Princess Fiona: Her Own Heroine

Shrek is a film saga that began in 2001. The first film was titled with the saga of the same name. Created by Dreamworks Animation and based on the book by William Steig, Shrek  was a worldwide success. The Princess Fiona is one of the stars of this emblematic and beloved saga. An example of dedication and courage, and an unconventional heroine.

Currently the Sherk animated series consists of 4 feature films: Shrek (2001), Shrek 2 (2004), Shrek the Third (2007) and Shrek and they lived happily ever after (2010). Special variations were also produced at Christmas time and, of course, the famous film Puss in Boots .

Shrek’s character initially appears as a grumpy and ill-tempered ogre who lives alone in the swamp. One day the king decides to transfer all the fairy tale characters to his swamp. It is then that the ogre is forced to embark on a journey to save Princess Fiona . His travel companion on this adventure is Donkey, a chatty mule.

A somewhat unusual princess

Princess Fiona is a beautiful young woman locked up in a tower protected by a terrible dragon. No one knows why her parents decided to exile her, from childhood, to this distant tower. According to legend, only a brave knight on the back of a noble steed can save her.

However, Fiona hides a terrible secret, she is the victim of a spell: every night she transforms into an ogress and at dawn she becomes human again. As in many fairy tales, this spell can only be broken by the kiss of true love. For this reason she is disappointed when she sees Shrek and Donkey come to the tower to save her. After all, Shrek is a really ugly ogre.

Despite looking so different, Shrek and Fiona have a lot in common. Over time, Fiona realizes that Shrek is her true love and decides to go live in the swamp with the ogre of her life.

In the second feature, the creators explore this dichotomy between the lives of Fiona and Shrek. While Fiona grew up in wealth, Shrek never knew luxury.

Even though the films focus on Shrek, it’s important to understand that Fiona is an incredibly brave woman. He continually decides which direction to take in his life. For example, she refuses to marry Prince Charming or Lord Farquaad. He also decides to live in the swamp, despite the fact that he could live in a castle. He renounces many privileges to prioritize his happiness and independence.

Princess Fiona in Shrek and they lived happily ever after

Perhaps the film in which Princess Fiona is more than ever in control of her own destiny is  Shrek and they lived happily ever after. Shrek is a novice father. Tired of the routine, he changes the past with a spell.

In this new reality, Shrek was never born and, of course, he could never save Princess Fiona. Desperate, Shrek searches for her and finds her in the middle of the woods. Fiona, however, is not the first-time damsel in distress. He is now the leader of a group of orcs rebelling against the evil King Rumple.

Despite the spell that plagues her, Fiona has managed to overcome her limits. She freed herself from the Dragon and escaped from the tower. In addition, she managed to assemble a huge group of orcs to overthrow the king. She didn’t need a knight in shining armor to change her fate: she saved herself with her own strength.

Does being an independent woman mean being a loveless woman?

Despite all her exploits, Princess Fiona is still a victim of the curse. Only the kiss of true love can break the spell, but in this parallel reality, Fiona doesn’t fall in love with anyone. In her effort to be independent, she denies herself love.

Many women today think that love is a limit.  They think it will limit their freedom and independence. However, loving and being loved is not a limiting factor, they make two people a team and teamwork, you know, brings many benefits.

Become your own heroine

Women must have the courage to push their limits. Just like Princess Fiona, they cannot hope to be saved by a prince. Every woman can be her own heroine.

At the same time, every woman should understand that love doesn’t make her any less courageous or independent. The emotional bonds make us stronger, because they offer us the help of another person to reach our goals.