A cult classic in the childhoods of many, Shrek boils down to a classic binary opposition which is seen throughout many years of media: good vs evil.
The film subverts stereotypical representations of who is ‘good’ and ‘bad’ as it is in fact the Ogre who is our main protagonist/hero whilst it is the (three foot tall) Lord Farquaad who is the baddy. The whole film centers around the narrative plot of Shrek and his friends trying to win back the land that the fairytale creatures lost through Farquaad’s cruel uprising to power and his subsequent domination. To win back what was rightfully theirs, Shrek and the gang must go and ‘rescue’ princess Fiona per Farquaad's request but even she herself is not what she appears to be on the outside – and she certainly is no damsel in distress. Farquaad himself can certainly be symbolic of the society he stands for and represents.
We can analyze important themes and issues within the film such as the binary opposition of authenticity vs the high rising standards of a society. Shrek himself is represented as being shunned by society as he doesn’t appear to have similar mannerisms, attitudes and even looks to others around him. We can see this act of othering physically within the film as there are posters around the forest saying to ‘be ware Ogre’. Many humans are instantly afraid of him and see him as a destructive monster instead of another living being with emotions. This in turn, knocks his own views on himself as he isolates himself into his humble abode of the swamp and even at one point refers to himself as a ‘terrifying ogre’. It is only as the film progresses when Shrek shows a vulnerability, that we learn that just like onions...ogres have layers.
With the character of Princess Fiona, we can see an opposition of who we are on the inside vs who we present ourselves to be on the outside. Whilst Fiona is a princess on the outside, we some come to learn that she too is an ogre on the inside (talk about a shocker). We can see her constant struggle to choose between her true self or the version of herself who can be socially accepted within society.
(Just wanted to say a big thanks to my Nat for being such an inspiration with this post...i'm head ogre heals for you!)
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