Shrek: Reluctant Hero or Antihero?
/Queue up the Smash Mouth, it’s analyzing time!
image courtesy of imgur
I feel like we all know about Shrek, but just in case anyone has been living under a nice boulder, Shrek is a DreamWorks animated film released in 2001. The story revolves around Shrek, an ogre who basically just wants to live his life of solitude in his beloved swamp. Okay, with the background information sorted, let’s get on with this analysis.
When I mentioned to a friend my idea for this post of writing about why Shrek is an antihero, he argued that Shrek is better described as a reluctant hero. This led to a heated debate. So, with that in mind, I figured I could spin that debate into a post.
What is a Reluctant Hero?
Straight from what we can all agree is the greatest source of information – Wikipedia:
photo courtesy of den of geek
“A reluctant hero is a tarnished or ordinary man with several faults or a troubled past, and he is pulled reluctantly into the story, or into heroic acts. During the story, he rises to the occasion, sometimes even vanquishing a mighty foe, sometimes avenging a wrong. But he questions whether he’s cut out for the hero business. His doubts, misgivings and mistakes add a satisfying layer of tension to a story.”
An example of a reluctant hero (overlooking the word “man” in the above definition) would be Hiccup (How to Train Your Dragon).
What is an Antihero?
Again, from Wikipedia:
image courtesy of medium
“An antihero is a main character in a story who lacks conventional heroic qualities and attributes such as idealism, courage and morality. Although antiheroes may sometimes perform actions that are morally correct, it is not always for the right reasons, often acting primarily out of self-interest or in ways that defy conventional ethical codes.”
A widely agreed upon example of an antihero would be Marvel’s Deadpool.
So, Which One is Shrek?
I’m sticking to my guns here and maintaining that Shrek is an antihero. Why? I’m glad you asked.
image courtesy of empire
Let’s look at what a hero is (this definition I’ll make up): a hero is someone who acts courageously in the face of adversity. They possess a strong moral code and aim to right any wrongs by acting selflessly for the interest of others. We’re talking about someone like Captain America.
Since “anti” means the opposite, I’m looking for the opposite of a hero. This person may have courage, but not necessarily for the right reasons. They are typically acting “heroically” purely out of self-interest. And ding, ding, ding! There it is – my major argument about why Shrek is an antihero.
Shrek isn’t saving the princess for her own good to get her out of that tower and away from the fire-breathing dragon. He’s saving Princess Fiona because it’s his ticket to evicting his new neighbours and getting his swamp back. Rescuing the princess from the highest room in the tallest tower is simply a means to an end. Shrek does it begrudgingly. Additionally, he is not about conventionalism, much to Fiona’s chagrin. He doesn’t care about doing things as tradition dictates he should. Instead of slaying the dragon, he’s quite literally dropped into the tower and just runs with his stroke of luck. He’s not the classic hero of this story.
Aside from the selfishness/selflessness debate, Shrek doesn’t have those classic good looks (the button nose or the flowing golden locks). He’s not a looker, and he knows it. In fact, he usually embraces it. He’s happy to be the big scary beast, even getting his kicks from it.
image courtesy of pinterest
Now, yes, the reluctant hero is – as the name suggests – one who becomes the hero hesitantly. I’m cautious about putting Shrek into this category simply because he doesn’t spend any time doubting his heroics. He doesn’t even realize he’s acting heroically. For all his faults, Shrek is admirably self-confident. He doesn’t doubt himself regarding his actions.
All in all, I’m confident in saying Shrek is an antihero. He saves Fiona from a life of misery with the arrogant tyrant who is hellbent on becoming a King by any means necessary. Shrek doesn’t set out to be a hero. Like I said, he just wants to get back to his mostly peaceful life all by himself in his swamp.
image courtesy of allstar/disney
Lillian
Lillian is a second year Professional Writing student who has devoted much of her life to immersing herself in different worlds through the eyes of a variety of characters. Some characters she’s loved, some she’s hated, some she’s loved to hate and some she’s hated to love. It’s all in the name of research.
