Who Is Princess Fiona?

In the first Shrek movie, Princess Fiona was just another character in the story – albeit an important one.

Cameron Diaz provided the voice talent and the ‘human’ Princess Fiona was modelled loosely on her looks as well.

But apart from discovering that she was more than capable of defending herself, karate-style, from attackers, we learned little of the woman behind the ogress.

Shrek and Donkey discovered for themselves that Princess Fiona could be enigmatic, frustrating and downright irritating when the mood took her but we, as movie-goers, knew that she hid a dark secret that she felt compelled to hide from the world at all costs.

However, following on from the success of the original film, over the following movie outings, Fiona’s character and back story has been fleshed out to make her just as real as any other character in a film or book – maybe even more so.
And the musical stage show had revealed even more about Fiona, including that she was sent to the tower when she was just aged seven and remained there with her dolls for thirteen years before Shrek lumbered into her world to rescue her.

Since then, we have become very familiar with the not-so-straightforward love story that binds Shrek and Fiona so closely together.

Donkey and Dragon, of course, live out their own love story alongside the main characters but Fiona’s ability to match Shrek when it comes to the ogre traits of breaking wind, burping and other un-ladylike habits make an amusing contrast to her more princess-like attitudes to fairytale romance, love, rescue (on her terms and to the exacting expectations she has nurtured during the long years of her imprisonment!)

To say that Princess Fiona is an enigma is a gross understatement but therein lies her appeal.

Just like many women, she is a complex, sensitive yet strong individual but one who dreams of being swept off her feet by her handsome prince and living happily ever after.

However, her story cannot be the fairytale she envisages – if not only because she is an ogress! The irony shared with those of us watching her story unfold is, of course, the fact that a real ogre – Shrek – falls in love with her human form but believes that his love cannot be declared as ‘human’ Fiona is bound to find him repulsive and frightening.

Fiona does indeed have her fairytale ending – even if the details are far from what she imagined they might be. Her protective, hard exterior is just a protection from being hurt, should her dark secret become public knowledge but once that carapace has been broken down, Fiona reveals her sensitive, vulnerability and her truly loving nature.

Now, who could ask for a more Happily Ever After Ending than that?

More Princess Fiona information can be found here: Princess Fiona Costume

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