Always the Princess, Never the Queen

Abstract

In recent adaptations of fairy tales, the roles women play seem to be changing; instead of sweet and passive, princesses become active and instead of purely evil, queens have more nuanced personalities. In this thesis, I look into this phenomenon by answering the question: How are the princess and queen stereotypes changing in contemporary movie adaptations of fairy tales? To answer this question, I analyzed six movies using the actantial model of Algirdas Greimas in combination with Susan Lanser’s concept of ‘discursive authority’. My research showed that the stereotype is not changing in all adaptations. While new animation adaptations do show a more nuanced and complex image of female authority figures, ‘live-action’ adaptations, aimed at an adult audience, show a more traditional, one-dimensional image.