<Last Name> 1 Student’s Name Instructor’s Name Course Name/Code 18th October 2021 Fairy Tales In fairy tales, whether female adversaries are depicted positively or negatively, their roles are essential, if not critical, to the heroes' growth. Fae, ogres, wicked queens, and evil witches, stepmoms, and even stepsisters are all examples of female antagonists. In most cases, these characters are either good or evil, light or dark, although it is frequently recognized that there isn't much of a mixture between the two groups in which an adversary fits in between the two categories. I'll discuss the many kinds of female antagonists seen in fairy tales and their thematic functions in this paper. People's cultures and worldviews are frequently reflected in stories. Men are portrayed as superior in many fairytales. The gender roles that men and women assume in these tales significantly impact how children see themselves and the rest of the world. Women are often depicted as fairies or witches in fairy tales (Kalkaeva 35). Despite their differences, most of them possess magical abilities or skills. Unlike witches, fairies are lovely and kind, while witches are hideous and lonely. Fairy tales provide a unique place for the stereotypically evil female adversary. The female adversaries are often potent; they are not married and cannot have children due to their age. Occasionally, though, the adversary is a stunning woman whose jealousy often overshadows everything about her beauty. As long as humans have been making up tales, crone characters have been terrorizing young minds. However, why is it that the face of evil is so frequently shown as an older woman? <Last Name> 2 One reason is the prevalence of stereotypes. What have we got? Evil stepmothers and stepsisters, witches, cannibals, and ogres are some of the most well-known monsters. It's awful, to say the least. The Queen poisons Snow White to sleep for the rest of time, and the other characters are no better. Old woman villains are particularly dreadful because traditionally, the mother was the most influential person in the life of a kid. Children do have a way of dividing mother figures into two types: the evil mother, the one who imposes rules and regulations, polices your conduct, and the gentle nurturer, who ensures your survival. There's widespread mistrust of women in positions of authority in fairytales. Older women are demonized because of their perceived strength and wickedness. They are of little service to men as child-bearers, and men may see them as a danger due to their experience and inability to be fooled. This is a typical Western cultural stereotype of women as stupid, petty, envious, and untrustworthy, only worth anything if they are attractive and docile. Older ladies — and in most fairy tales, the villain is an older figure — fight the younger heroine to preserve whatever they value since neither of them has a lot of influence in the broader society (Xiaoyi 273). The wicked Queen in Snow White is aging and therefore losing her only source of power: her appearance. There is a lot of credit to be given to the Brothers Grimm for all of this. In addition to early versions of well-known stories like Cinderella, Snow White, Rapunzel, and Hansel & Gretel, the brothers created scores of other fairy tales, many of which are still popular today. There was a lot of bloodshed in the original Grimm Brothers' fairy tales; however, the brothers subsequently altered and sanitized the stories to make them more acceptable for German youngsters of the 19th century. When it came to gender equality, early German peasant versions of fairy tales were far more empowering for female characters than the canonical versions. However, the Brothers <Last Name> 3 Grimm changed this by incorporating misogynist elements from these earlier versions into their revisions, even though they claimed to be sanitizing the stories for children in doing so. As a result of these fairy tale characters, children may use their bad feelings toward their moms to focus their rage onto "wicked stepmothers" and other evil imaginary characters. The duality of good and evil is a recurring motif in the fantastical world of possibilities. The goal, according to legend, is to inculcate in youngsters the idea that virtue always triumphs over evil. In every story, there's a bad guy to take down and punish. That's also what motivates social justice activism: the conviction that justice will be served in the end (Xiaoyi 273). Furthermore, children should be made aware of the existence of evil in the actual world. Women are often depicted as wicked witches or harsh stepmothers; in some cases, they are portrayed as both. For instance, consider the wicked stepmother cliché. Cinderella and Snow White's wicked stepmothers are well-known in the West. The stepmother is described as a vicious lady who only cares about her stepchildren's well-being and even death in all tales. Another standard fairytale bad guy is a witch or ogre, who may serve as the story's evil stepmother. After cleverly manipulating the father's wits, this witch or ogress becomes the father's second bride. Only after that does she reveal her true colors. This portrayal of a stepmother as a cold-blooded monster has repercussions even today. This is a persistent societal illusion that must be debunked to go forward. Even before she has an opportunity to earn over the trust of her stepchild, the myth of the evil stepmother immediately portrays the father's second wife as a cold and cruel monster. Even when we concentrate on the qualities ascribed to this manifestation of evil, the villain as the feminine landscape becomes even more problematic (McKinnell 198). If she's human and not a witch or an ogre, she's usually impoverished. And she's always going to be ugly, even if she's good at hiding it. Gender <Last Name> 4 prejudice, seeing poverty as a bad thing, and associating ugly with wickedness are all things children should not be taught or believe in. While some fairy tales deal more immediately and directly with morality than others, almost every fairy tale includes a character that represents evil in some way, whether it's complete or to varying degrees. It's a constant struggle for the virtuous girl: how should she deal with evil when it has inescapable social connections to or crosses her path? These evil characters obstruct the progress of fairy tale heroes and heroines. The good characters must defeat the sinister forces surrounding them to go ahead (McKinnell 201). It's difficult for the protagonist, the young girl, or the reader to summon the strength to stand up to evil. The narrative, on the other hand, offers possible remedies to the issue. Inexperienced and uncertain minds may rest easy knowing that the almighty force that can heal will triumph over the power that destroys. In fairy tales, evil is always vanquished and punished, which is utopian. However, in children's literature, the hero's victory is a critical element in the development of the young reader. It gives children confidence and satisfaction when their favorite heroes vanquish the forces of evil and restore peace to the world. The artificial environment in fairy tales contributes to the characters' overly optimistic outlook. The Evil Queen is a significant character in the Snow White fairy tale by Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm. There are many examples of how acting on one's narcissism, manipulation, or cold-heartedness can bring to one's demise in the narrative because of it. Early in the tale, the Queen's bad traits, particularly her utter narcissism, are revealed, making her the primary adversary in Snow White. Because of her attractiveness and swagger early in the tale, the Queen lived on the admiration of people around her. Her looks were so alluring that she appeared to be able to get away with anything since all men seemed to be "enchanted" by her (Grimms 76). <Last Name> 5 However, when she is forced to choose between these creature comforts, her real personality reveals her narcissistic tendencies. Because Snow White is both the story's main heroine and the Queen's stepdaughter, legend has claimed that she is the most beautiful lady in all of the realm. Her narcissism is displayed when she suggests having herself "murdered" to address the issue (Grimms 78). Although Snow White has done nothing to anger her stepmother, The Queen orders a huntsman to kill Snow White. From here on out, we know how far she will go to achieve her egotistical goal of becoming the most attractive lady in town. Even more narcissistic traits emerge when the scheme goes wrong, and she cries, "I need her heart! This is the first time you've let me down." Her choice of words and outbursts demonstrate just how angry she is. The Queen often attempts to murder her stepdaughter but fails, leading to her ultimate out-of-control spiral. This fairy tale's primary lesson is that narcissism and vanity are dangerous character flaws to possess and that acting on them may have terrible consequences. The Queen may also be described as manipulative because of her actions and word choices throughout the tale. An honest person is considered compassionate and unselfish, yet The Queen lacks not just these characteristics but also all of the other good traits we look for in a person. Because she tends to make self-centered choices, she doesn't learn from her errors. Irresponsible and selfish, she resorted to murder to regain her position as the world's most beautiful woman. In addition, the Queen has a history of deceiving people with her falsehoods and charm. Once she does meet the king of the realms, they fall in love at first sight, and he "forget for the first time his wounded heart" and becomes his wife the very next day (Grimms 75). You can see she takes advantage of the people around her to further her own goals. However, the worst part is that the Queen even coerces a huntsman into performing her dirty deed by promising an empty promise: "bring back the girl, and I will bring your wife back" <Last Name> 6 (Grimms 79). When she gives false hope to the bereaved huntsman, she shows how ruthless she is and how willing she is to go to any lengths to get what she wants. The Queen's narcissism and manipulation identify her as the primary adversary in Snow White and convey the tale's lesson that such traits are harmful. Finally, the Queen is shown in Snow White as being cold-hearted since she displays no regret for her heinous deeds. We've already established that the Queen uses her numerous falsehoods and allure to sway people around her into making bad choices, but she never seems to learn from her mistakes. She arranges the murder of her stepdaughter and then goes on a murderous rampage, wreaking devastation on everyone and everything in her path. Normally, the Queen's response to her errors would be one of tremendous remorse. However, as she shouts, "I will never stop," her acts get worse, and she becomes nearly monstrous. The fact that she cannot alter before her doom proves she is a static character throughout the novel. The Queen has a significant role in the fairy tale since she's a shining example of how not to behave. Because of this, the viewer can see that her scandalous choices have negative consequences that would ultimately exceed any positive ones. Using Snow White as an example, narcissism and manipulation lead to downfall for the Queen in the fairy tale. This illustrates the lesson of the narrative, which is that jealousy and desire may be deadly if they are acted upon. <Last Name> 7 Works Cited Grimm, Jacob, and Grimm, Wilhelm. “Snow White.” The Classic Fairy Tales: Texts, Criticism, edited by Maria Tatar, Norton Critical Edition, W. W. Norton, New York, 1999, pp. 7496. Kalkaeva, Anna. "Witches In Fairy Tales From The Brothers Grimm Collection «Kinderund Hausmärchen»: Attributes And Functions". Herald Of Culturology, no. 2, 2021, pp. 3251. INION RAS, https://doi.org/10.31249/hoc/2021.02.02. McKinnell, Liz. "The Ethics Of Enchantment: The Role Of Folk Tales And Fairy Tales In The Ethical Imagination". Philosophy And literature, vol 43, no. 1, 2019, pp. 192209. Project Muse, https://doi.org/10.1353/phl.2019.0011. Xiaoyi, Li. "How Fairy Tales Educate And Civilize Us: Ethical Literary Criticism On Fairy Tales". Interlitteraria, vol 22, no. 2, 2018, p. 273. University Of Tartu, https://doi.org/10.12697/il.2017.22.2.6.
