The Monomyth in The Princess Diaries Essay Example

It is difficult to believe that the 2001 Disney “chick flick,” The Princess Diaries, and the ancient hero’s tale and epic poem, Homers’ Odyssey, could have anything in common with one another. However, these two works of literature and art have a myriad of shocking similarities. In fact, according to a theory by Joseph Campbell, they actually follow the same exact plot. This theory, he Monomyth, is based on Homer’s Odyssey and states that all movies and books observe the same basic plot structure. Does this theory apply to a Disney film made thousands of years after Homer’s Odyssey with a target audience of adolescent girls? Yes, it unquestionably does. The movie, The Princess Diaries, adheres to the monomyth; therefore, it proves the theory. 

In The Princess Diaries, the hero, Mia Thermopolis, undergoes the separation phase when she is made aware of her responsibilities as princess of Genovia and eventually accepts those responsibilities. Mia’s call to adventure occurs during a conversation with her grandmother, Queen Clarisse Renaldi of Genovia. During this conversation, Mia learns that she is a princess and the aire to the throne of Genovia. Her grandmother invites her to attend a ball, at which she will claim the throne, and offers to give her princess lessons. This is the point when Mia is called to action. Mia initially declines this call by refusing to fulfill her duties as Princess. Mia leaves her conversation with her grandmother in a rage. When Mia Arrives at home, she freaks out at her mother and is full of resentment towards her family for keeping her role as princess a secret from her. She is in a state of desolation and feels abandoned by her family. This is the refusal of call in Mia Thermopolis’s case. With a little convincing from her supernatural aid, her grandmother, Mia agrees to attend princess lessons and go to the ball. Although Mia does not verbally say that she will take the throne at the end of her training, the future princess is unconsciously committed to the throne. At this point, Mia officially crosses the threshold by agreeing to leave her old life in the past for the life of a princess. 

Mia’s initiation phase in The Princess Diaries is marked by the change that she undergoes during her princess training. The first time the viewer notices a change in our hero is when she takes a limo to school. This is something that the old Mia would have never dreamed of doing. This act of separation from her former self represents the belly of the whale, which is followed by the road of trials. First, Mia must meet the beauty standards for princesses. Mia originally fails this test, but she is later given a makeover and completely changes her appearance. Mia feels the pressure of her title as a princess when she is swarmed by a throng of paparazzi at school. The young and inexperienced princess does not know how to handle herself in a situation like this. Finally, Mia behaves inappropriately for a princess at the state dinner and proves that she is not quite ready to be the princess of Genovia. All of these challenges that Mia overcomes are part of her road of trials. They prove that Mia is still partially the girl that she used to be. In each situation, Mia’s caregiver and sage, her grandmother, helps her out. When Mia meets Michael at the garage, she experiences an all-powerful love that controls her for the rest of the movie. According to the Monomyth, this is called the meeting with the goddess. However, Michael is not a goddess at all; he is the lover and the regular guy in Mia’s life and in this movie. Mia experiences temptation when she is invited to the beach party with Josh Bryant. Mia bails on plans with her best friend, Lily, and Michael to go to this beach party. This contemptible behavior seems out of character for our hero. Her motivation for this behavior is even more out of character for the princess, who values her true friends and her family more than anything else.  Mia is tempted by dating the most popular boy in school and going to exclusive parties. When Mia succumbs to temptation, she shows the viewer just how much change she has undergone. In the second half of her initiation phase, Mia is faced with the consequences of her actions and discovers her true self as a result. The second half of her initiation phase begins with an unpleasant conversation between Mia and Queen Clarise. In this conversation, the Queen chides her granddaughter for her behavior at the beach party. This is the atonement with the father. Shortly, after this conversation, Mia apologizes to Lily for bailing on their plans without notice. What Lily says after this changes Mia’s perspective and forces Mia to appreciate her status as a princess. As a result, Mia better understands her role as a friend and her role as princess of Genovia. This is the apostasis of the film. Although it seems as if becoming a princess is most important to Mia, the true goal of Mia’s quest is to find herself. The ultimate boon is the point when Mia proves that she no longer cares what others think of her. The old Mia put up with Lana and the other popular girls making fun of her and her friends. However, new Mia shoves her ice cream cone into Lana’s cheer uniform. Mia standing up to the popular girls is a huge achievement because the old Mia cared deeply about what the popular people thought of her. Before Mia can enter the return stage of her quest, she must go through the refusal of return step. When Mia´s grandmother asks that Mia make a speech at the ball in order to resign as the princess of Genovia, she attempts to run away from home. She does this out of fear of disappointing her grandmother and everyone else. In this part of the movie, Mia is once again is worried about what people think of her. This signifies the slight relapse that Mia experiences after achieving the goal of her quest. 

Mia’s experience at the Genovian Independence Day Ball represents her return or restitution phase. On her way to the ball, Mia’s convertible breaks down, and she is left stranded in the rain. Time is running out, but Mia is rescued by Joseph. Mia makes it to the ball just as Queen Clarise is about to resign on Mia’s behalf. This is the magic flight. Although the rescue from without occurs a bit out of order, it is certainly present in the movie. It occurs when Mia discovers a note from her father, which encourages Mia to be audacious. This note is what rescues Mia during her refusal of the return phase. Although he is not present, Mia’s father is another sage in her life. When Mia gives a speech at the ball, she has officially crossed the return threshold. Not only is Mia reflecting on what she learned, but she is also sharing her recently gained knowledge. During this speech, Mia also demonstrates her newfound temerity when she agrees to be the princess of Genovia. The princess is the master of two worlds while dancing with Michael at the ball. In this scene, Michael symbolizes Mia’s old world, and the ball symbolizes Mia’s new world. Combining the old world and the new world in one scene confirms that Mia has achieved perfect balance. Ultimately, Mia is given the freedom to live. The last scene depicts Mia on the plane to Genovia with her cat by her side. Mia is finally free of fear and insecurity and is ready to start her new life in Genovia without leaving behind her old friends and her boyfriend.

After watching the full movie, it is clear that Mia Thermopolis, the hero and protagonist, has taken a circular path. Just like in any movie or novel, the hero in The Princess Diaries goes through a separation phase, an initiation phase, and a return phase. The aforementioned is certainly a movie that adheres to the monomyth. It seems as if the writers of this film utilized the monomyth as a model when outlining the plot. Perhaps, this is how a myriad of formidable movies and novels are created. How fascinating it is that an audience can observe the same plot over and over again and are intrigued by it every time! Joseph Campell’s monomyth may just be the key to captivating writing, as well as the key to foretelling any fiction text or film. 

WORKS CITED

The Princess Diaries. Directed by Gary Marshal, performances by Anne Hathaway, Julie Andrews, Heather Matarazzo, Mandy Moore, Hector Elizondo, Caroline Goodall, Erik von Detten, Robert Schwartzman, Walt Disney Pictures, 2001.