Although we can debate all day aboutwhichShrekmovie is the best, the answer isShrek 2.Shrek 2was a pop-cultural phenomenon that continues to be talked about as one of the best movies DreamWorks has ever come out with. It might be the soundtrack for the record books or the entertaining plot that is one hell of a step up from the first movie. There are scenes andmusical moments from this moviethat are cemented into our brains. “Accidentally In Love?” “I Need a Hero?” This movie is incredible.
Well, there might be a little something that could spark some debate. Who is the villain in this movie? Although we see Prince Charming at the forefront of this conflict, he does not seem to be a villain in this movie. Is he a hero? No way! However, labeling him as a villain in this movie may be giving him too much credit as it is. Whether it be his incapability to act on his own fruition to the undeniable influence of the Fairy Godmother, here is why we do not think Prince Charming is really a villain inShrek 2.
Plot of Shrek 2
In what is probably one of the best sequels in cinematic history,Shrek 2surpassed every expectation and standard set by the first movie.Shrekwas already a massivesuccess for DreamWorksafter the first movie came out in 2001. However, when this masterpiece of a sequel came out, history was made. The sequel picks up pretty quickly after the conclusion of the first movie. Shrek and Fiona get married and the life of a married ogre couple is nothing but beautiful mud baths and picking out each other’s ear wax — romance at it’s peak.
In the firstShrekmovie, we have a pretty insufferable royal as our main villain in Lord Farquaad. So, why not have another one forShrek 2? Prince Charming emerges as the “ideal” candidate to be Fiona’s husband instead of Shrek. Well, let’s just say this little game of tug-o-war for Fiona’s hand will lead to some antics and severe manipulation on the part of the parental figures in this movie. We have Fiona’s father conspiring with Charming’s mother, the Fairy Godmother, to gain Fiona’s favor. However, looking back on this movie, Charming’s role in this film does not appear to be one of a villain, but perhaps a victim.
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Was Prince Charming a Threat?
Charming lacks one of the necessities of being a villain: He is not a real threat inShrek 2. First, let’s look at Prince Charming as a character. When we think about who could actually pose a threat to Shrek and Fiona’s marriage, it seems like Prince Charming is not the one to do it. He’s not a threatening character in the meat of this plot. In any movie, we look at the real villains as the ones who are driving the movie’s conflict. Charming is just an accessory to the plot the Fairy Godmother has to sell off her son to Princess Fiona. As a character, Charming is pretty weak, and there is nothing much that makes him stand out. He is also so easily influenced that the possibility of him being redeemable is there. Of all the “villains” in this movie, if you just take him away from his mother, you’re able to probably convince him to have a change of heart.
Product of His Environment
Charming, although definitely not a protagonist inShrek 2, is just a product of his environment. He, at his very core, is a mama’s boy! He is pretty much trained to do whatever his mother wants. Also, with the added influence of Fiona’s father as a voice of authority in this entire Godmother-Charming-King scheme, what motivation would Charming have to go against their wishes? Also, his mother is putting a lot of pressure on him to carry out her plan while he’s just there with little to no power of his own. Prince Charming exists purely to satisfy his mother’s wishes, not his own.
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A Puppet on Strings
Shrek 2is like an onion. There are so many layers to unpack, especially when we analyze Prince Charming as a “villain” in this movie. By this time, you have probably seen this movie, and it’s pretty obvious that the true villain, the real mastermind of everything that goes sideways, is not Charming, butthe Fairy Godmother. Charming was a pawn in Fairy Godmother’s scheme, so, more than he is an antagonist in this movie, he is ultimately a victim. She is the puppet master pulling all the strings, and he is basically forced to do as she wishes because of the parent-child dynamic. The Fairy Godmother is the villain inShrek 2, and she needs Charming. So, she manipulates him, raises him to be her little minion, and he just plays along because that is all he knows.
