Maleficent. Healing. Defrosting With Love

2024 Author: Harry Day | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 15:43

Not so long ago, in the format of cultural and entertainment leisure, I revisited the famous Anglo-American fairy tale "Maleficent" for the company with my youngest daughter. Several years ago we got acquainted with this film in the cinema, after the picture was released on the big screens. And they were impressed. Everything in this film - the dramatic twists and turns of the plot, the talented acting performance, the staginess of the production - piercingly touches the viewer. But the most important thing in the aforementioned fairy tale seems to me its allegories, metaphors, meanings. It is this - the semantic background of this picture that I would like to analyze in my publication. Focusing on the drama experienced by the main character, and later on how the highly common psychological trauma of rejection and betrayal was healed.

First, let's remember the plot …

Who is Maleficent?

This is a winged fairy wizard from a magical land bordering the human world. The world of fairies and the world of people have been at enmity for a long time according to a fairy tale plot. Or rather, they did not get along. And this is not surprising: the two dimensions existed according to different laws, were guided by different guidelines, proceeded from different priorities. And yet, the opponents were adult representatives of the worlds, but not children. Children are at all times closer to angels, not people, and are subject to the call of the heart, and not to the rules written by someone. This is how two wonderful children from different worlds met - a small, forest fairy Maleficent and an earthly boy from the world of people named Stefan. In their communication there was not a shadow of rationality and self-interest, they were friends out of simple disposition and sincere sympathy for each other. Their friendship was filled with children's fun, sparkling fun, joy and kindness … As time went on Maleficent and Stefan grew up and turned into a beautiful, loving couple, once symbolically married. And everything would be fine if Stefan had not unexpectedly been seduced by the promised power, position and wealth for the head of the forest fairy. His monstrous betrayal shocks the audience. Seduced by the status of a king, the boy agrees to murder, but his strong affection for the girl does not allow him to deprive the forest friend of his life and he fakes her death by cutting off the sorceress's wings and giving them to the angry king. The friendship and love of former lovers is thereby defeated forever.

A small analysis of the symbolism allowed by the plot. Please note: the guy is depriving his beloved of the wings. This looks very symbolic. More (until the very end of the film) Maleficent will not be able to soar above the ground. In other words, to love, to be inspired, to create. Boneless, devoid of height and flight, the fairy (in an allegorical sense) is no longer able to mentally rise above the evil woven into the existence of her life. She is humanized, grounded and becomes the embodiment of both good and bad at the same time.

Punishment for betrayal. Dislike breeds further dislike

Stephen, who brought the wings of the forest mistress to the palace, is appointed by the king and marries the daughter of his successor … Soon a girl is born to the young. Inhabitants of all regions are drawn to the palace to congratulate their parents and their newborn child. Suddenly, an uninvited forest princess, Maleficent, appears on the holiday … Since the moment of crushing betrayal, she has changed beyond recognition - an icy winter settled in her heart, following the grief she experienced, her mind is overflowing with a desperate desire for revenge on the one who so mercilessly outraged her and her trust, trampled on her loyal love. And under the influence of these feelings, the fairy darkened by betrayal casts a spell on the newborn child, dooming the tiny girl upon reaching 17 years of age to inevitable death. The king begs for leniency to his daughter and Maleficent, not even though, allows softening: death will be a dream, perhaps eternal, unless the girl is awakened by the kiss of true love … Maleficent no longer believes in love, and therefore considers softening to be conditional …

Here is the main plot of a dramatic movie tale. But its further development and the culminating ending are no less shocking than the previous twists and turns …

An attempt to avoid the imposed spell or punishment for a sin once committed

In order to protect his daughter from the imposed spell, the king sends the girl to three sorceresses, away from human eyes, so that no one and nothing in the human world could harm his daughter. Three kind, but not accustomed to raising children, fairies, admitting a number of numerous absurdities, raise a human child in a relatively safe space. Maleficent, on the other hand, is forced to look after the little girl so that the negligent educators inadvertently (through inability) do not harm the girl before the time she predicted. Thus, in the process of allowed participation in the child's life, Maleficent unexpectedly becomes attached to the girl, and she, considering her as a fairy godmother, loves her infinitely … Realizing how dear her pupil is, Maleficent tries to remove her spell, but the witchcraft, imposed in a fit of insane hatred, has an inviolable force and upon reaching Aurora 17 years old, is inexorably realized. Having plunged into the foretold oblivion, the beautiful girl turns off from life, in essence she dies. And, to the great regret of the audience, as if irreparable. Since in this story there is no hope for the miraculous salvation of the heroine. Because the main participants in the tale (as before) are incapable of love. One changes the sacred, heavenly feeling for earthly pleasures, blessings; the second, including violent hatred, does irreparable harm. Thus, both personify monstrous malice, extreme selfishness is not love.

And yet, a fairy tale would not be a fairy tale if there was no place in it for a real, light miracle of blessed, redemptive, saving, sacred LOVE.

Maleficent - Aurora. Redemption. Healing. Defrosting

Maleficent is grieving over the loss of her pupil. Right now, in a moment of irreparable grief, she realizes how unforgivable her terrible hatred, once admitted, and how irreparable the loss is. Maleficent weeps over the lifeless pupil, pouring tears over her, and gives her a farewell, but LIVE kiss. A living kiss, following the example of living water, unexpectedly revives Aurora. Since it is in the LIVING relation that LIVING LOVE is contained. The one who, by the assumption of an evil spell, could raise the princess who had fallen asleep forever. Love expiates an indestructible punishment, someone else's betrayal and the witch's own sin. And he performs a saving, magical Miracle, bringing the princess back to life.

A small analysis of the symbolism allowed by the plot. Love, once betrayed, as we see, is still present in Maleficent's heart. She only falls asleep, calming down for a while. Since a betrayal once committed gives birth to SUCH unbearable, fatal PAIN in the heroine's heart, that it would not be possible to do without a conditional freeze (REMOVAL AND CLOSE). Otherwise, the bleeding heart would have burst to smithereens, died. Such anesthesia in case of such injuries is a real chance for further presence in life. A frozen heart closes and lives by a false law. Allegorically, it becomes far from the sky, but it beats and lives. But this distortion, thank God, has a saving chance, and it consists in the victory over the dislike imposed by betrayal, in the salvation of the once trampled love, in its redemptive and healing power … The magical Light awakened in Maleficent's heart revives not only her unfortunate soul, but also the one by whom he was lit, restored - the beautiful, divine Aurora. And this miraculous chain is not accidental, because LOVE IS CALLED TO GIVE, MULTIPLE AND CONTINUE THE BREATH OF LIFE.

The ending of the fairytale plot. The return of the wings

Aurora, awakened by a kiss, returns her wings to her mentor, and she regains the sacred ability to fly and heavenly height.

A small analysis of the symbolism allowed in the fairy tale. True love requires HEIGHT, FLIGHT, WINGS. Love is another - a spiritual dimension close to the HEAVENLY, healing earthly relationships, ailments. The return of Maleficent's ability to fly has an unconditional allegorical meaning and informs the viewer about the healing of a wound that happened once. The trauma of cruel rejection is healed by the resuscitation of once extinct love. Spiritual harmony has been restored, thereby revealing blessed happiness and light in the field of its participants.

The main psychological conclusion

What, friends, does this magical story tell metaphorically? First of all, that no one on this earth is immune from betrayal and treason. Even the powerful fairy sorceress could not escape him. Betrayal and betrayal are part of earthly existence, admitted metaphysical suffering, which does not at all detract from the presence of a living, real feeling. Rather, on the contrary - ardent, genuine affection ultimately corrects any distorted truth, healing the reality twisted by betrayal, correcting the wounds it inflicted and aligning fate. You will ask why? Yes, everything is simple: it is in LOVE that the TRUE BEGINNING, the TRUE SOURCE, the SACRED LIGHT is present, in other words - GOD. Falling as a result of betrayal into the exclusion zone - LOVE, we become involuntary apostates from the LIGHT. And returning to ourselves the lost ability to love, we come to a high communion with GOD. This psychological formula is remarkably expressed in a fairy tale, as a reminder of the main values of life, so that we, the participants in our own personal stories, are guided by them, MULTIPLICING LOVE.