Rapunzel is a popular Disney Princess due to her curious nature, bravery, kindness, and adventurous personality. Her movie Tangled is based on the tale of Rapunzel, which is a fairy tale of German origins. It tells the story of a fair maiden named Rapunzel who is locked in a tower.

The Story of Rapunzel

A pregnant woman who is craving for a herb called Rapunzel sends her husband to a witch’s garden to pick up the herb. The witch catches the husband stealing from her garden, and makes an exchange with him; she tells him that he can take some herbs, but they must give her the baby when it’s born. The husband reluctantly agrees. When the baby is born, the witch takes her away and names her Rapunzel.

When the girl becomes older, the witch locks her in a tower. This tower only has a window and no doors. The only way to enter the tower is by having Rapunzel throw down her long hair so that the witch can climb it. 

One day, a prince comes by the tower and sees the witch climbing into the tower.  After the witch leaves, the prince imitates the witch and calls out, “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair.” Rapunzel lowers her hair, and he climbs. The prince and Rapunzel fall in love and decide to get married. The prince hatches a plan to free Rapunzel from the tower.

But the witch gets to know about the prince. The angry witch cuts off Rapunzel’s hair and banishes her from the tower. Then she ties the hair up and waits for the prince. When he is climbing up the tower, she drops the hair and the prince is blinded by the fall.

The blind prince roams the land in search of Rapunzel for years. Eventually, he finds Rapunzel, and her tears magically cure him of his blindness. The prince returns to his kingdom with Rapunzel to live happily ever after. 

While this story is fabulous in nearly every way, it is also teaches us a real-life lesson about how overprotection can fail.

Step outside your comfort zone

“Venture outside your comfort zone. The rewards are worth it.” — Rapunzel

After being abducted when she was a baby, by a woman who pretended to be her mother, Rapunzel had never stepped foot outside the tower where she was forced to live in for 18 years. She was told it was unsafe. But Rapunzel’s curiosity got the best of her as she had been longing to find out the meaning behind the beautiful lights in the sky, which she could see every year.

So, she finally decided to leave the tower when her ‘mother’ is away. Her journey allows her to experience so many new things while learning more about herself, and eventually leads her to the truth.

This story shows that performing tasks that you’re not familiar with can be nerve-wracking and overwhelming. But, in order to improve and grow as an individual, we must learn to embrace the unknown and have the courage to try something new. You never know what your true potential could be.

Protect your dream!

Having a dream is what keeps me moving in this life full of uncertainty. Like what Rapunzel did, this girl has a dream to see the light of the lantern directly because for a dozen years, the girl who is held captive in this tower can only look at it from the bedroom window.

Even though she doesn’t know how to reach it, Rapunzel is sure that one day she will be able to see that beautiful light up close. That belief is what makes her enthusiastic and brave to face the outside world.

From Rapunzel’s story, we learn that hard work will always pay off. Don’t be discouraged and always believe in moving forward.

Stop waiting for a Prince Charming

Why would you wait for a hero when you can be your own Hero? Rapunzel did not indulge in self-pity or wait for a savior. You should not either. This is one of my favorite life lessons from the film.

Surround yourself with people who want to see you succeed

For a long time, Rapunzel was oblivious to the fact that being confined to a tower with Mother Gothel was holding her back from the life that was truly meant for her. She only truly flourish to her full potential when she met someone who was willing to put her best interests in mind.

It’s okay to cut out negative people in your life. You may discover that they were exactly what was standing in your way of success. Instead, fill your corner with the people who will cheer you on the loudest.

Don’t believe in everything you’re told

Gothel continuously lied to Rapunzel about her life and the outside world. While the world is indeed dangerous, she exaggerated the facts and lied about being her mother, and what society is like. If Rapunzel hadn’t had learnt the truth, she wouldn’t have had her happily ever after.

It’s easy for people to lie and make you believe in silly things, so make sure you know what’s up.

The sky is not the limit

Sometimes, when you are close to the sky, you need to step down to be able to explore all that is awaiting you on the ground. This is what Rapunzel did when she climbed down the tower.