- Source: Evil Queen
The Evil Queen, also called the Wicked Queen or simply the Queen, is a fictional character and the main antagonist of "Snow White", a German fairy tale recorded by the Brothers Grimm. The most popular adaptation of the Evil Queen is from Disney's Snow White. The character has also become an archetype that has inspired unrelated works.
The Evil Queen is Snow White's wicked stepmother, obsessed with being "the fairest in the land". When the Queen's magic mirror reveals that the young princess Snow White surpasses her in beauty, she decides to kill her using witchcraft. After Snow White is rescued, the Queen is executed for her crimes. The tale is didactic, meant as a warning to young children against the dangers of narcissism, pride, and hubris, and showing the triumph of good over evil.
In some retellings of the fairy tale, the Queen has been re-imagined or portrayed more sympathetically. In some such stories, she serves as the protagonist, and has even been portrayed as an antihero or a tragic hero.
The Brothers Grimm tale
= Story
=The Evil Queen is a beautiful, proud, and arrogant woman who marries the King after the death of his first wife, Snow White's mother. The Evil Queen owns a magic mirror, which one day informs her that her young stepdaughter, the seven-year-old Princess Snow White, has surpassed her in beauty "a thousand times".
The Queen orders her Huntsman to take the princess into the forest and murder her, bringing back Snow White's lungs and liver as proof. However, the Huntsman takes pity on Snow White and brings the Queen the organs of a wild boar instead. The Queen has the cook prepare them and eats what she believes are Snow White's organs.
Upon questioning her mirror again, the Queen discovers Snow White's survival with the Seven Dwarfs. Intending to kill Snow White herself, she disguises herself as an old peddler woman. She visits the dwarfs' house and sells Snow White laces for a corset, lacing it too tight to suffocate her. When this fails, she returns as a comb seller and tricks Snow White into using a poisoned comb. After this also fails, she proclaims "Snow White shall die... even if it costs me my life!". Disguised as a farmer's wife, she gives Snow White a poisoned apple, which puts her into a deep sleep.
Snow White is awakened by a kiss from a Prince and they invite the Queen to their wedding. Driven by jealousy, she attends and is forced to wear red-hot iron shoes and dance until she dies.
= Alternative fates
=The classic ending of "Snow White" involves the Queen's death by torture. Alternative endings include the Queen choking on her own envy, her shoes becoming hot due to her anger, dying instantly of anger, dying in front of her mirror, falling victim to her own poison, dying by natural causes, being killed by the dwarfs, being destroyed by her mirror, disappearing into the forest, or being banished. As Sara Maitland wrote, "We do not tell this part of the story any more; we say it is too cruel and will break children's soft hearts." Many modern revisions soften the ending, with the Queen being banished or dying accidentally. For example, in Snow White: An Islamic Tale, Snow White forgives her stepmother, leading to repentance and redemption. However, a 2014 UK poll found that while the Queen is considered the scariest fairy tale character, many believe stories are too sanitized.
= Origins and evolution
=In the Grimms' 1812/1815 edition, the Queen is Snow White's biological mother. Later versions made her the stepmother. This change likely reflects the Grimms' reverence for motherhood. The wicked stepmother archetype, however, predates the Grimms. For example, Musäus' "Richilde" (1782) features a similar character. The Grimms also knew of a play, Snow White (1809), by Albert Ludwig Grimm (no relation), which treated the Queen more gently. The wicked stepmother with magical powers is a recurring fairy tale theme. Equivalents to the Evil Queen appear in Snow White-like tales worldwide, sometimes as wicked sisters, sisters-in-law, or the prince's mother.
= Interpretations
=Some scholars see the story as having ageist undertones. The Queen's power is tied to her beauty, which makes witchcraft her only recourse as she ages. Some interpret the story through the lens of female stereotypes and psychoanalytic theories. The Queen's brutal punishment is seen by some as a necessary element for a satisfying narrative and moral lesson.
Adaptations
The Queen's character varies widely across adaptations. Disney's 1937 film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, features the iconic Queen Grimhilde, whose vanity and jealousy lead to her demise. Later adaptations have explored her backstory, motivations, and even portrayed her sympathetically.
= Disney's Snow White franchise
== Live-action film and television
=1916-2000
2001-2020s
= Animated film and television
== Long-form literature
== Short-form literature
== Other works
=See also
Black Annis
Wicked fairy (Sleeping Beauty)
References
= Bibliography
=Holston, Kim R. (2018). Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Film Sequels, Series and Remakes: An Illustrated Filmography, Volume II (1996-2016). McFarland. ISBN 9780786496853.
Schwabe, Claudia (2019). Craving Supernatural Creatures: German Fairy-Tale Figures in American Pop Culture. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 9780814341971.
Smoodin, Eric (2012). BFI Film Classics: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Palgrave Macmillan (on the behalf of the British Film Institute). ISBN 9781844574759.
Slethaug, Gordon E. (2014). Adaptation Theory and Criticism: Postmodern Literature and Cinema in the USA. Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 9781623560287.
Zipes, Jack (2011). The Enchanted Screen: The Unknown History of Fairy-Tale Films. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9781135853952.
Zipes, Jack (2013). Why Fairy Tales Stick: The Evolution and Relevance of a Genre. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9781135204341.
Zipes, Jack (2015). The Oxford Companion to Fairy Tales. OUP Oxford. ISBN 9780191004162.
Zipes, Jack (2016). Grimm Legacies: The Magic Spell of the Grimms' Folk and Fairy Tales. Princeton University Press. ISBN 9780691173672.
= Citations
=External links
Media related to Queen (Snow White) at Wikimedia Commons
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