book / 1990
Shrek!
William Steig's picture book sends an ugly, fearless ogre through a comic fairy-tale world that treats being unwanted as a kind of freedom.
Verified facts
- Author
- William Steig
- Published
- 1990
- Language
- English
PlotGeeks explainer signals
Why read this explainer
Shrek enjoys the qualities that frighten everyone else. The mirror room briefly interrupts that confidence before the princess shares it.
PlotGeeks note
The witch's prediction makes an uglier princess a destination Shrek welcomes. Their meeting completes a courtship built on mutual delight in ugliness.
Connected knowledge
Connected in PlotGeeks
Related explainers and browse pages for Shrek!.
- Compare with Shrek
Compare what changes between the 1990 book and the 2001 film.
Timeline
Major events
- Shrek leaves home
The ogre enters the world with confidence rather than shame.
- The fairy-tale world reacts
People and creatures fear or challenge him, but he keeps enjoying himself.
- The princess matches his strangeness
Romance works because both characters reject normal prettiness.
- The ending celebrates oddness
The story closes by letting the monster remain himself.
Story in 60 Seconds
The short version
Shrek's parents send him out to cause trouble. A witch predicts that a donkey will carry him to a castle, where he will defeat a knight and marry a princess uglier than himself. Enjoying his ability to frighten others, he travels through the countryside and reaches the castle. A hall of mirrors briefly terrifies him before he recognizes his own reflections. Beyond it he meets the princess and finds that they delight in each other's appearance. Their marriage fulfills the prediction without making either of them beautiful or asking them to change what they enjoy.
Spoiler sectionEnding ExplainedShow ending detailsHide ending details
Shrek and the princess fall in love and marry. Neither changes appearance or manners to fit a conventional fairy-tale wedding. The closing joke imagines them continuing to frighten other people together. Their shared pleasure in being ugly extends Shrek's confidence into companionship rather than turning him into a handsome prince.
Original context
Why it matters
Shrek enjoys frightening people
Ugliness gives him confidence and power within a fairy-tale world that usually rewards beauty. The story follows his pleasure without arranging a physical transformation.
Key turning points
The princess welcomes what others fear
Her attraction gives Shrek a companion who shares his delight in their appearance. The witch's prediction becomes a mutually desired marriage.
Character links
Who connects to whom
Character motivations
Shrek wants to meet the predicted princess
The prospect of someone uglier than himself excites him. He pursues that meeting without seeking approval from the people he frightens.
Adaptation
Book and film connection
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