The Shrek franchise has become well-known by almost everyone. Originated as a book, Shrek was made into a movie in 2001 (1), followed by Shrek 2 in 2004 (2), Shrek the Third in 2007 (3), and a few more after that. The films were created through DreamWorks Animation and have become popular with children. I personally remember watching Shrek as a child even though I had no idea what was actually happening in the movie. All three movies allude to famous characters in the literary world: Prince Charming, Snow White, Three Blind Mice, Pinocchio, Captain Hook, Peter Pan, etc.. Along with these characters, all three movies have some form of medievalism included, starting with a few references in Shrek and Shrek 2 and ending with quite a few references in Shrek the Third.
Shrek
In the first movie, Shrek goes on a quest to rescue Princess Fiona. The clip above shows the scene where Lord Farquaad informs Shrek of the quest he will go on. He is supposed to rescue her and take her to Lord Farquaad in exchange for privacy within his swamp. In medieval literature, it is commonly known that knights go on quests. This is a subtle reference to the medieval world but still an important one. Shrek embarks on the quest, falls in love with the princess, and struggles to figure out his emotions. He views himself as a big, scary, ugly ogre that is unlovable. The quest he goes on changes the way he views himself. There is another small reference to not only medieval literature, but King Arthur's court as well. Before Shrek embarks on his quest, he travels to Lord Farquaad's kingdom to try and get his swamp's privacy back. He and his sidekick Donkey are at the entrance to the kingdom and are standing on Camelot Street. Camelot in medieval literature is where King Arthur and his court reside, so having the street named Camelot is an allusion to it. Although these are minor references to the medieval world, their presence in the film draws a connection between the two.
Shrek 2
(6)
In the second movie, Shrek has married Fiona. They are requested to come to the Kingdom of Far Far Away so Fiona's parents can meet her new husband. Little do they know, Fiona and Shrek are ogres. While they are in Far Far Away, there are a few references to medieval literature. As in the first movie, Shrek and Donkey go on a quest to find Fairy Godmother. Shrek wants to find a potion that will change him and Fiona as he believes she is unhappy in her life as an ogre. They go on their quest with another sidekick, Puss in Boots, and end up causing mayhem in her potion factory. Before the trio embark on this quest, Fairy Godmother has a chat with Fiona's father, King Harold, about their plan that has failed. Fiona was destined to marry her son, Prince Charming, instead of Shrek. Because the conversation between Fairy Godmother and King Harold does not end well, they end up going to a restaurant called Friar's Fat Boy. Fairy Godmother claims that King Harold is making her so upset she is ruining her diet. The slight reference to friar's is easy to miss if you are not paying attention, but still referring to the medieval world all the same.
Shrek the Third
(7)
The third movie in the franchise has the most references to medieval literature. King Harold is sick and dying, and he plans to have Shrek take over his kingdom. Shrek does not want to be king, so he asks King Harold if there are any heirs to the throne. Only one remains: Arthur Pendragon. Shrek, Donkey, and Puss in Boots travel to the Medieval High School to fetch Arthur, "Artie," to bring him back to Far Far Away to be king. When they arrive at the Medieval High School, Shrek thinks the student jousting other students is Arthur, but instead he is Lancelot. The idea of jousting comes from medieval literature as well as Lancelot being one of the best knights for jousting. Shrek the Third's reference to jousting is a common occurrence in medieval literature, as well as the inclusion of Lancelot. There is another major reference: the presence of Merlin. In the movie, Merlin was the high school's magic teacher who now resides in the forest. Unlike Merlin from the medieval world, Merlin in the movie is rusty with his magic and kind of loony. The inclusion of Merlin, especially because he helps Arthur, alludes to their history in the medieval world. The clip below is a scene from the movie where Merlin performs a spell. At the end of the movie, Artie uses his wisdom, wit, and words to save Shrek from being killed by Prince Charming. This convinces the kingdom to make Arthur their new king. Even though the Shrek films add satire to the medieval world, everything is based off information retained from literature. DreamWorks Animation incorporated these small details into their films, and anyone who knows anything about medieval literature can catch them.
Works Cited
(1) Shrek. Directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, DreamWorks Animation, 2001.
(2) Shrek 2. Directed by Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury, and Conrad Vernon, DreamWorks Animation, 2004.
(3) Shrek the Third. Directed by Chris Miller, DreamWorks Animation, 2007.
(4) "Shrek 2 in Concert." FilmConcertsLive, 2023, www.filmconcertslive.com/movies/shrek2/.
(5) "Shrek Quest." YouTube, uploaded by TheBmanney1, 29 November 2011, www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKZWR2mnGqQ.
(6) K.I.M. "Not that I always wanted to try Friar's Fat Boy from Shrek 2." Twitter, 15 November 2020, www.twitter.com/ohshesakeeper/status/1327960810627362816.
(7) Google. "KING ARTHUR~ Shrek The Third 2007,"Pinterest, www.pinterest.com/pin/637611259720426892/.
(8) "Whammy Zammy." YouTube, uploaded by yetube, 11 May 2007, www.youtube.com/watch?v=JE0E688uSLw.
I was in a sense a little shocked to find that the first two movies didn't have very many medieval references as the third movie. When I was reading about the third movie there were so many references to King Arthur, Lancelot, Uther Pendragon, etc. I thought it was very interesting because I never watched the third, now I have to! Nice work!
I grew up watching these movies, yet I never actually picked up on how many Arthurian references there were in the franchise, especially the third movie. I was actually shocked to find out Arthur's last name was Pendragon since I hadn't remembered that, and when you lay it all out in the way you have the similarities are clear. You've honestly made me want to rewatch the series to find all these references! Amazing job
Shrek was a movie I only watched one or twice as a kid (very uncommon experience but he scared me when I was younger) so I never picked up on the medieval references. After reading your blog post, I can see just how prevalent the references are. I haven't seen the third movie but I think it's interesting that Shrek and the gang have to go and find a young "Artie", in class we haven't really touched on the characters when they were younger so this was a cool aspect for them to explore.
I really enjoyed your blog because I was obsessed with the Shrek movies when I was younger. Before this class the only things I really knew about the Arthurian world were based on the third Shrek movie. Hence, why I thought in the Arthurian world Merlin was somewhat of a joke, but based on the texts we've read in class I was obviously mistaken. Overall, I think you made lots of important connections between the Arthurian world and the Shrek franchise. I never realized half of the Arthurian elements you pointed out within your blog especially within the first Shrek movie. I never thought of how Shrek rescuing Fiona resembles a knight rescuing a damsel in distress. It is making me want to rewatch all of my childhood movies, and see what connections I can make to the Middle Ages.
I absolutely loved this Abby! We talked about it a bit on Tuesday and I found it so interesting that this type of movie franchise should have nothing to do with Arthurian literature but it does! my favorite movie has always been the 3rd one and I love how they all have subtle but at the same time prominent themes of medievalism. I think I said this to you in class., but Shrek really has everything haha! Very informative and you gave good movie summaries!
Hi Abby! I loved these movies growing up so to see it be analyzed for this assignment was a treat. I was aware of how many Arthurian literature references there were in the third movie, but I never stopped and considered (or noticed) how many, as little as they are, were in the first two as well. I love how much the Shrek franchise pulls from not just our well known fairytales but other works of literature as well, and you did an excellent job in reminding us of that. Now I'll always be able to point out the references if I ever give these movies another watch.
The Medieval World: Hermits, Monks, & Friars Hermits: During the Middle Ages, hermits were a group of people that withdrew from society. When people think of hermits, they may think of someone who is quiet or strange and has limited social skills. This assumption cannot be based on Medieval hermits since they did not withdraw from society for these reasons; they withdrew from society for religious reasons (5). Their religious beliefs are what made them stand out from others. They devoted their lives to praying and many people sought them out for wisdom (5). They enjoyed living in solitude and relying on nature to support their lifestyle. Hermits originated as men devoting their life to solitude but eventually gathered followers. Many hermits found their solitude in caves, forests, or mountains and practiced meditating to deepen their relationship with God (6). Although this may seem like a simple life, that was not always the case. Hermits had only nature to provide for them, whi
What is the Wheel of Fortune? Contrary to popular belief, the Wheel of Fortune is not just a game show featuring Vanna White and Pat Sajak. The idea of ever changing fate dates back thousands of years and has ties in Roman mythology. Who is Fortuna? In Roman mythology, Fortuna is the goddess of fortune, luck, and fate. She is often depicted with her wheel, known as Rota Fortunae (Wheel of Fortune). Fortuna holds a cornucopia and a ship's rudder, symbolizing the abundances of life and her ability to alter the lives of humans, respectively (4). She is often depicted as being larger than humans in order to put emphasis on her importance (2). Drawing of Fortuna The Wheel itself The idea of the wheel is simple. When someone is at the top of the wheel, their life is considered to be in its prime. One at the top of the wheel would be experiencing a life of luxury or royalty. They would have everything they could ever imagine. Subsequently, those on the bottom of the wheel would be in
I was in a sense a little shocked to find that the first two movies didn't have very many medieval references as the third movie. When I was reading about the third movie there were so many references to King Arthur, Lancelot, Uther Pendragon, etc. I thought it was very interesting because I never watched the third, now I have to! Nice work!
ReplyDeleteI grew up watching these movies, yet I never actually picked up on how many Arthurian references there were in the franchise, especially the third movie. I was actually shocked to find out Arthur's last name was Pendragon since I hadn't remembered that, and when you lay it all out in the way you have the similarities are clear. You've honestly made me want to rewatch the series to find all these references! Amazing job
ReplyDeleteShrek was a movie I only watched one or twice as a kid (very uncommon experience but he scared me when I was younger) so I never picked up on the medieval references. After reading your blog post, I can see just how prevalent the references are. I haven't seen the third movie but I think it's interesting that Shrek and the gang have to go and find a young "Artie", in class we haven't really touched on the characters when they were younger so this was a cool aspect for them to explore.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your blog because I was obsessed with the Shrek movies when I was younger. Before this class the only things I really knew about the Arthurian world were based on the third Shrek movie. Hence, why I thought in the Arthurian world Merlin was somewhat of a joke, but based on the texts we've read in class I was obviously mistaken. Overall, I think you made lots of important connections between the Arthurian world and the Shrek franchise. I never realized half of the Arthurian elements you pointed out within your blog especially within the first Shrek movie. I never thought of how Shrek rescuing Fiona resembles a knight rescuing a damsel in distress. It is making me want to rewatch all of my childhood movies, and see what connections I can make to the Middle Ages.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely loved this Abby! We talked about it a bit on Tuesday and I found it so interesting that this type of movie franchise should have nothing to do with Arthurian literature but it does! my favorite movie has always been the 3rd one and I love how they all have subtle but at the same time prominent themes of medievalism. I think I said this to you in class., but Shrek really has everything haha! Very informative and you gave good movie summaries!
ReplyDeleteHi Abby! I loved these movies growing up so to see it be analyzed for this assignment was a treat. I was aware of how many Arthurian literature references there were in the third movie, but I never stopped and considered (or noticed) how many, as little as they are, were in the first two as well. I love how much the Shrek franchise pulls from not just our well known fairytales but other works of literature as well, and you did an excellent job in reminding us of that. Now I'll always be able to point out the references if I ever give these movies another watch.
ReplyDelete