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In fairy tales, a true love's kiss is a motif and commonly used trope whereby a

kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...

from a "true love" possesses magical powers and holds significant importance.

History

The phrase "true love's kiss" in storytelling is recorded as early as the 16th century. In

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's '' Richard III'', the title character uses the phrase "Bear her my true love's kiss" in act 4, scene 4. In 1697, '' Mother Goose Tales'', written by Charles Perrault, included the concept of a magical true love's kiss from the prince to awaken the princess from her 100-year slumber. The

Brothers Grimm The Brothers Grimm ( or ), Jacob (1785–1863) and Wilhelm (1786–1859), were a brother duo of German academics, philologists, cultural researchers, lexicographers, and authors who together collected and published folklore. They are among the ...

used the same motif in their adaptation of "

Sleeping Beauty ''Sleeping Beauty'' (french: La belle au bois dormant, or ''The Beauty in the Sleeping Forest''; german: Dornröschen, or ''Little Briar Rose''), also titled in English as ''The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods'', is a fairy tale about a princess cu ...

", "" ("Little Briar Rose". Another early example of true love's kiss can be found in the Grimms' "

The True Bride "The True Bride" or "The True Sweetheart" is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm in ''Grimm's Fairy Tales'' as tale 186. It combines two Aarne-Thompson types: 510, the persecuted heroine, and 884, the forsaken fiancée.D.L. Ash ...

" (), in which the heroine breaks the spell over her prince (an evil princess bewitched him to forget her) with true love's kiss.

In fiction

The concept of 'true love's kiss' appears frequently in contemporary

fairytale fantasy Fairytale fantasy is distinguished from other subgenres of fantasy by the works' heavy use of motifs, and often plots, from folklore. History Literary fairy tales were not unknown in the Roman era: Apuleius included several in ''The Golden Ass' ...

, including in various modern retellings of fairytales by

Walt Disney Pictures Walt Disney Pictures is an American film production company and subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is owned by The Walt Disney Company. The studio is the flagship producer of live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Studios unit ...

. * In contemporary adaptations of the tale of "

Snow White "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" is a 19th-century German fairy tale that is today known widely across the Western world. The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their collection '' Grimms' Fairy Tales'' and numbered as T ...

", including the 1937 Disney animated film ''

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" is a 19th-century German fairy tale that is today known widely across the Western world. The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their collection ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'' and numbered as T ...

'',

's curse of eternal sleep is broken by the love's first kiss of the prince. * In contemporary adaptations of the fairy tale of

, including the 1959 Disney animated film ''

'', Princess Aurora's curse of deep sleep (and the deep sleep across the entire kingdom) is broken by the true love's kiss of Prince Phillip. In the 2014 retelling in ''

Maleficent Maleficent ( or ) is a fictional character who appears as the main antagonist in Walt Disney Productions' 16th animated feature film, ''Sleeping Beauty'' (1959). She is represented as an evil fairy and the self-proclaimed " Mistress of All Evil ...

'', Aurora is revived by a kiss from

on the forehead, an indicator of her maternal love for her. * In contemporary retellings of the fairy tale of "

The Frog Prince "The Frog Prince; or, Iron Henry" (german: Der Froschkönig oder der eiserne Heinrich, literally "The Frog King or the Iron Henry") is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm and published in 1812 in ''Grimm's Fairy Tales'' (KHM 1). ...

", the frog's transformation to a prince is triggered by a princess kissing the frog. * In contemporary versions of the tale of "

The Little Mermaid "The Little Mermaid" ( da, Den lille havfrue) is a literary fairy tale written by the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. The story follows the journey of a young mermaid who is willing to give up her life in the sea as a mermaid to gain a ...

", including the 1989 Disney animated film ''

'',

Ariel Ariel may refer to: Film and television *Ariel Award, a Mexican Academy of Film award * ''Ariel'' (film), a 1988 Finnish film by Aki Kaurismäki * ''ARIEL Visual'' and ''ARIEL Deluxe'', 1989 and 1991 anime video series based on the novel series ...

must obtain true love's kiss from

Prince Eric This article lists information of animated original characters from Disney's ''The Little Mermaid'' franchise, covering the 1989 film, its prequel , its direct-to-video sequel and prequel films, and the stage musical adaptation. ''The Little ...

to remain human and break the spell cast by

Ursula The Sea-Witch Ursula is a fictional character who appears as the main antagonist in Walt Disney Pictures' 28th animated feature film ''The Little Mermaid'' (1989). Voiced by American actress Pat Carroll, Ursula is a villainous sea witch who offers a mermaid ...

. * In contemporary adaptations of the fairy tale of " La Belle et la Bête", including the 1991 Disney animated film ''

Beauty and the Beast ''Beauty and the Beast'' (french: La Belle et la Bête) is a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in ''La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins'' (''The Young American and Marine ...

'', the curse of the beast and his household is broken by the true love's kiss of Belle. * In the ''Shrek'' franchise, true love's kiss plays an integral role in the story plots, and has the power to break curses and spells, restore

Shrek ''Shrek'' is a 2001 American computer-animated comedy film loosely based on the 1990 book of the same name by William Steig. It is the first installment in the ''Shrek'' franchise. The film was directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jen ...

and

Princess Fiona Fiona is a fictional character in DreamWorks' ''Shrek'' franchise, first appearing in the animated film ''Shrek'' (2001). One of the film series' main characters, Fiona is introduced as a beautiful princess placed under a curse that transforms ...

to ogre and human form, and reverse alternate realities. * In the 2007 film, '' Enchanted'', true love's kiss possesses the only magic powerful enough to break the poisoned apple's curse. One of the songs in the film's soundtrack is also titled " True Love's Kiss". * In the 2013 book series ''

The School for Good and Evil ''The School for Good and Evil'' is a fantasy fairytale hexalogy of books by Soman Chainani. The first novel in the series was published on May 14, 2013. The series is set in a fictional widespread location known as the Endless Woods. The orig ...

'' and subsequent film adaptation, the concept of true love's kiss plays a role in the story as a central riddle, powerful plot device, and as a method to revive the dead. * In the 2018 film '' Charming'', Lenore brings

Prince Charming Prince Charming is a fairy tale stock character who comes to the rescue of a damsel in distress and must engage in a quest to liberate her from an evil spell. This classification suits most heroes of a number of traditional folk tales, includi ...

back to life with true love's kiss. * In the ''

Once Upon a Time "Once upon a time" is a stock phrase used to introduce a narrative of past events, typically in fairy tales and folk tales. It has been used in some form since at least 1380 (according to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'') in storytelling in t ...

'' series, true love's kiss is a frequent motif throughout the storyline. For example, the

Wicked Witch of the West The Wicked Witch of the West is a fictional character who appears in the classic children's novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' (1900), created by American author L. Frank Baum. In Baum's subsequent ''Oz'' novels, it is the Nome King who is ...

shares true love's kiss with Hades, and

Dorothy Gale Dorothy Gale is a fictional character created by American author L. Frank Baum as the protagonist in many of his ''Oz'' novels. She first appears in Baum's classic 1900 children's novel '' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' and reappears in most of it ...

share's true love's kiss with

Little Red Riding Hood "Little Red Riding Hood" is a European fairy tale about a young girl and a sly wolf. Its origins can be traced back to several pre-17th century European folk tales. The two best known versions were written by Charles Perrault and the Brot ...

Criticism

During the 21st century, the concept of "true love's kiss" has faced some criticism due to concerns around

consent Consent occurs when one person voluntarily agrees to the proposal or desires of another. It is a term of common speech, with specific definitions as used in such fields as the law, medicine, research, and sexual relationships. Consent as und ...

and depictions of kissing asleep persons. Some critics have associated the trope of "true love's kiss" with heteronormativity and traditional gender stereotypes.Richardson, B. J. (2012)
''Once upon a fairytale romance'' (unpublished thesis)

Texas State University Texas State University is a public research university in San Marcos, Texas. Since its establishment in 1899, the university has grown to the second largest university in the Greater Austin metropolitan area and the fifth largest university ...

, San Marcos, Texas.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:True love's kiss Literary archetypes Literary motifs