Shrek
Shrek is a movie from Disney and Dream Works that ‘pokes fun’ at many well known fairy tales, despite the fact that it is a fairy tale, if an unconventional one. One of the main themes of the story is “Do not judge a book by its cover”, a lesson that is very common among fairy tales. This theme is developed through the characters Shrek, Fiona, and the Dragon.
Shrek is probably the most important example of the theme being developed through a character. In the beginning he lives alone in his swamp, seeming content. As the story progresses, he meets Donkey, who sees him as a friend, not a “big stupid ugly ogre.” This touches Shrek (though he refuses to admit it), and he reveals to Donkey that people, for obvious reasons, judge him before they even know him. In actuality, Shrek is a kind ogre that is quite lonely. Several scenes show Shrek eating big meals himself; a communion for one, as opposed to the idea that communion is meant to consist of friends and family. This emphasizes the idea that many people judge Shrek and refuse to even try becoming his friend.
Princess Fiona is yet another example of a character one should not be so quick to judge. At first Fiona gives off a ‘typical’ princess vibe. She complains that Shrek’s method of rescuing her is not at all fairy-tale-like. She is resistant to Shrek at first, seeing him as a brutish, selfish ogre. Further along in their quest back to her groom-to-be Lord Farquad, Fiona realizes she was harsh in her judgment of Shrek. She befriends the ogre, and later reveals that she is cursed to turn into an ogre when the sun sets. When she transforms, Fiona sees herself as an ugly monster and refuses to let anybody except Donkey see her that way. Shrek, at the last minute, accepts tae fact that he is in love with Fiona, even if she is a princess. At the end of the tale, Farquad sees Fiona as an ogre and orders her to be locked back in the tower she came from, calling her ugly. In the end Shrek ends up with...