The Frog Prince

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Critical Response Paper:
The Frog Prince Continued

The Frog Prince Continued essentially challenges its predecessor, the original version, by proclaiming that all did not end as happily-ever-after as the traditional text claims. But what particularly stood out about this retelling was the “anti-fairy tale” elements of the story. Although it seemed to follow a fairy tale formula that includes a hero on a quest, a group of wicked witches, and a happily-ever-after ending, the events in the story deviated from the trends, patterns, and notions found in traditional fairy tales.

The main characters of the retelling are the Prince, who was formerly a frog, and his wife, the Princess. It was interesting to note that the Prince retained his frog-like quirks and habits, which irritated and disgusted the Princess in this story as well as in the original tale. In this story, the conflict does not come from an oppressive stepmother but from the tendency of human relationships to go sour when expectations are not met. The Prince misunderstood the Princess’ comment, “Sometimes I think we would be better off if you were a frog “ as a request for him to turn back into a frog, instead of how they would probably be happier if the two of them had never crossed paths. Since the Prince was well aware of the fact that he is in a fairy tale, he believed that all will be well through the intervention of a magical third party. But unlike in traditional fairy tales, help did not land on his lap, nor did the Prince get what he wanted because he did something good or because he had admirable personal qualities. Instead, he actively sought somebody who was willing to come to his aid.

There are three characters present in The Frog Prince Continued which are indispensable in traditional fairy tales—the hero/ine (the Prince), the antagonist (the Witches), and the savior (the fairy godmother, supposedly)—and this retelling exaggerates and breaks the roles written for them by tradition. The Prince was able to detect that the Witches were up to no good and escaped before they can fulfill their role as the fairy tale’s antagonist or the hero’s nemesis. The Witches, on the other hand, were mistaken about the Prince’s intentions because they had stuck to the popular notion that the only purpose of princes in fairy tales is to vanquish them or save a helpless princess. And the only person willing to help him (the fairy godmother) fails at doing so.

In spite of its deviation from the traditional fairy tale, The Frog Prince Continued ended with a kiss and a happily-ever-after. The whimsical solution the Prince sought indirectly led to the resolution of their marital problems; his absence triggered the love the Princess still felt for him, which he recognized as the same love she had at the beginning of their marriage. The ending itself was a reversal of what happened in the original tale; the Prince was the one who kissed the Princess, and they both turned into frogs afterwards. Their transformation symbolized the change in their relationship and eliminated the issues they had about each other. Now that the Princess is an amphibian as well, she has no reason to be annoyed at the Prince’s frog-like behavior. And it is likely that the Prince frolicked in ponds with his Princess as they lived happily ever after.