The movie pans labyrinth shows different characters and the roles that they play in the movie. This analysis is set to look at the two characters. The analysis will look at their roles regarding personal, political, sociological and psychological view. The roles of these characters in the film portray the general situation in the real society. The film is known to have portrayed Spain as patriarchy where the men control the larger portion of the society. This character analysis will look at the nature of the society and the manner in which people react to different situations. There are a lot of instances that prove the presence of given themes in the book.
Ofelia is the protagonist in this film. From the start of the film, she is soon to be trying against the rules in the society. From her perspective, Ofelia is a woman who is out to stop the practices that do not respect the nature of women. She is seen by the men as an obstacle towards the administration that is controlled by men. On her side, she feels that she is right since she is fighting for women in the society. The role she has on a personal level is to ensure that women also get the same rights as the men. Her instincts tell her that it is good to fight for the rights of women in the society. The society has been viewing women as the base upon which patriarchy is cultivated (Eber, 2007).
Looking at Ofelia’s role from a sociological perspective, it is evident that she tries to bring out society in a different perspective. Though she is seen as being feminist, she might be right on the part of the women as she tries to create a society that is balanced. She is also seen as a person with a great sense of care. She helps other people in the society. She is a character who is willing to take a gun for another person. This is evident in the last episodes when she is willing to get killed instead of the brother. In her perception, she believes that by dying she is being born into a princess who will ultimately save the women. Her life is seen to influence other women to fight for the rights of women in the society. Ofelia, from childhood, is seen to go against the rules that have been set by the society. Looking at Ofelia from a political perspective, we can see that she is interested not only in the issues affecting the women in the society but the leadership of the region. She is opposed to the fact that a king is a man and that he is the only one who is allowed to go into the labyrinth. She is daring and is even ready to break some of the rules that have been made by the patriarchal society. She experiences trouble as a result of the fact that she is always breaking the rules that have been set by the society.
The geographical perspective of the women looks into the manner in which women are treated and the manner in which Ofelia reacts to it. Within Spain, the country that hosted the acting of the film, women have not yet been recognized. The women are not allowed to take part in any decision making process. From a psychological point of view, it is evident that Ofelia is a woman who has gone through a lot of problems in her life and this is what makes her fight against the problems she goes through. The behavior is defined by the things that she sees as problems in the society (Guillermo, 2006).
A male character who is worth reviewing is Captain Vidal. He is the son of a famous person and believes that fascism is the best way of governance. According to his traits, he is a person who belies that he is the total power of the land. He is also seen as being violent from the way he handles Ofelia at the beginning of the film. From how he carries out the handshake, he is seen as a person who believes that women do not have any space in the society. His aggressive nature is also evident when he murders tow of the farm workers. No step can be taken against him because he believes that he is the ultimate power in the region.
From a political point of view, he believes that the men in the land should control the politics and laws of the land. He does not allow any woman to be given any leadership position. He believes that men have the sole right to becoming leaders in the region and not the women. From a geographical point of view, we can see that in Spain, once a person is born in a family where the father is the king, then he is entitled to the throne (Stone, 2007).
From a sociological view Captain Vidal, it is evident that he is the head of the society. The family setup proves that it the men who are given the mandate of protecting the family. From a psychological perspective, the traits shown by Vidal show that the behavior comes as a result of the type of lifestyle he lived. The behavior he has were inherited from the father. The region is ruled in the form of kingdoms. One is expected to follow the rules of the kingdom in which he or she belongs. These are the rules that Ofelia is against, and this causes a lot of friction between her and the leaders as well as the other men in the region.
Works cited
Guillermo Del Toro. (2006). Pans labyrinth. 1st edition. Pg 23-67
Ebert Roger (2007). “Pan’s Labyrinth”. 1st edition. Pg 3-89
Stone Sasha ( 2007). “Pan’s Labyrinth: A Story that Needed Guillermo Del Toro”. 1st edition. Pg 67-89
