Evil Stepmothers & Wicked Witches


“Ambitious women in the fairy tales are always portrayed as evil from within, ugly and scheming, wielding [power] over other women and men… The stepmothers in fairy tales bear negative and repulsive traits, such as vanity, jealousy and pride. Combined with these traits are their knowledge of magic and sorcery.” (Nanda, 2014)


Hated characters; evil stepmothers, tricky witches, and beautiful sorceresses, generally the cause of our princess’ (or princess’ to be) trials and tribulations, portray the inherent evil to rebel against and escape from. Most of these villains are fated for gruesome ends as punishment for those they’ve wronged. Not all evil stepmothers possess magical powers, and not all those with magical powers are portrayed as evil. However the importance of the role evil stepmothers and witches play in advancing the storyline is seen in many popular fairytales.


Evil Stepmothers

The story of Cinderella holds one of the most, if not the most, iconic ‘Evil Stepmother’ characters. Focusing on Disney’s representations of this character in their retelling of Cinderella (1950), Lady Tremaine (although as a child I knew her only as ‘the evil stepmother’) continues to be a frightening character to this day. As a child, she was simply an unreasonable parent. As an adult, she is a reminder that evil is often human. The Evil Queen from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1939) provides a second example of an evil stepmother, this time with magical powers. Both of these characters play irreplaceable roles in their respective stories. For Cinderella, the cruel and abusive acts of her stepmother and stepsisters provide the backdrop for her own self-discovery (with some magical help) allowing her character to flourish. Though the acts of Lady Tremaine appear cruel when compared with ‘normal’ life, they seem inconsequential when compared with the acts of The Evil Queen. ‘Vanity, jealousy and pride’ all rear their heads in this story. While the story gives the impression that the focus is on Snow White, she is ultimately a passive participant in the decisions of those around her (a common theme in Disney movies, but that idea deserves its own website). The story is instead based around the decisions and actions of the Evil Queen, who serves as the agent of change throughout the entirety of the plot.


Wicked Witches

In addition to our evil and powerful stepmothers, witches are often the villains in our fairytales. For this conversation my definition of witch is loose, referring simply to ‘those with supernatural abilities who are also framed as negative in character’. The representations I will be discussing are Disney’s Maleficent, Ursula, and Mother Gothel, from Sleeping Beauty (1959), The Little Mermaid (1989), & Tangled (2010) respectively. Maleficent was my favorite female villain as a child. Classified as an evil fairy within the story, she was not invited to the christening of the royal princess and reacts offensively at this perceived disrespect, laying a curse on the young babe to come to fruition before her 16th birthday. She does not create more trouble for the princess until it’s almost time for her birthday celebration, wherein she lures her to a spinning wheel and entices her to prick her finger and fall into a deep sleep. An interesting aspect of Maleficent’s character is the dichotomy between her beauty and the violent animalistic form (dragon) she is given at the time of her death. This showcases the ways that powerful and beautiful women can be viewed negatively based on the perceived power they might wield over others. Though "often there is a clear link between beauty and goodness and between ugliness and evil” (Nanda, 2014), it can be interpreted that beauty (also seen in the Evil Queen in the stepmother category, though she could also be classified as a witch) is also used to represent inherent evil. Ursula, however, does follow the above mentioned concept, showcasing a direct aesthetic antithesis to the young, slender, and ‘beautiful’ Ariel. Proclaimed as a dangerous and powerful sea witch, Ariel seeks out her help to earn the love of a human she met. Ursula is a character Disney took full liberties with, existing only as a nameless witch in the original Hans Christian Anderson Tale. Thus, the role of the character is even more interesting. She is conniving and uses Ariel’s trust in her to meet her own ends. However, without Ursula, our princess would likely have never been able to find Eric again, and thus Ursula’s actions do indirectly provide our princess the tools for her happily ever after. Maleficent and Ursula are easy examples of the inherent evil of powerful witches in these fairy tales. For my last example, Mother Gothel, I am hesitant to label her wicked or evil as her intent was never to cause direct harm to the princess and instead served as her protector and mother for much of the storyline. “Despite the fact that the Grimms never claimed she was a witch, translations into English referred to Frau Gothel as a witch rather than a sorceress, perhaps in an attempt to cast her in a more negative light than the Grimms seemed willing to use” (D’Aquin, 2014). Like Ursula, liberties were taken with Mother Gothel in the Disney retelling of this story. She kidnaps young Rapunzel from her loving parents and locks her in a tower with the intent of keeping her powerful hair to herself. Mother Gothel in Disney’s portrayal is driven to do this because of her need to stay young and beautiful, again bringing the traits of ‘vanity, jealousy and pride’ to the forefront of our villain. Isolating her young ward to a tower may seem wicked, though compared with the acts of Maleficent, Ursula, or the Evil Queen, who aimed to murder or overtake their adversaries entirely, it’s hard to label Mother Gothel as evil. As Disney’s Tangled was released in 2010, I anticipate that some edits to the story showcase their desire to represent their princess’ with more independence and control. Changing the the passive role of the princesses, seen in their films in the decades past, to a more active one in their current happily ever after, reflects a similar changes in society. Though all of these are complex villains, they meet the same fate in these films. Maleficent is slain while in her dragon form at the hands of the handsome prince. Ursula is eliminated during a battle by Prince Eric. And Mother Gothel’s advanced age catches up with her when Rapunzel’s magic hair is cut by her (not prince) romantic interest.