Wife of Bath's Tale And Shrek Shrek and Wife of Bath's Tale - Comparisons and Contrasts

Shrek the Book

The original story of Shrek, by William Steig, published in 1990, is a far cry from the mega-hit Dreamworks movie production with the voices of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz and John Lithcow. In the original story, Shreck breathes fire, is not a likeable character at all, and he is hideously ugly. He has hairs on his nose and little black marks all over his face - possibly zits, or blackheads. He emerges out of a "black hole" when he leaves his family's abode to go in search of the princess.

He has the ability to heat food with rays from his eyes. The story is told with silly poetry such as the scene when he meets the princess, who is frightfully ugly:

Your nose is so hairy, Oh let is not tarry, your look is so scary, I think we should marry."

Shrek the Movie

But...

He is much larger in comparison to others around him than the Shrek in the storybook, but he also is much more sophisticated.
In fact, the film version becomes a very slick parody of Hollywood, and of Disney characters. Viewers see such characters as the seven dwarfs, little red riding hood, and other symbols of Hollywood. Romance and glamour are the themes of this movie.

Shrek in the movie is a hero, a loveable guy who is searching for Princess Fiona, but is challenged by Lord Farquaad, who is so cruel he tortures the Gingerbread Man. Indeed, Lord Farquaad asks the mirror who has the finest kingdom, and the mirror tells him the three most beautiful women who can be his bride. They are Cinderella, Snow White, and Princess Fiona. The movie becomes a hilarious…