Prince Charming is the hero of the famous cartoon "Shrek", more precisely its second and third parts. This character is a collective image of a handsome prince from fairy tales of different nations, but has its own characteristics.
The image or biography of the prince
Prince Charming literally translates to Prince Charming. Interestingly, all those around him call him just that, the authors did not give the prince their own name, but left only the nickname - "beautiful".
Charming is outwardly very handsome and has all the necessary skills for a prince. He perfectly holds in the saddle, owns weapons, dances beautifully and is trained in the subtleties of etiquette.
However, not everything is so rosy. In the cartoon, the prince is more of a negative character. He is childish, selfish and possessed by a lust for power.
An ambiguous and so multifaceted prince in the original version was voiced by the famous actor Rupert Everett, and in the Russian version - by Anatoly Bely.
Charming in "Shrek 2"
Charming is the beloved and only child of the fairy godmother. The agile mother, a sorceress, determined his fate from early childhood. The prince had to rescue the royal daughter from the high tower and marry her. And as the husband of a princess, he would automatically become the main contender for the royal throne.
In the cartoon, the handsome prince with enviable persistence goes to his goal and, overcoming all obstacles, still ends up in the tower. But it turned out that Fiona (the princess) had already been saved by someone else.
In this version, the prince, unlike his fairy namesakes, is a negative character. With the help of intrigue and mother's magic potion, Charming deceives Fiona, but in the end he still fails. Alas, the royal throne remains his unfulfilled dream.
On the one hand, the prince got what he deserved, and on the other, he was even a little sorry for him. After all, Charming was convinced all his life that he had only one way - to marry a princess and become the king of a fabulous state.
Charming in the cartoon "Shrek the Third"
In the cartoon "Shrek the Third", the handsome prince appears before the audience in a very deplorable form. After the death of his mother (fairy godmother), he lost not only her love and support, but also all regalia and privileges.
After grandiose hopes and such brilliant prospects, Charming is working as a second-rate actor. He is forced to play himself in a mediocre performance in front of an ungrateful audience.
In a fit of despair, he decides to take revenge on Shrek, kill him and seize power in the fairy kingdom.
Prince Charming gathers an army of villains and tries to carry out a coup d'état. Fiona and her comrades-in-arms defend the castle, and her husband goes in search of the real heir to the throne.
As a result, thanks to Rapunzel's betrayal, Charming still manages to seize the kingdom and take Fiona prisoner. However, Shrek soon returns along with the heir to the throne, Arthur. They convince the villains to lay down their arms and Prince Charming is defeated and put to shame once again.
The further fate of the prince is unknown. According to one version, he died under the scenery that fell on him, and according to the other, he survived and fled the kingdom.
The most interesting and remarkable thing about the image of Prince Charming is his complete inconsistency with the established stereotype of what a handsome prince should be in fairy tales. Here the hero is presented more diverse. The audience sympathizes with him, hates and even sympathizes with him. The main thing is that the image turned out to be interesting, multifaceted and in conflict with established patterns.
