Princesses Disney Article: Mother Gothel: Villain ou Not?

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posted by bluethunder25

Most of toi who have just read the titre of this article are probably thinking in your heads, "Yes," ou "oh hell yeah!" ou something like that. Well before toi jump to that answer, hear me out. Last night, I had a dream that was related to the scene in Raiponce where Rapunzel confronts Gothel and while I was sleeping in, it got me thinking. Yes, what Gothel did to Rapunzel was wrong, but I'm not sure if she completely qualifies as a villain.....per say. Let me explain.
First of all, unlike the other Disney Villains (with the exception of Frollo) Gothel isn't really interested in world domination ou revenge ou conquest any of that stuff. She only wants to live forever. And the fleur was helping her do that. That is unti the king took it from her and gave to the Queen and then it rubbed off on Rapunzel. See basically, this all happened because the Queen got sick and the king had to use the fleur to make her feel better and once the power transferred to Rapunzel, Gothel had to take her to keep herself alive and young. If the Queen hadn't gotten sick, this probably wouldn't have happened.

Second, most villains would kill the main characters' parents, Gothel did not do that. She only took Rapunzel from her parents. Yeah, that was wrong, but at the very least, she kept her parents alive.

Third, most villains would torture and imprison characters like Rapunzel and make them as slaves. Gothel did not do that. She gave her a home, a roof over her head, fed her, clothed her and nurtured her. She also did a damn good job of taking care of her hair! Yeah, it was for selfish reasons, but she took good care of it nonetheless. And Rapunzel turned out to be a fine girl. toi mean to tell me that in between those 12+ years, Rapunzel turned out that way on her own without Gothel at least trying to teach her right from wrong? I don't think so.....well maybe a little bit, BUT THE POINT IS!! For those many years, Rapunzel had a very good life and turned out good herself and one could argue that it's all because of Gothel.

Fourth, in terms of the other Disney Villains. I don't really think Gothel would be so quick to rejoindre them. Like I a dit before, she's not really interesting in world conquest ou eliminated people ou seeking revenge on someone. The only person she ever tried to kill in the movie was Flynn and that was because she was trying to take Rapunzel away from her. Other than that, Gothel doesn't seem like a murderer.

Fifth, I believe that Gothel may have a deep dark past that made her the way she is. She probably doesn't because a story like this could be based on vanity and selfishness rather than tragedy, but on the other hand, she could because there are a number of stories that could come from this. Maybe Gothel didn't want to die because she was in a large family and all her loved ones were either killed ou died from mysterious diseases? That's the best one I can think of. Maybe there should be a Raiponce short where Rapunzel goes back to the tower and finds something from Gothel's past and wants to know more. Plus, let's face it, death is something we all are afraid of, even if we don't want to admit it. I'm afraid of it and I know a lot of toi are afraid of it too. The fear of death can cause us to do desperate things and Gothel is no exception.

So with that being said, maybe Gothel is in ways a 'villain' but in other ways, I don't think she is. Her motives, yes, they are selfish and trying to keep Rapunzel away from the world, that's wrong, but I can't help but think that if things had gone differently in movie like say, the King using something other than the fleur to heal his wife, the power would not have been transferred to Rapunzel and Gothel would not have taken her. Gothel is one of those "what if" villains where they're only villains because of certain events that happen in the movie. So while what Gothel did to Rapunzel and her motives for doing it were wrong, I can't entirely peg her as a villain.

Animated_Paint and MalloMar like this

dclairmont Even if Gothel isn't a traditional disney villain, she's still one of the most dark and evil characters created by disney. She literally brainwashed Rapunzel, stabbed Flynn, imprisoned Punz, stole Punz, ect. She put Punz's self esteem way down, and I honestly think she's one of disney's most nasty villains.

Swanpride First of all, this article shows what an interesting and layered villain Gothel is - but she is still a villain. First of all: The flower wasn't for her, it was a gift for everyone. If she had shared it with the world like it was supposed to be, the king and the queen wouldn't have destroyed it. But Gothel was to egoistical to help anyone else with the flower. Second, just because she doesn't kill nilly-willy it doesn't mean that she is less a murderer. She tries to kill Eugene twice during the movie alone (once indirectly) and she nearly succeeds. Third, yes, Gothel would have never taken Rapunzel if there hadn't been any gain in it for her. but, again, just because she needs a reason to be evil it doesn't mean that she isn't a bad person. She never thinks a second about her actions. Fourth: Naturally she treated Rapunzel well, she had an interest in keeping her healthy after all. That she didn't treat her like a slave was only part of her plan. In a way, she did worse by manipulating Rapunzel into staying in her prison. If she had treated her like a prisoner it would have only resulted in Rapunzel trying to flee all the time. Fifth: Rapunzel DIDN'T have a good life. She was abused. Just because the abuse didn't involve physical hurt it doesn't mean that what Gothel did was less damaging. It is a wonder that Rapunzel came out of this halfway normal.

MalloMar You read my mind! I read the title and inside said "Yesssss." I can relate to her, though. She's afraid of growing older, like me. You made some very good points, here! This is convincing and pretty persuasive. Gothel is a well-rounded and interesting character, isn't she? I'd be interested in her back story. I think she got pushed a little too far in the end when she locked Rapunzel up and stabbed Eugene. She is, however, abusive and deceiving. This is so interesting, and very well written! :)

rhythmicmagic Gothel is every bit the villain. I mean, clearly you think Frollo was a villain, and Mother Gothel was really quite like him. First point: The fact that her tool for youth had been taken away doesn't excuse kidnapping. If someone were to steal someone's life-saving medication and then that person were to kidnap the thief, they would stll be guilty of kidnapping. Second point: Gothel's less gratuitous, so what? She's still a murderer, abusive psychopath, and kidnapper. She's just more calculating. Heck, Maleficent didn't kill Stephan and Leah, that doesn't make her any less a villain. Third point: She did torture and imprison Rapunzel. Never allowing her to leave was imprisoning her. Just because it was a fairly nice prison doesn't mean it wasn't a prison. Also, Rapunzel was a slave. Just because it wasn't like Jasmine with Jafar doesn't make her any less of a slave. She was still used for what Gothel could get from her- in fact, she treated Rapunzel well just to imprison her more and make her even more of a slave to her. I don't see how being locked in a tower for 18 years could be considered a good life. Fourth point: No, I don't think se'd join the other villains. Again, she's not a gratuitous. She just wants what's in it for her and doesn't really care about anything else. That can be villainous too. Fifth point: Voldemort had a dark, difficult past too. Hitler had his troubles. They were still considered evil. That doesn't make what Gothel any less bad.

AudreyFreak [i]It is a wonder that Rapunzel came out of this halfway normal. [/i] Not really, because even her abuse wasn't as harsh as it could have been (Snow White is the one I'm REALLY wondering about!). Gothel gave her a happy atmosphere and never let her see her dark side until she brought up the lights. Rapunzel isn't emotionally scarred like Cinderella, who was verbally battered probably every day for years. (And no, I'm not trying to make Rapunzel's story sound less bad or anything.) Rapunzel is a bit crazy and insecure, but she's still emotionally a very healthy person capable of making logical decisions and has a very happy demeanor. Gothel is the only villain I've felt any sympathy at all for, which is why I like her. It's so rare for a villain! Whatever you say about her lies and controlling (which is exactly what I've been through myself so I could tell you how it is) she obviously felt some kind of affection for Rapunzel still. You guys should realize that abusers are quite capable of loving the people they abuse. This is actually pretty common. Sure, it may have been in more of a pet way, but it was still there. I don't think for a second that Frollo loved Quasi. He never showed affection of any kind, physical or emotional, whereas Gothel did both, even if it was in her own twisted way.

Swanpride I have to disagree there! Gothel spend years undermining Rapunzel's self-esteem ("I see a beautiful young lady...oh, and you are there, too" - you can practically see how Rapunzel deflates), making her afraid of everything outside, and the worst thing is, she did it while telling Rapunzel it was for her own good. Cinderella at last knew what Lady Tremaine was doing and had the memories of her good and decent father. And if she loved Rapunzel (I think she was mostly interested in her hair...she calls her "flower" for god's sake and constantly touches her hair, but rarely Rapunzel herself), that wouldn't make her anything less of a villain.

Animated_Paint Very interesting article, with a lot of good points ^^ The comments are also very intersting to read through. I have to agree with everyone. Gothel, was evil, but she was also in her own strange way trying to be caring sometimes (even if it was for selfish reasons) and she did abuse Rapunzel, but even though that happens (because it totally did and was very subtle and harsh) Gothel still treated Rapunzel well in other ways (even though it was for selfish reasons). Gothel is just an extremely clever and complex character. There are many ways you can see her, everyone has their own opinon.

Newbiehere13 I still think there some sort of bond, no matter how thin it is, of motherly affection shared between both Rapunzel and Gothel. But, yes, Gothel IS a fully-fledged villain, just more patient than the others before her, which makes it hard to see her true demeanor. Just because she has no blood-lust, or destructive method for what she wants is no excuse. But good explanation about her relation with Rapunzel, good article all-in-all. You brought up a good defense, and for a villain!

MaidofOrleans Amazing article! I have to agree with the comments. Gothel is a villain, even if she has her differences from the classic DP villains. I too am incredibly interested in her backstory.

Siiseli Gothel's motivations doesn't make her less villain. Being a villain doesn't mean that you want to rule the world. That's just stupid cliche. Antagonist means that she is against protagonist. Rapunzel wanted to go outside, Gothel didn't want her to go out. So they wanted different things. And who doesn't think that Lady Tremaine or Queen Grimhilde or that bad guy from Fox and the hound were not villains, cause they didn't want to rule the world? Nobody! Gothel is b**** who balances between keeping Rapunzel inside and happy being there. It doesn't mean that she is kind of nice. That means she is kind of clever, for succeeding in that for almost 18 years.

DefyGravity18 She stole a baby from her parents, used that child for her hair and emotionally abused her to keep her from leaving. Yes, Gothel is a villain. Period.

IndigoErth Yes, though a different sort of villain than the usual Disney norm. She's not necessarily a bad person to begin with, but she's a very selfish person who allows it to turn her bad and from bad to worse. Her "love" of Rapunzel is very superficial and self motivated, she largely just loves Rapunzel for her hair.

dracodormiens While Mother Gothel is certainly a villain, all she wanted was life. Though what she did was wrong, I think many people would do the same thing if they had the chance.