Narratives, cultural devices, are cultural devices that show their era. Appropriations are an example of this. They allow composers to retain the story’s main themes and characters while also reinforcing key values of the current society. This is illustrated by the many appropriations that Charles Perrault made in the late seventeenth century of Sleeping Beauty In the Woods. In 2014, Maleficent was the new Sleeping Beauty. Phillip’s changing role. Perrault & Stormberg tackled real life problems. They were able to reflect society and influence society. Stormberg and Maleficent both had to make changes in their narratives to focus on young love and feminism.
First, the most notable contrast between Sleeping Beauty in the Woods/Maleficent is the gender roles. This is evident in the various ways that all the characters are presented, but more specifically the sleeping beauty and the prince. Perrault’s sleepy beauty depiction is an exact representation of the roles men and women played in the society of 17th Century. These roles were meant to connect and influence the individual. This is a maleficent challenge to the idea of Prince and princess form. The princess has always been seen as a love-interest or a prize, in previous narratives. These Disney adaptations of fairy tales like Tangled and Cinderella show that their main purpose is to find love and relationships + and provide protection. Their beauty and superiority are their main values. Cleary is shown as a sleeping beauty in a wooded area throughout the story. Cleary is also shown through Cleary’s grand baptism, where she expresses her beauty with the first “gift” that was bestowed on “she should not be the most gorgeous person.” This illustration demonstrated the importance beauty in society, based on Perrault’s 17th-century context, where looks and status were obsessive over. It also promotes Perrault’s sociological function of myth. Perrault applies this idea to his own society. Perrault uses the way Perrault sees the Princess to incite them to have the same expectations and to become the strong, fearless protector. This is evident in the Prince, who after hearing about the princess in waiting at her castle, decides to be that savior. Because Stromberg’s publication of Maleficent is set in a context that challenged these archetypes, Stromberg’s appropriation of Maleficent challenges them. Maleficent is very clear in rejecting the idea that women are weak and require protection from men. It shows how individuals see their world. 2014 was a big year for women empowerment. The idea of true love kisses is a great example of this. Maleficent and Aurora show women empowering each other, challenging the notion that Prince Phillip could save Aurora. This idea is a moral lesson that teaches young boys about women empowerment. These ideas are reinforced by the contrast between Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty in the Wood) and Maleficent. The stereotypes have not lost their relevance, but they have evolved with the times. Maleficent challenges the traditional gender roles of women and demonstrates to the audience that they are no longer relevant in today’s society. Perrault’s Sleeping Beauty in the Wood was released in a time when society had already established ideals for women. Beautiful women who were able to sing, dance, play music, and perform well in the arts would have been very popular in Versailles 17th century. The opening christening shows this by each of the fairies’ gifts. Each gift is built with metaphors and both auditory and visual imagery to emphasize their importance. The king alarms the princess and hides all the spindles from her. However, her curiosity leads her to the spindle that will bring her to her death. This is done in order to alert society to women’s curiosity. These ideals are challenged by Maleficent, but female curiosity is generally affirmed and not resisted. This support is shown throughout the movie. Aurora as a young girl wanders around looking for the butterfly. Maleficent also travels through the woods allowing Aurora’s curiosity to take over. These tracking shots show Aurora experiencing new experiences without any threat. Stromberg’s society was not one that focuses on being a good mother or wife. It is one in which curiosity has a negative connotation. This was a crucial lesson for young women, especially teens, who were subject to unrealistic expectations based on past narratives. Maleficent is able to challenge the ideals set by Perrault and other composers. Not only was it a curiosity exercise, but to show how society has evolved and to create realistic expectations for young women. Maleficent’s most significant difference is the way the composers simply communicate their textual purpose. Perrault’s writings were published in the 17th Century. They dealt with an important aspect, which he could clearly see and present to his audience. These ideas are referenced in Perrault’s story’s morale. They ensure that readers will understand the main message even if they don’t understand it. It reads like “Manya girl has waited too long for a brave husband… young blood should when young blood will!”. This clearly indicates the textual goal, and Perrault’s ability as a writer to convey this and to reflect the modern world allowed Sleeping Beauty in the Wood an even greater impact. It had the ability to shape and influence the society it was a part of. Many women who read the story are inspired by the happy ending, where women and men find love, marry, have children, and live happily ever after. They are inspired to search for their true love and give Sleeping Beauty in the Wood the power of shaping the worldviews and actions of its audience. Maleficent is also a good example of this. Maleficent however has its own purpose. It focuses on feminism as well as the idea of who is good and evil. The Sleeping beauty tale portrays Maleficent the evil witch, who is responsible for Aurora’s demise but is eventually defeated. Stromberg’s Maleficent challenged that idea by introducing a second story side, her side, which explains why she does the things she does. Maleficent’s actions can be justified by looking at the consequences of her actions. The audience watches as she is betrayed by a man she thought was a close friend. He stole her wings, a large part her identity. This betrayal is what causes Aurora to cursed. However, Maleficent’s good nature or similarity to all other humans is suggested. Through her relationship with Aurora and her determination for her protection, the audience can see the good. Maleficent’s character is developed greatly with the young girl Aurora Maleficent. The close-up shot of Maleficent showing her tears and her face clearly shows how she has changed. The audience is challenged to see that there are many sides to any story. They also learn about feminism and women empowerment. Maleficent accepts that Aurora loves and supports her, and she no longer allows men to exert control over her. Dramatic and revealing of the evolution of societies is the textual purpose comparison between Sleeping Beauty in the Wood (maleficent) Women’s roles have changed. They no longer depend on men for their physical skills or appearances. The eras they live in change cultures. Society can recognize these changes by appropriating narratives. Maleficent, Sleeping Beauty in the Wood, and Sleeping Beauty in the Wood were published centuries ago. These stories clearly reflect the cultures of their respective societies while keeping the core ideas intact. Each of these narratives had the ability to have an impact on the society they were published in by highlighting and challenging the archetypes of the princes and princesses, the ideals of women, and the textual purpose of each narrative. This allowed them to reinforce their core ideas, values, and attitudes. Individuals are able to use narratives to help them navigate their lives, make decisions and see the world. Without them, it would be impossible to live a normal life.
