Rapunzel: A Fairy Tale

A folktale is “a tale or legend originating and traditional among a people or folk, especially one forming part of the oral tradition of the common people” (Dictionary.com). The tale can and often begins with “Once upon a time” or “Long, long ago” and has a lesson or meaning behind each one. Each country often has its own set of folk tales, others share the same basic idea but change in some ways to fit their country and ways of life. The story of Rapunzel is one of these such folk tales. The original Grimm fairytale was written and published in 1812. The story was then changed over the years and in throughout different countries, each time keeping the same basic idea of a character wanting something that did not belong to them but taking …show more content…
In recent years, the story has been into animated movies geared more towards children. The movie “Tangled” produced Disney are based on the story of Rapunzel. In the film we find that the princess, due to no fault of her own, has been locked far away in a tower and needs a “prince” to come and save her. Being that the Grimm Brothers took part in writing, the plot for the movie, it follows the original tale of Rapunzel very closely. Rapunzel is locked in the tower and only Mother Gothel is the only one comes to see her. Flynn Rider is out in the forest and hears her singing one day and then goes on later to rescue her from the tower. While does not fall to the same fate as the original prince “beside himself with grief, and in his own agony he sprang from the tower; he escaped with life, but the thorns on which he fell up out his eyes” (Grimm 96), Flynn does become injured to the point of death. It is at this point that Rapunzel gives up her powers to save his life and they live happily ever after. The movie brings the tale to life for a whole new generation of children, and in my opinion, an even younger audience than the