Queen of Hearts/ Red Queen
"Off with their heads!"
Queen of Hearts-1951
Queen of Hearts- Book
Queen of Hearts- 2010
It is interesting to compare the two visuals of the Queen of Hearts, both created by Disney. Tim Burton's creation of the Queen of Hearts emphasize on technology and what it can bring in manipulating certain elements of the character (which in this case is her head). The 1951 Queen of Hearts is more comical; she is chubby, manly, and the audience gets a peak of her underwear full of little red hearts.
Obviously, she overpowers the King of Hearts in authority and size. It is quite a hyperbolic interpretation compared to the text, which reveals little information about the king besides his ignorance. In this film, the Queen is so powerful that her yells and groans have a physical impact that the King is nearly blown away.
Obviously, she overpowers the King of Hearts in authority and size. It is quite a hyperbolic interpretation compared to the text, which reveals little information about the king besides his ignorance. In this film, the Queen is so powerful that her yells and groans have a physical impact that the King is nearly blown away.
"Sentence first - verdict afterwards."
The Queen of Hearts is present in "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and her persona is quickly revealed. The gardeners were frantically painting the white roses red, anxious that if the Queen found out their heads would be cut off (which was indeed the case). Even minor crimes, as the wrong rose color or stealing her tarts, become uproars that only result in death. She is impatient and described as "a wild beast" (p. 96), tempered and boisterous. It becomes obvious in the croquet game that she is greatly feared. The hedgehogs, flamingo, and doubled-up solders as arcs all coordinate together to have the Queen win intentionally to please her and save their own heads. This is contrasted with Alice takes her turn at croquet, which she quickly loses due to an uncooperative flamingo and soldiers preventing the hedgehog to go through the arc.
The Queen of Hearts is undoubtedly childish, execution is the rhetorical answer to all crimes, regardless of its seriousness. It also brings a point that if the monarchy of Wonderland is so irrational, then it comes to no surprise that all the creatures are mad in their own ways.
The Queen of Hearts is present in "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and her persona is quickly revealed. The gardeners were frantically painting the white roses red, anxious that if the Queen found out their heads would be cut off (which was indeed the case). Even minor crimes, as the wrong rose color or stealing her tarts, become uproars that only result in death. She is impatient and described as "a wild beast" (p. 96), tempered and boisterous. It becomes obvious in the croquet game that she is greatly feared. The hedgehogs, flamingo, and doubled-up solders as arcs all coordinate together to have the Queen win intentionally to please her and save their own heads. This is contrasted with Alice takes her turn at croquet, which she quickly loses due to an uncooperative flamingo and soldiers preventing the hedgehog to go through the arc.
The Queen of Hearts is undoubtedly childish, execution is the rhetorical answer to all crimes, regardless of its seriousness. It also brings a point that if the monarchy of Wonderland is so irrational, then it comes to no surprise that all the creatures are mad in their own ways.
Although the Queen always demands execution, she does not in fact kill them. This sharply contrasts with Tim Burton's interpretation- the Queen indeed kills many lives and this is reflected in her sea of floating heads (see below for visualization). Tim Burton transforms the Wonderland in the animation that children adored to a darker Underland, where evil and ruthlessness dominate.
""Off with their head!" That's her answer to everything or any problem.
She's very much given to anger. I thought she was, mentally and
emotionally, about age two." -Helena Bonham Carter (role as Queen of Hearts in 2010 film)
Thanks to technology, the Queen of Heart's head is distinctively bigger than anyone else in Underland. Her head's largeness emphasizes upon her authority and ferocity. It seems as if the bigger creatures are in Carroll's adaptations, the greater power is accessible and exerted (Knave of Hearts is over 6 foot tall).
Tim Burton's adaptation merges both the Queen of Hearts and the Red Queen as a single character. Although both affiliated with red, they are in fact not the "bad guy" in the text. Through the changes of the movie, the Red Queen becomes a boiling force of evil who has control of Jabberwocky, the most threatening creature known to Underland. The transformation may be due to Burton's desire to "try and make [Alice in Wonderland] to feel more like a story as opposed to a series of events". It accentuates on the clear line between what is evil and what is not, compared to the vagueness in Carroll's characters who, as he said, are not 100% good or 100% bad.
Interestingly, the Queen of Hearts and the Red Queen are merged together although their characteristics diverge. The Queen of Hearts is present in "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" whereas the Red Queen meets Alice in "Through the Looking Glass". The Red Queen favours manners and asks Alice to always curtsey and to always say "Your Majesty".
Thanks to technology, the Queen of Heart's head is distinctively bigger than anyone else in Underland. Her head's largeness emphasizes upon her authority and ferocity. It seems as if the bigger creatures are in Carroll's adaptations, the greater power is accessible and exerted (Knave of Hearts is over 6 foot tall).
Tim Burton's adaptation merges both the Queen of Hearts and the Red Queen as a single character. Although both affiliated with red, they are in fact not the "bad guy" in the text. Through the changes of the movie, the Red Queen becomes a boiling force of evil who has control of Jabberwocky, the most threatening creature known to Underland. The transformation may be due to Burton's desire to "try and make [Alice in Wonderland] to feel more like a story as opposed to a series of events". It accentuates on the clear line between what is evil and what is not, compared to the vagueness in Carroll's characters who, as he said, are not 100% good or 100% bad.
Interestingly, the Queen of Hearts and the Red Queen are merged together although their characteristics diverge. The Queen of Hearts is present in "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" whereas the Red Queen meets Alice in "Through the Looking Glass". The Red Queen favours manners and asks Alice to always curtsey and to always say "Your Majesty".
