|
|
|
|
Damsel in distress
|
| |
|
| |
The subject of the damsel in distress, or persecuted maiden, is a classic theme in world literature, art, and film. She is usually a young, nubile woman placed in a dire predicament by a villain or a monster and who requires a hero to dash to her rescue.
Discussion
Ask a question about 'Damsel in distress' Start a new discussion about 'Damsel in distress' Answer questions from other users |
Encyclopedia
The subject of the damsel in distress, or persecuted maiden, is a classic theme in world literature, art, and film. She is usually a young, nubile woman placed in a dire predicament by a villain or a monster and who requires a hero to dash to her rescue. She has become a stock character of fiction, particularly of melodrama.
The word "damsel" derives from the French demoiselle meaning "young lady". It is an archaic term not used in modern English except for effect or in expressions such as this, which can be traced back to the knight errant of Medieval songs and tales, who regarded the saving of such women as an essential part of his raison d'être.
The helplessness of the damsel in distress, who can be portrayed as foolish and ineffectual to the point of naivety, along with her need for others to rescue her, has made the stereotype the target of feminist criticism.
History
The first usage of damsels in distress
Classic examples of the damsel in distress theme feature in the stories of the ancient Greeks. Greek mythology, while featuring a large retinue of competent goddesses, also contains helpless maidens who are sacrificed or threatened with sacrifice. One famous example is Andromeda, whose mother offended Poseidon. Poseidon sent a beast to ravage the land, and Andromeda's parents fastened her to a rock in the sea to appease him. The hero Perseus slew the beast, saving Andromeda. Andromeda's plight, chained naked to a rock, became a favorite theme of later painters. This theme of the Princess and dragon is also pursued in the myth of St George.
The Middle Ages
European fairy tales frequently feature damsels in distress. Evil witches trapped Rapunzel in a tower, cursed the princess to die in Sleeping Beauty, and put Snow White into a magical sleep. In all of these fairy tales, a valourous prince comes to the maiden's aid, saves her, and marries her.
The damsel in distress was an archetypal character of medieval romances, where typically she was rescued from imprisonment in a tower of a castle by a knight-errant. Chaucer's Clerk's Tale of the repeated trials and bizarre torments of patient Griselda was drawn from Petrarch. The Emprise de l'Escu vert à la Dame Blanche (founded 1399) was a chivalric order with the express purpose of protecting oppressed ladies.
17th century
In the 17th Century English ballad The Spanish Lady (one of several English and Irish songs with that name), a Spanish lady captured by an English captain falls in love with her captor and begs him not to set her free but to take her with him to England, and in this appeal describes herself as "A lady in distress".
The 18th and 19th centuries
She makes her debut in the modern novel as the title character of Samuel Richardson's Clarissa (1748), where she is menaced by the wicked seducer Lovelace.
Reprising her medieval role, the damsel in distress is a staple character of Gothic literature, where she is typically incarcerated in a castle or monastery and menaced by a sadistic nobleman, or members of the religious orders. Early examples in this genre include Matilda in Horace Walpole's The Castle of Otranto, Emily in Ann Radcliffe's The Mysteries of Udolpho and Antonia in Matthew Lewis's The Monk.
The perils faced by this Gothic heroine were taken to an extreme by the Marquis de Sade in Justine, who, arguably, exposed the pornographic subtext which lay behind the damsel in distress scenario.
One exploration of the theme of the persecuted maiden is the fate of Gretchen in Goethe's Faust. According to the philosopher Schopenhauer:
The great Goethe has given us a distinct and visible description of this denial of the will, brought about by great misfortune and by the despair of all deliverance, in his immortal masterpiece Faust, in the story of the sufferings of Gretchen. I know of no other description in poetry. It is a perfect specimen of the second path, which leads to the denial of the will not, like the first, through the mere knowledge of the suffering of the whole world which one acquires voluntarily, but through the excessive pain felt in one’s own person. It is true that many tragedies bring their violently willing heroes ultimately to this point of complete resignation, and then the will-to-live and its phenomenon usually end at the same time. But no description known to me brings to us the essential point of that conversion so distinctly and so free from everything extraneous as the one mentioned in Faust. (The World as Will and Representation, Vol. I, §68)
From Victorian melodrama to movie serials
The misadventures of the damsel in distress of the Gothic continued in a somewhat caricatured form in Victorian melodrama. According to Michael Booth in his classic study English Melodrama the Victorian stage melodrama featured a limited number of stock characters: the hero, the villain, the heroine, an old man, an old woman, a comic man and a comic woman engaged in a sensational plot featuring themes of love and murder. Often the good but not very clever hero is duped by a scheming villain, who has eyes on the damsel in distress until fate intervenes at the end to ensure the triumph of good over evil.
Such melodrama influenced the fledgling cinema industry and led to damsels in distress being the subject of many early silent movies, especially those that were made as multi-episode serials. Early examples include The Adventures of Kathlyn in 1913 and The Hazards of Helen, which ran from 1914 to 1917. The silent movie heroines frequently faced new perils provided by the industrial revolution and catering to the new medium's need for visual spectacle. Here we find clichés such as the heroine tied to a railway track, burning buildings, and explosions. Sawmills were another stereotypical danger of the industrial age, as recorded in a popular song from a later era:
Another form of entertainment in which the damsel-in-distress emerged as a stereotype at this time was stage magic. Restraining attractive female assistants and imperiling them with blades and spikes was to become a staple of 20th century magicians. Noted illusion designer and historian Jim Steinmeyer identifies the beginning of this phenomenon as coinciding with the introduction of the "Sawing a woman in half" illusion. In 1921 magician P. T. Selbit became the first to present such an act to the public. Steinmeyer observes that: "Before Selbit's illusion, it was not a cliche that pretty ladies were teased and tortured by magicians. Since the days of Robert-Houdin, both men and women were used as the subjects for magic illusions". However changes in fashion and great social upheavals during the first decades of the 20th century made Selbit's choice of "victim" both practical and popular. The trauma of war had helped to desensitize the public to violence and the emancipation of women had changed attitudes to them. Audiences were tiring of older, more genteel forms of magic. It took something shocking, such as the horrific productions of the Grand Guignol theatre, to cause a sensation in this age. Steinmenyer concludes that: "...beyond practical concerns, the image of the woman in peril became a specific fashion in entertainment".
The damsel-in-distress continued as a mainstay of the film, television, and comics industries throughout the 20th century. Ann Darrow, as played by Fay Wray in the 1933 movie King Kong is among the most iconic instances. Wray's portrayal of an archetypal helpless heroine offered as sacrifice to a monstrous ape was not the first example of this plot device. The notorious hoax documentary Ingagi in 1930 also featured this idea and Wray's role was profitably repeated by Jessica Lange and Naomi Watts in remakes. As journalist Andrew Erish has noted: "Gorillas plus sexy women in peril equals enormous profits". Imperiled heroines in need of rescue were a frequent occurrence in black and white movie serials made by studios such as Mascot Pictures, Universal, Columbia and Republic Pictures in the 1930s, 1940s and early 1950s. These serials sometimes drew inspiration for their characters and plots from adventure novels and comic books. Notable examples include the character Nyoka the Jungle Girl, who was created by Edgar Rice Burroughs for comic books and was later adapted into a serial heroine in Republic productions such as Perils of Nyoka. Another classic damsel in that mould was Jane Porter in both the novel and movie versions of Tarzan.
One of the most frequently-cited examples of a damsel in distress in comic books is Lois Lane, who is eternally getting into trouble and needs to be rescued by Superman. Comics also gave the world Mary Jane Watson who is in need of rescue countless times in the Spider-Man franchise, and Olive Oyl who is in a near-constant state of kidnap, requiring her to be saved by Popeye.
Modern-era damsels in distress
A slightly more modern counterpart to the serial heroine is Daphne Blake from the Scooby-Doo cartoon series (who earned the nickname "Danger-Prone Daphne"). Other examples are April O'Neil from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Kagome Higurashi from the anime and manga Inuyasha.
Modern television writers and movie makers have sometimes reacted to the perceived cliche of the damsel in distress by presenting her in a camp style or by re-inventing her as a character who can be every bit as tough as male heroes or villains. The Scooby-Doo film portrays Daphne as a wisecracking feminist heroine (quote: "I've had it with this damsel in distress thing!") who takes on the demons on Spooky Island single-handedly, echoing Sarah Michelle Gellar's previous character Buffy Summers from Buffy the Vampire Slayer the character of Cordelia Chase from the same show is more close to the role. Furthermore the recent Ninja Turtles film portrays April O'Neil as Karai's equal in combat.
The Shrek franchise parodies the damsel in distress throughout the entire franchise, right from its beginnings when both Lord Farquaad and Princess Fiona alternately manipulate and perceive themselves as trapped by the cliche. In Shrek the Third, Princess Fiona, along with her mother Queen Lilian and three friends, Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty, are captured and imprisoned by Prince Charming. Fiona suggests they try to escape, but the others think it would be better for the prince to come and save them (sticking to the traditional damsel in distress plot). Fiona tells them it would be more rewarding to rescue themselves. The others are reluctant, but agree to follow Fiona.
Some modern-era damsels in distress are actually very strong and capable women who happen to end up in such a predicament while undertaking important and dangerous tasks. One of the best-known examples is Princess Leia Organa. In Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, she is captured by Darth Vader while trying to smuggle Imperial plans to the Alliance and she then faces torture on the Death Star until rescued by Luke Skywalker and his friends. In Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, she is held captive as a slavegirl by Jabba the Hutt during an operation to rescue Han Solo. Significantly, it is Leia who finally kills Jabba, which is an example of how modern era damsels are often robust and resourceful women who can hold their own when free.
Today's damsels in distress can even become villains or are villains who are complex enough to act damsel in distress, only to show their true colors later. An example is Elektra King in the James Bond film The World Is Not Enough. After her kidnap by Renard and the failure of her father and M to come to her aid King allies herself with her kidnapper. She poses as a damsel in distress to draw M into a trap. Another example is Sarah Kerrigan from the computer game StarCraft, who is abandoned by Arcturus Mengsk to the Zerg, the game's main antagonists. Kerrigan hates Mengsk for this and is transformed into the dreaded and manipulating Queen of Blades.
Another variation are former villains or minions of a villain who find themselves in need of rescue as they faced the wrath of the main villain for their betrayal. Pussy Galore in Goldfinger is a classic example. Another example is Meg in Hercules.
Video games still feature the occasional old-style damsel. Early video games often used a kidnapped damsel in distress as the main reason for the heroes to confront the villains. Princess Peach has required rescuing by Mario from the evil clutches of villains in games of the Mario Bros. franchise. A similar fate often befell Princess Zelda in early The Legend of Zelda games, although the titular character's role has expanded since the 1990s.
The damsel in distress underwent a revival of sorts in Halloween, Friday the 13th, and other slasher films of the 1980s. Here, though, she was played with a twist: there were several young women characters, most of whom (often those who had been sexually active or promiscuous) were killed by the serial killer villain, but one survived to defeat him. The young woman survivor herself became a stock character, the "final girl", embodied in examples such as Ellen Ripley in the Alien series. Sarah Connor, a damsel in distress in The Terminator, became the effective survivor type in Terminator 2: Judgment Day.
In classic gender inversion style, the character Prince Herbert from Monty Python and the Holy Grail (and later, Eric Idle's Emmy-winning Broadway musical, SPAMalot,) plays the role of damsel in distress perfectly, the humor of the sketch evoked precisely because the cliche is supposed to be a female one. Lancelot's confusion underscores the point: "I'm sorry, sir, but I thought your son was a lady!" to which the King of Swamp Castle replies: "Well, I can understand THAT!" Spamalot takes this inversion one step further to evolve Eric from "damsel in distress" into survivor, and then a liberator in his own right, when he helps to free Lancelot to understand and embrace his true self.
Critical and theoretical responses
Damsels in distress have been cited as an example of differential treatment of genders in literature, film, and works of art. Feminist criticism of art, film, and literature has often examined gender-oriented characterization and plot, including the common "damsel in distress" trope. Many modern writers, such as Angela Carter and Jane Yolen, have revisited classic fairy tales and "damsel in distress" stories or collected and anthologized stories and folk tales that break the "damsel in distress" pattern. Often, such stories reverse the gender disparity by empowering the "damsel," or by placing boys or men in distress to be rescued by the damsel.
Whilst late twentieth century feminist criticism may have highlighted alternatives to the damsel stereotype, the origins of some alternatives are to be found elsewhere. Joseph Campbell's work on comparative mythology has provided a theoretical model for heroes throughout the history of literature, drama and film, which has been further developed by dramaturgical writers such as Christopher Vogler. These theories suggest that within the underlying story arc of every hero is found an episode known as the ordeal, where the character is almost destroyed. By surviving fear, danger or torture the hero proves he or she has special qualities and ultimately emerges re-born to progress to ultimate victory. Within this theory the empowered "damsel" can be a female hero rendered powerless and imperiled during her heroic ordeal but who ultimately emerges as a strong figure who claims victory. However, the male and female versions of such ordeal and empowerment still differ at a fundamental level, in that when there is a character doing the rescuing (sometimes referred to as "help unlooked for"), he is almost invariably male.
Examples can be found in films that date back to the early days of movie making. One of the films most often associated with the stereotype of the damsel in distress, The Perils of Pauline (1914), in fact provides at least a partial counter example. Pauline, as played by Pearl White, is a strong character who decides against early marriage in favour of seeking adventure and becoming an author. Despite common belief, the film does not feature scenes with Pauline tied to a railroad track and threatened by a buzzsaw, although such scenes were incorporated into later re-makes and were also featured in other films made in the period around 1914. Academic Ben Singer has contested the idea that these "serial-queen melodramas" were male fantasies and has observed that they were marketed heavily at women. The first motion picture serial made in the United States, What Happened to Mary? (1912), was released to coincide with a serial story of the same name published in McClure's Ladies' World magazine.
Empowered damsels were a feature of the serials made in the 1930s and 1940s by studios such as Republic Pictures. The "cliffhanger" scenes at the end of episodes provide many examples of female heroines bound and helpless and facing fiendish death traps. But those heroines, as played by actresses such as Linda Stirling and Kay Aldridge, were often strong, assertive women who ultimately played an active part in vanquishing the villains.
These themes have received successive updates thanks to modern-era characters, ranging from spy girls of the 1960s to current movie and television heroines. In her book The Devil With James Bond (1967) Ann Boyd compared James Bond with an updating of the legend of St George and the "princess and dragon" genre, particularly with Dr. No's dragon tank. The female spy Emma Peel in the 1960s British television series The Avengers was often seen in "damsel in distress" situations. However the character and her reactions, as portrayed by actress Diana Rigg, differentiated theses scenes from other movie and television scenarios where women were similarly imperiled as pure victims or pawns in the plot. A scene with Emma Peel bound and threatened with a death ray in the episode From Venus with Love is a direct parallel to James Bond's confrontation with a laser in the film Goldfinger. Both are examples of the classic hero's ordeal as described by Campbell and Vogler. The serial heroines and Emma Peel are cited as providing inspiration for the creators of strong heroines in more recent times, ranging from Joan Wilder in Romancing the Stone and Princess Leia Organa in Star Wars to "post feminist" icons such as Buffy Summers in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Sydney Bristow in Alias.
Fetish
The figure of the damsel in distress is a feature of certain established fetishes within the field of BDSM. In particular, actresses playing damsels in distress in movies and television shows are often shown bound or restrained, resulting in images that appeal to some bondage fetishists.
There is a damsel in distress fan community supported through various websites and forums, which feature discussions as well as alerts for potential occurrences of scenes in forthcoming shows and movies. Enthusiasts post and share still images and video clips, generally editing the material to show only the parts where actresses are in some form of restraint. The term "Didcap" has been coined to describe a screen shot of this type. It is a portmanteau between DID, for "damsel in distress" and vidcap, for "video capture".
See also
Bibliography
- Mario Praz (1970) The Romantic Agony Chapter 3: 'The Shadow of the Divine Marquis'
- Robert K. Klepper, Silent Films, 1877-1996, A Critical Guide to 646 Movies, pub. McFarland & Company, ISBN 0786421649
|
| |
|
|
