The Representation of Rapunzel on Women's Role

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Do I need help anymore? Throughout most of history, women were seen as inferior to men. Men were viewed as more capable and smarter than women: men worked while women stayed at home; men were given control of the household and their wives, and men obtained education while women learned how to do household chores at home. Many of these inequalities were displayed in early literature, such as Andromeda and the Sea Monster and “Rapunzel”, where women, dubbed Damsels in Distress, either made unintelligent blunders or were captured by some evil or supreme force and put into a dire predicament. Since men were much more superior to women, they saved the Damsel in Distress from their asperity. The woman usually became entranced by their chivalric, valiant and benevolent characteristics and usually married them and lived happily ever after. However, these damsels evolved into ones that weren’t always in distress. The archetype of the Damsel in Distress remained relatively static throughout most of its history in the world. However, the gradual escalation of women’s rights and position in society during the late 19th, 20th and 21st centuries reflect the portrayal of the damsel in works of literature and film as a more prominent figure of importance, rather than the impotent and feeble character displayed in traditional literature. One of the most ancient examples of the Damsel in Distress, Andromeda and the Sea Monster, is unlike the modern day depictions of the archetype in Clash of the Titans, and Wrath of the Titans. Andromeda and the Sea Monster was written by the ancient Greeks, and sets a precedent of what the Damsel in Distress is. Andromeda’s mother, the queen of Aethiopia, boasted that Andromeda was more beautiful than the daugh... ... middle of paper ... ... Works Cited Ashliman, D. L. "Rapunzel." Rapunzel. N.p., 20 Jan. 2012. Web. 23 Mar. 2014. . Atsma, Aaron J. "PERSEUS 2 : Hero of Greek Mythology." EPISODE 4 : ANDROMEDA & THE SEA MONSTER. Theoi Project, 2011. Web. 23 Mar. 2014. . "Clash of the Titans Quotes." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2014. . Koeller, David W. "Aristotle." : Politics. N.p., 2005. Web. 23 Mar. 2014. . Tangled Quotes. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2014. . "Wrath of the Titans Quotes." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2014. .

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