Although Rapunzel was also part of the first edition of the Brothers Grimm's “Stories for Children and Families”, it was of an adaptation of the story Persinette, written by the French writer and poet Charlotte-Rose de Caumont de La Force in 1698. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The story of Rapunzel, the girl locked in a tower, is said to be based on the legend of Saint Barbara, a Christian saint and martyr who lived around the 3rd century. Santa Barbara was locked in a tower by her father after rejecting several marriage proposals. This legend, as well as Rapunzel, talks about how, in past centuries, women were "locked up" in convents or even at home to isolate them from society, separate them from men and to control their behavior. This therefore suggests that the purpose of Rapunzel's story was not only to give voice to these women, but also to bring light to their oppression, fear and powerlessness. The protagonist, Rapunzel, represents what was considered the idealistic woman during the time period in which the story was written. As is common in many fairy tales, Rapunzel is described in a very superficial way. The only thing we learn about her from these descriptions is that she is "the most beautiful child under the sun" (Grimm, 43), kind, has a lovely voice, and is lonely in her tower. Singing is an important trait for Rapunzel to have. It is her beautiful voice that not only brings her to eventual freedom, but is also the only other positive quality she has been given besides her physical beauty. Singing was a characteristic that set Rapunzel apart from most people during that time, as people who had beautiful voices were held in high esteem. Despite her few positive qualities, Rapunzel had several negative ones. One of the most notable of these was his lack of intelligence. Evidence of her senselessness can be seen when she reveals her plans to run away with the prince. She mistakenly blurts out to Mother Gothel, “how come you're so much heavier than the prince? When I pick him up, he's here in a second” (Grimm, 44). Later in the story, when Mother Gothel confronts the prince, she compares Rapunzel to a “beautiful bird.” Comparing Rapunzel to a caged songbird solidifies the idea that the protagonist is naive and has narrow-minded tendencies. In addition to being unintelligent, Rapunzel is also seen as passive because she allows others to do her thinking for her. The fact that it was the prince who suggested that she run away demonstrates this idea. As is common in fairy tales, the theme of good versus evil is explored in Rapunzel. Despite the role the parents played in the story, they were not considered the villains. This was the part of the sorceress, Mother Gothel. With a closer look at the text, one can see that Mother Gothel was not as bad as she was made out to be. At the beginning of the text she is described as "very powerful and feared by all" (Grimm, 42) but not as evil or evil. When he finds out that Rapunzel's father is stealing from his garden, he naturally gets angry. However, after hearing that her father had done the same for his sick wife, "the sorceress' anger subsided" (Grimm, 43). Instead of punishing Rapunzel's father, she allows him to take all the lettuce he needed in exchange for his daughter. As stated in the story, the reason Gothel wanted Rapunzel was so she could become a mother. She tells Rapunzel's father that she "need not fear for the child's well-being, for I will care for it like a mother" (Grimm, 43). This in itself proves that she isn't evil at all, at least not.