Īs far as the damsel in distress trope goes, Rapunzel in Tangled does not fit it at all. The element of hair in the original story possibly being a symbol of chasitity can still be seen in Tangled. This back story overall works nicely and makes the fairy tale more acceptable for its designated audience. The pregnant mother needing a plant is included however instead of craving lettuce, she is desperately sick and needs a magic golden flower.
Instead of pregnancy cravings, selfish parents and a girl on the verge of puberty being trapped in a tower we have a magic golden flower, a vain villain who wants to be forever young and a kidnapped princess with golden hair that can help the villain remain youthful.
Tangled is a Disney film made for a family audience and for children, so it is not particularly surprising that a back story was designed for the tale to remove the idea of female sexuality as a plot driver.
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