Character Name: Rapunzel Canon: Tangled Canon Point: Shortly after she leaves the tower for the first time. Background/History:Here Personality:
Like most Disney princesses, Rapunzel is a kind-hearted individual with big dreams. Unlike most Disney princesses, she also has a whole slew of personal issues, the first and most intense of which is her relationship with her mother. Gothel has not only kept her locked up inside a tower her entire life, but also treated her like an object rather than a human being. To her mother, Rapunzel is a valuable tool that must be kept safe and in good shape. The familial love between them is entirely one sided on Rapunzel's part; Gothel simply acts like a caring, protective mother so that Rapunzel will not be tempted to defy her. This fabricated affection is the only "love" that Rapunzel has ever known, and thus her view of family, friendship, and any other kind of emotional bond is quite skewed.
Another way that Gothel emotionally manipulates Rapunzel is by grossly exaggerating the dangers of the outside world. Rapunzel is repeatedly told that if she ever leaves the tower, misery will befall in the form of "ruffians, thugs, poison ivy, quicksand" and a myriad of other creepies and crawlies. She implies that Rapunzel is far too weak and fragile to handle herself in the real world and that staying inside is the best option to achieve happiness in life. Constantly being talked down to by her mother has resulted in a major blow to Rapunzel's self esteem. She feels the need to prove herself somehow, but at the same time is anxious of what misfortunes await her if she tries.
That said, when worse comes to worst, Rapunzel is able to handle herself. This is demonstrated when Flynn Rider invades her room. Rather than freak out and hide, Rapunzel subdues him, ties him up and questions his intentions. A very brave act for someone who has never interacted with anyone besides her mother; for all she knew, Flynn could have been extremely dangerous or powerful, but she decides to defend herself as best she can regardless.
Despite her good intuition in perilous situations, Rapunzel is still rather awkward when it comes to socializing. Every part of interacting with peers is new and unfamiliar. Her emotions, whether positive or negative, run very high and switch frequently – sometimes to the point where it embarrasses and frustrates her traveling companion. Rapunzel's lack of education and experience with the outside world also impairs her ability to pick up on a lot of social cues, such as when someone is being sarcastic or using their body language to imply something.
Even though she was isolated and mistreated all her life, Rapunzel still manages to be an upbeat, optimistic girl for the most part. There are obviously lingering issues beneath the cheer and smiles, but she does her best to stay positive. Her outlet for dealing with the negative things in life comes in the form of many different hobbies – reading, baking, sewing, solving puzzles, etc – but the most prominent and passionate one is painting. With a limitless imagination and plenty of creativity, Rapunzel paints every inch of her walls. Many of these portraits are of things she one day hopes to experience, like the floating lanterns that appear on her birthday. These paintings do what her mother cannot; by portraying Rapunzel taking part in her most desired scenarios, the art silently reassures her that some day, her dreams might just come true.
Abilities/Powers:
When the Queen was pregnant with Rapunzel, she fell ill and required an elixir made from a special plant to continue living. This golden flower possessed magic that rejuvenated the sick and elderly. The Queen drinking the concoction not only healed her, but gave Rapunzel a one-of-a-kind gift. Her golden hair possesses the same properties as the flower, granting her the ability to heal wounds and possibly illnesses (this is not made clear in the film, but it seems safe to assume she could have some affect on the sick, if not heal them completely). These properties will be lost if her hair is cut. As a precaution, Gothel never cut Rapunzel's hair and told her to avoid doing the same, which resulted in her hair being about seventy feet long.
Rapunzel | Tangled | Not Reserved
Canon: Tangled
Canon Point: Shortly after she leaves the tower for the first time.
Background/History: Here
Personality:
Like most Disney princesses, Rapunzel is a kind-hearted individual with big dreams. Unlike most Disney princesses, she also has a whole slew of personal issues, the first and most intense of which is her relationship with her mother. Gothel has not only kept her locked up inside a tower her entire life, but also treated her like an object rather than a human being. To her mother, Rapunzel is a valuable tool that must be kept safe and in good shape. The familial love between them is entirely one sided on Rapunzel's part; Gothel simply acts like a caring, protective mother so that Rapunzel will not be tempted to defy her. This fabricated affection is the only "love" that Rapunzel has ever known, and thus her view of family, friendship, and any other kind of emotional bond is quite skewed.
Another way that Gothel emotionally manipulates Rapunzel is by grossly exaggerating the dangers of the outside world. Rapunzel is repeatedly told that if she ever leaves the tower, misery will befall in the form of "ruffians, thugs, poison ivy, quicksand" and a myriad of other creepies and crawlies. She implies that Rapunzel is far too weak and fragile to handle herself in the real world and that staying inside is the best option to achieve happiness in life. Constantly being talked down to by her mother has resulted in a major blow to Rapunzel's self esteem. She feels the need to prove herself somehow, but at the same time is anxious of what misfortunes await her if she tries.
That said, when worse comes to worst, Rapunzel is able to handle herself. This is demonstrated when Flynn Rider invades her room. Rather than freak out and hide, Rapunzel subdues him, ties him up and questions his intentions. A very brave act for someone who has never interacted with anyone besides her mother; for all she knew, Flynn could have been extremely dangerous or powerful, but she decides to defend herself as best she can regardless.
Despite her good intuition in perilous situations, Rapunzel is still rather awkward when it comes to socializing. Every part of interacting with peers is new and unfamiliar. Her emotions, whether positive or negative, run very high and switch frequently – sometimes to the point where it embarrasses and frustrates her traveling companion. Rapunzel's lack of education and experience with the outside world also impairs her ability to pick up on a lot of social cues, such as when someone is being sarcastic or using their body language to imply something.
Even though she was isolated and mistreated all her life, Rapunzel still manages to be an upbeat, optimistic girl for the most part. There are obviously lingering issues beneath the cheer and smiles, but she does her best to stay positive. Her outlet for dealing with the negative things in life comes in the form of many different hobbies – reading, baking, sewing, solving puzzles, etc – but the most prominent and passionate one is painting. With a limitless imagination and plenty of creativity, Rapunzel paints every inch of her walls. Many of these portraits are of things she one day hopes to experience, like the floating lanterns that appear on her birthday. These paintings do what her mother cannot; by portraying Rapunzel taking part in her most desired scenarios, the art silently reassures her that some day, her dreams might just come true.
Abilities/Powers:
When the Queen was pregnant with Rapunzel, she fell ill and required an elixir made from a special plant to continue living. This golden flower possessed magic that rejuvenated the sick and elderly. The Queen drinking the concoction not only healed her, but gave Rapunzel a one-of-a-kind gift. Her golden hair possesses the same properties as the flower, granting her the ability to heal wounds and possibly illnesses (this is not made clear in the film, but it seems safe to assume she could have some affect on the sick, if not heal them completely). These properties will be lost if her hair is cut. As a precaution, Gothel never cut Rapunzel's hair and told her to avoid doing the same, which resulted in her hair being about seventy feet long.