She runs a great risk of being out there in public so who’s to say she didn’t do all of those things just to make Rapunzel happy? When Mother Gothel sneaks into the kingdom and attempts to cut baby Rapunzel's hair, the piece automatically turns brown and loses its power. Conclusion. (Btw, this is just my opinion. Gothel does everything for her “daughter”. Rapunzel grew up being abused by Gothel, who mistreated her a lot and made her a maid, in addition to stimulating her pet, the wicked Otto, to try to eat Rapunzel's pet rabbit. So who did? Gothel only took care of Rapunzel because if she's dead, there goes the eternal youth. I mean Gothel should have cared about her to some degree to let her do all those things which includes reading books from the outside world. Honestly, I think she did. She lets Rapunzel do everything except go outside. 5. No person would ever do that for somebody that they’d didn’t love, even if it WAS their birthday and they snuck out. Gothel was the one who raised Rapunzel to be this talented girl in every branch of art and hobby imaginable. Once she gets out of the tower, you see her interactions with other people and you see how caring she is to other people around her, so clearly Mother Gothel wasn’t that bad. It was all part of Mother Gothel's plan to convince Rapunzel that Eugene didn't love her though. And even when Gothel tricks Rapunzel back into the tower, she still offers to make her soup to cheer Rapunzel up. The hand-drawn Princess And The Frog was meant to serve as a glorious return to form, but it underperformed at the box office. I think it was obviously a completely dysfunctional, accidental and Lima Syndrome-esque kind of love, but it still set her apart from the classic Disney Villain format making her a scene stealer of character and giving the film an unexpected emotional depth. (If you have a mentally ill parent or a friend with a mentally ill parent, you’ll likely notice a lot of parallels.) She … She is described as being a girl with dark frizzy hair with piercing grey eyes, like her mother. Even when she left the tower, she had every intention of going back. Every affectionate gesture is to Rapunzel’s hair, every compliment is immediately taken back, every bad thing she does is deflected to be Rapunzel’s fault. Mother Gothel is mysterious, manipulative and a heinous villain. Madame Gothel, better known as Mother Gothel or also simply known as Gothel, is the overall secondary antagonist of Disney's Tangled animated franchise. By: AsLostAsAliceAsMadAsTheHatter. Follow/Fav Did You Ever Love Me, Mother? Flynn Rider as Jesus. Gothel did not love Rapunzel. [Rapunzel shoves past Gothel in disgust] ... And this guy, well he eventually found true love. Gothel… But, for the majority of the time that Rapunzel spent in the tower (disregarding what happened at the end of Tangled, where Gothel kinda goes, it can be argued, insane out of desperation), Gothel tried (or at least kept a pretense of trying) to keep Rapunzel happy. Once again, selfishness overtook what could have been love, and Rapunzel got caught in the crossfires. Gothel did not love Rapunzel. Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure is good but it's definitely aimed at a much younger audience. In the Tangled movie, Mother Gothel - naturally - doesn't let Rapunzel out of the tower, for fear of losing her "flower".. I think that in the end she is scared that the world will be just as cruel to Rapunzel as it was to her. ( Log Out /  The Queen’s daughter, Rapunzel, then inherited the magical powers of the flower. Rapunzel grabbed what she could and ran all night to the tower. Kids. But near the middle of the movie, as Rapunzel is telling Flynn about her hair's magical powers, she shows him that same strand and it hasn't grown an inch since she was a baby. She was just living her life looking L’oreal fresh until the flower was harvested to heal the sick and pregnant Queen of Corona. Mother Gothel is the main antagonist of Disney's 2010 animated feature film, Tangled. Or was it just her being a very WICKED manipulator? My answer is this: So this is basically going to be a blog proving my point mostly because the evidence I found was just TOO GOOD. You don't get that closure, which is so realistic. And when Rapunzel asks for new paint, which takes 3 days to journey to the place to get them mind you, Gothel agrees and actually goes out to fetch them for her!! Any attention paid to Rapunzel herself is domineering, abusive, and meant to keep Rapunzel in the tower where no one will find her. Rapunzel goes down to the dungeons to set things right and ask her a very important question. So in answer to my original question, I’m going to say that yes – I think that Gothel grew to love Rapunzel. This website saves cookies to your browser in order to improve your online experience and show you personalized content. She is the main antagonist of Disney's 50th full-length animated feature film Tangled (which is based on the 1812 German fairytale Rapunzel by Brothers Grimm) and a posthumous antagonist in Tangled: The Series and its comic book series. She's certainly aging despite regularly singing so there's no major reason to imagine that the other powers would also work on her. With her patience wearing thin, Gothel desperately claims her actions were out of love, but her manipulations no longer have any effect on Rapunzel. Analysis, Disney, Drama, Dramatic Arts, Fairytale, Film, Film Essay, Flynn Rider, Kids Films, Love, Mother, Mother Gothel, Musical, Rapunzel, Review, Tangled, Theatre, I have seen Disney’s Tangled more times than I would care to admit. Gothel collects parsnips for Rapunzel in order to make her favorite food, hazelnut soup, for her birthday treat. Did Mother Gothel love Rapunzel? I know she only kidnapped her for her hair, but they did spend 18 years together. ‘Me, I’m just your Mother, what do I know? And her one sliver of love that allowed Rapunzel to go to Flynn still ended in her downfall, turning her to dust and pushing off the end of the tower. I’m pretty sure a person who kidnaps someone wants to cut off their connection to the real world as much as possible but Gothel brings those books for Rapunzel so she could learn more!! Dame Gothel is described as an evil witch who lives in a walled garden beside a lonely couple whose window looks over the garden. In order to keep the confined and isolated Rapunzel content, Gothel teaches her to … However, Gothel ultimately chose her own survival over Rapunzel’s happiness whilst maintaining that all of the bad things she did were for Rapunzel’s own good – and by the end, I think she genuinely believed that. She not only entertains her daughter by singing to her but she also goes on a journey through months on end just to bring food and water back to the tower. I think she came to love her, but she loved her hair WAY more. In all honesty Gothel did everything a typical not "ideal" mom would do for their daughter. Upon learning that the romance between Rapunzel and this guy could ruin his plans, which consisted of promoting a war between the kingdom of Rapunzel's father and the kingdom of the prince, Gothel demanded that Rapunzel speak the boy's name, which the princess really did not knew. The wife, experiencing the cravings associated with the arrival of her long-awaited pregnancy, notices a rapunzel plant (or, in most translated-to-English versions of the story, rampion), growing in the garden and longs for it, desperate to the point of death. He's never told me otherwise. 2. Disney Princess Do u think Mother Gothel loved Rapunzel? She kidnaps Rapunzel and hoards the princess away to keep access to the magical youth restoring power of Rapunzel's hair. Where my Rapunzel stans at? As you pointed out, she could have forced Rapunzel to do what she wanted. Read our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy to get more information and learn how to set up your preferences. Her garden is described as the envy of all others, constantly healthy with many vegetables and flowers in perfect bloom. I’m going to preface this article by saying that I love Tangled, and I love Disney.Tangled is one of the bridges that connects Old Disney to New Disney; it keeps the joy and magic of older Disney films while bringing in new styles and stories that are most enjoyable to younger generations. Mother Gothel as Satan. I mean, she was only with her parents for a day at most so they never really left an imprint on her personality. However, like many parents, she had a bad relationship with her, despite her love (for example, constantly saying rude 'jokes', like calling Rapunzel chubby, etc). By contrast, Mother Gothel dominates the story of Tangled from the beginning. Sure she doesn’t really let Rapunzel to go outside to see the stars that have been her dream, but she does try to make up for crushing her dreams in any way that she can. After Rapunzel had returned the crown that she had been using as incentive for Eugene to help her get to town, Eugene had been on his way to return it when Gothel and her goons set on him and framed him, making it look like he was abandoning Rapunzel. Her positive attention and affection are completely focused on Rapunzel's hair (kisses her hair only, calls her "Flower," etc.). Mother Gothel is a fictional character who appears in Walt Disney Pictures' 50th animated feature film Tangled (2010). Letting her heal Flynn showed that, in some way, she still trusted Rapunzel. Fellow Tangled fans, what do you think about the character of Gothel? The man begs for mercy, and she agrees to be l… She wants things to unfold following her design and gets very angry the second the situation starts escaping her. SUBSCRIBE: http://tinyurl.com/hfq9jmv Isaac theorizes on how Mother Gothel hid her tower and Rapunzel from the kingdom of Corona. Fun Fact – Cher was the influence for Mother Gothel’s appearance! I’m not trying to force my opinions out on you guys. At the end of the film, you're not sure if Mother Gothel has ever truly cared for Rapunzel, or just what Rapunzel's hair did for her. The first written version of the Rapunzel story was written in the year 1600 by a writer named Giambattista Basile, from Italy. Lemme know what you guys think. In this version, Rapunzel is sold to an ogre when she was a baby, all because her mother stole some parsley from a garden. She makes a salad out of it and greedily eats it. 60 fans picked: A little bit, but it's mostly her vanity and the hair's power 48%: No, she only loved herself and the hair's power 45%: Yes, although she did it initally for vanity, she does have love for Rapunzel. She was forced to give away her first-born child, and she was locked in a tower her entire life. Rapunzel never even came close to abandoning Mother Gothel. Every affectionate gesture is to Rapunzel’s hair, every compliment is immediately taken back, every bad thing she does is deflected to be Rapunzel’s fault. It’s hard to imagine raising someone and not growing to care about them. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. It tastes so good that she longs for m… When Mother Gothel tracked her and asked her to come back to the tower with her, she did. Ginny is described as being "dark-haired" in The Isle of the Lost. The first written version of the Rapunzel story was written in the year 1600 by a writer named Giambattista Basile, from Italy. She was eventually proven to have been the biological mother of Cassandra, whom she abandoned for the powerful healing magics in the newborn princess' hair to sustain her youth and beauty for centuries on end. The Tangled team decided to upend the traditional Brothers Grimm story by making Rapunzel’s love interest a thief, rather than a prince. It helps that Donna Murphy’s vocal performance is superb – sweetness and light one moment, dripping with sarcasm the next: Rapunzel: How did you find me? Related Bible Stories. She passed herself off as Mommy and used Rapunzel’s magical hair to stay young and healthy. For somebody who has been up a tower for 18 years – Rapunzel is very well adjusted.The reading and the chess suggest intelligence, the painting and the paper mache demonstrate a strong creative streak and the fact that she’s kind to her ‘pet’ Pascal implies that she has learned caring behaviour. And that is why I believe Rapunzel is a tale of true true love. Rapunzel's hair was not cut and Gothel was taken prisoner. A question that if answered correctly could save her life. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. But other than that, Mother Gothel didn’t restrict her from doing anything else. Where my Rapunzel stans at? She loves to see herself in the mirror, reveling in her beauty. Flynn’s criminal ways and playboy attitude initially seem to confirm everything Gothel told Rapunzel about the outside world. I agree with you completely, In my opinion mother gothel did a great job caring for her for years, keeping her happy and healthy. And as for this guy, well I assumed he's happy. How do you think she stands apart from other Disney villains? But Gothel let her own selfish desires leech away any love she may have had. Eighteen years before the events of Tangled, Rapunzel's parents, the beloved King and Queen of Corona, were anticipating their firstborn. In Return to the Isle of the Lost: A Descendants Novel, a more detailed description is given. I can say that Mother Gothel had an emotional "attachment" to Rapunzel. This shows prominently when her \"sweet mother\" act quickly slips away as Rapunzel expresses a desire to see the outside world. When her prized rapunzel plant (or, in most translated-to-English versions of the story, rampion) is stolen by the man to feed his pregnant wife, Dame Gothel captures him the second time and accuses him of theft. Anyways, let’s find out if it’s true or not!! However, Mother Gothel (Donna Murphy) pulls the strings to get Flynn arrested and manipulates Rapunzel into returning to the tower. I think Mother Gothel would always put herself over Rapunzel (She did use her to maintain some of her youth + put her down), but that she did care for the girl at least a little bit. Evidence to suggest that Gothel did in fact love Rapunzel –. It was all part of Mother Gothel's plan to convince Rapunzel that Eugene didn't love her though. Mother Gothel is the main antagonist of Disney's 2010 animated feature film, Tangled. Kids. Mother Gothel: “I love you very much, dear.” Rapunzel: “I love you more.” Mother Gothel: “I love you most.” Mother Gothel Quotes Video So those are all the reasons why I think Mother Gothel loves Rapunzel. As revealed in "Rapunzel's Return", Cassandra is the biological daughter of Mother Gothel, though she was severely neglected and was often left to fend for herself in their cottage while Gothel went about her daily business. It doesn't make much sense. Within the main canon of films and novelisations there's no indication that she can heal herself. The character is voiced by actress and singer Donna Murphy in her voice acting debut; Murphy auditioned for the role spontaneously upon learning from her agent that Disney was auditioning actresses for the film's villainous role. She instead abducts Rapunzel and raises her as her own in a secret tower. Not to mention, Rapunzel being caring, kind, fun, adventurous, trusting, talented, carefree, and more couldn’t have come from nowhere!! ( Log Out /  Or doesn’t she? She arrived in the late morning, finding her prince in the old farmhouse, blinded and near death from a push from the tower's height. Gothel could have come to love this child. A question that if answered correctly could save her life. Change ), There is the undeniable fact that Rapunzel has been. The world is dark and selfish and cruel. I know she only kidnapped her for her hair, but they did spend 18 years together. She wears a soiled red dress with tattered golden piping in … Gothel trusted that Rapunzel would keep her word and leave everything and forget that she is the long lost princess. Any attention paid to Rapunzel herself is domineering, abusive, and meant to keep Rapunzel in the tower where no one will find her. Even though Rapunzel was taken as a baby, Gothel could have chosen not to take care of her but she still did and Rapunzel turned out amazing, beautiful, strong, and one of the most beloved Disney Princesses ever. Well the point of Mother Gothel telling Rapunzel she loves her all the time is to show the audience that the only thing Gothel REALLY cares about is her magical hair. Work Cited. To evade arrest, Gothel cut the bridge connecting her cottage to the mainland and fled the scene, abandoning Cas… SUBSCRIBE: http://tinyurl.com/hfq9jmv Isaac theorizes on how Mother Gothel hid her tower and Rapunzel from the kingdom of Corona. SUBSCRIBE: http://tinyurl.com/hfq9jmvIsaac unveils Mother Gothel’s full story and discuss whether she truly cares about her fake daughter Rapunzel. Disney's Rapunzel movie "Tangled" (starring Mandy Moore) is turning 10. Gothel tries to steal a lock of Rapunzel's hair to use the magic once again, but discovers that cutting the hair renders it powerless. If it finds even the tiniest bit of sunlight, it destroys it.” She is bitter about how her youth and health declined, she is angry that her magical flower was taken by the kingdom and she is envious of Rapunzel’s authentic youth and beauty. 1 Answer. Yes, yes, yes. She allowed Rapunzel to read books that came from the outside world, do ballet, puzzles, chess, darts, play guitar, knitting, candlemaking, and even PAINTING ON THE WALLS!! By contrast, Mother Gothel dominates the story of Tangled from the beginning. Did mother Gothel actually love Rapunzel? ( Log Out /  I can't say that she didn't love her, but I equally can not say that Rapunzel's hair was not an incentive to care more for Rapunzel. I guess it’s true that love really does vanquish the evil side, no matter what kind of love that it is. Well, obviously Gothel!! You can't be around someone for 18 years and not grow some sort of bond! Now, I love me some Mother Gothel. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Unfortunately, very late in her pregnancy, the Queen fell ill with what would surely result in her death, as well as her child's. Gothel also mistreats Rapunzel's animals. So those are all the reasons why I think Mother Gothel loves Rapunzel. I think that over the years, Gothel believed that she almost deserved to use the power of Rapunzel’s hair in exchange for the way she had cared for the princess e.g. The Witch The Witch. Mother also did nice things for her, like making her favorite hazelnut soup and going on a 3 day journey to get the shells she wanted. I only bathed and changed and nursed you’ – Mother Knows Best. If she truly loved her, she wouldn't tell her lies or be harsh to her, as she did during "Mother Knows Best" and the reprise, and when she screamed "You are not leaving this tower EVER". Did she ever love Rapunzel? Mother also did nice things for her, like making her favorite hazelnut soup and going on a 3 day journey to get the shells she wanted. ( Log Out /  Her positive attention and affection are completely focused on Rapunzel's hair (kisses her hair only, calls her "Flower," etc.). Because once he cut her hair, he'd just go back to being injured, because when her hair is cut what she has used with it is undone which is exactly how Mother Gothel gets old … Here we go: 1. In fact, she’s the very first character we see on screen. This is what makes her character so confusing, and why Rapunzel is taken in by her for so long. After Rapunzel had returned the crown that she had been using as incentive for Eugene to help her get to town, Eugene had been on his way to return it when Gothel and her goons set on him and framed him, making it look like he was abandoning Rapunzel. She makes sure Rapunzel has a happy birthday. What Gothel loved was Rapunzel’s hair. As long as nothing threatened Rapunzel's hair, she would have loved her always. 3. Despite being older than the kingdom, Mother Gothel proves to be quite immature and entitled. When it comes to her relationship with Rapunzel, Gothel is practically a textbook case of an emotional abuser. I think, on some degree, she was still a good mother to her, raising Rapunzel up to be the beloved girl everyone knows and loved. Once Mother Gothel gets over her fury she quickly goes back to her charming self. Aside from the magic gold… Rapunzel goes down to the dungeons to set things right and ask her a very important question. I do believe Mother Gothel loved Rapunzel . It all goes wrong when Rapunzel turns 18 and does the typically teenagery thing of rebelling hard and falling in love with a bad boy. The 2010 reworking of the classic Rapunzel fairytale is a well loved addition to my daughter’s DVD collection and it’s definitely one of the more watchable ones – in fact, it’s just straight up enjoyable. She locks a girl away all of her life, makes deals with criminals and is willing to kill people to preserve her young appearance, but why does she do this? Gothel’s own experiences of the world appear to have left her jaded and resentful “The world is dark, and selfish, and cruel. Gothel only took care of Rapunzel because if she's dead, there goes the eternal youth. What Gothel loved was Rapunzel’s hair. Rapunzel's hair was not cut and Gothel was taken prisoner. So my point still stands. It’s important to remember that Mother Gothel is a manipulative, controlling, mentally ill individual. I honestly feel she definitely deserves a spot on the classic Disney villains list. Anyways, that’s all for now!! On the night of Rapunzel's kidnapping, Gothel's initial plan was to seek refuge at her cottage, but upon arriving, she found that it was overrun by guardsmen on the hunt for the lost princess. Ten years ago, Walt Disney Animation was in crisis. It all goes wrong when Rapunzel turns 18 and does the typically teenagery thing of rebelling hard and falling in love with a bad boy. I mean, I guess it was Rapunzel’s dream to look at the stars for her birthday and Mother Gothel didn’t do that because... well obviously. The Tower was the childhood home of Rapunzel, the place where Mother Gothel had raised her as her own daughter for eighteen long years, and where she and Flynn Rider had first met. Donna Murphy believed that Gothel did really love Rapunzel in her own way. Gothel raised Rapunzel to be the kind and adventurous girl she is today. 1 Background 1.1 Layout 2 Appearance 3 Appearances 3.1 Season One 3.2 Season Two 3.3 Season Three 4 About the Tower 4.1 Season One 4.2 Season Two 4.3 Season Three Rapunzel's Tower is hidden in a large rock … Even though Rapunzel was taken as a baby, Gothel could have chosen not to take care of her but she still did and Rapunzel turned out amazing, beautiful, strong, and one of the most beloved Disney Princesses ever.