Rapunzel

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## Rapunzel

### Aliases

Raps (by Cassandra and Natasha)Blondie (by Eugene)Sunshine (by Eugene)

### Relatives

King Fredric (father)Queen Arianna (mother)Eugene (fiancé)Cassandra (sister)

## Appearances

### Debut

Only Time Will TellTangled, Tangled The SeriesAll Tangled Up

**Rapunzel** is the protagonist of Disney's 2010 animated feature film, *Tangled*. She is the princess of the kingdom of Corona, known for her long, magical, golden hair. As a child, Rapunzel was abducted by a wicked crone and locked away in a remote tower for eighteen years—during which, she became fascinated with a phenomenon involving "floating lights" that would only appear on her birthday. With the aid of the handsome thief, Flynn Rider, Rapunzel escaped her tower to learn more about the lights and pursue her dream of exploring the outside world.

Rapunzel is loosely based on the protagonist of the classic German fairy tale *Rapunzel* by the Brothers Grimm. She is the tenth official Disney Princess and the first to originate from a fully computer-animated film.

### Personality

Rapunzel is a spirited and determined young woman. Throughout her adolescence, she's dreamed of escaping her tower to experience the outside world. Due to the strict order of her sole parental figure, Gothel, however, she remained inside the tower. The use of manipulation and emotional abuse in her upbringing by Gothel has led Rapunzel to believe that the world is highly dangerous, and that remaining in the confines of her sheltered walls is in her best interest. Additional misfortunes born through Rapunzel's upbringing would include such traits as anxiety and low self-esteem. Gothel would often victimize herself whenever she and Rapunzel would hit a bump in their relationship, riddling the latter with guilt, which would, in turn, motivate her to obey Gothel's commands in hopes of making amends. This was all according to plan for Gothel, who relied on Rapunzel's emotional instability to forever maintain control over the princess. With Gothel possessing such a strong emotional hold - having forced Rapunzel to believe she was her only source of security and comfort in a dangerous and unforgiving world - the odds against Rapunzel were high.

Nevertheless, what separates Rapunzel from what could be classified as a "damsel-in-distress" is her willingness to step outside her comfort zone and take on the unknown for the sake of experiencing her dreams. Despite being fearful and at times hesitant, she pushes herself forward to pursue her ambitions.

Additionally, she takes matters into her own hands several times throughout the film and cunningly manipulates situations to end in her favor, such as forcing the thief Flynn Rider to act as her guide to the kingdom of Corona after he broke into her tower. After learning the truth behind Mother Gothel and her motives, Rapunzel became fierce, immediately rejected Gothel, and strongly disapproved of any further abuse. With such will and devotion towards herself and what she values, Rapunzel proves to be a force of nature, in her own right.

As mentioned above, Rapunzel is spirited and takes great enjoyment in virtually everything life has to offer. When trapped in her tower, she engaged in various activities such as art and music, creating a vibrant home filled with color and personality, and proving herself to be talented and expressive. When she finally escapes her tower, Rapunzel finds beauty in all she sees, from nature to a group of seemingly gruesome thugs. So much so that Rapunzel is often responsible for quite a few spontaneous, yet uplifting parties so jovial that practically every bystander would join in with zeal. This is seen during "I've Got a Dream" and during the Festival of Lights.

Rapunzel is very social in this regard and values her loved ones deeply. This is especially seen through her relationship with Eugene. Rapunzel was able to bypass the thief's roguish nature and managed to bring out his more noble and genuine side. With love and respect for one another, Rapunzel and Eugene formed a relationship built on trust, understanding, and devotion—a relationship that would better themselves individually and lead to the ultimate realization of what they truly want in life.