My Cart - Tropes in film and TV are quite common. A trope is a device used for storytelling purposes as a shortcut to describe situations. Various types of tropes are associated with female characters and, although they are here named as princesses, being royalty isn’t necessary to qualify.
The following list showcases just a few of these Princess tropes you can find either in film or TV.
[WARNING: Spoilers may lie ahead!]
Badass Princess
The opposite of the Damsel in Distress, who is very passive, like the weekly female victim in Supernatural, the Badass Princess fights alongside the hero instead of sitting around in the castle waiting to be saved.
Daenerys Targaryen is a great, recent TV example of this trope. Initially married off to the warlord leader of the Dothraki, Khal Drogo, Daenerys’ royal ties to the Seven Kingdoms quickly become apparent through her actions, and her hatching of dragon eggs grant her the title “mother of Dragons”.
Daddy’s Little Villain
A female relative of the villain, daughter being most typical, who shares the same ambitions and cruelty. If her father dies, she will be sure to avenge him and carry out his will. Even if she joins the hero’s side, she will do it because of her own goals and will never truly be good.
Talia Al Ghul from The Dark Knight Rises wants to complete her dead father’s evil plan, and she’ll stop at nothing to do it. She is a force to be reckoned with, as a Daddy’s Little Villain has little to no morals to stand in the way of achieving their goals.
Spoiled Brat
The Spoiled Brat Princess is the typical, “scream until I get what I want” character. Whether a child or an adult, she will be commonly referred to as a spoiled brat, especially if still relying on her parents’ money. Veruca Salt from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a great example of a spoiled brat.
Spoiled Sweet
If a Princess is Spoiled Sweet, she will be naïve and rich, but very nice and kind to everyone she meets. She’s loyal as a friend and doesn’t use her money or popularity as excuses to treat everyone badly. Elle Woods from Legally Blonde is a rich, shallow, and beautiful character who, when she gets accepted to Harvard, despite the belief she couldn’t, doesn’t resort to mean behaviour and only focuses on being the best student.
Princess Classic
This is the most common Princess trope, representing good and innocence, which has been present since the Victorian Era. Her main traits are being actual royalty (either by adoption, birth, or marriage), always beautiful, and always elegant. Incapable of defending herself, she is so shy and delicate that she must be protected at all costs.
This trope is very present in Disney Princesses, especially in the Original Era Princesses: Aurora, Snow White, and Cinderella. The positive aspect of this trope is, as this Princess is a blank slate, she can be built up to any other more active trope, like Badass Princess.
These commonly recurring tropes can be found in practically every film or TV show, if you happen to be looking for them. Do you have a favourite trope? Or one you hate?
