This article is about the Into the Woods character. For the Tangled character, see Rapunzel.
- “I am no longer a child, I wish to see the world.”
- ―Rapunzel
Rapunzel is one of the six tritagonists from the film Into the Woods and is portrayed by Mackenzie Mauzy. She is the sister of the Baker, who is cursed by the Witch. She is loosely based on the protagonist from the fairy tale of the same name.
Background
Rapunzel is a beautiful, yet sheltered, young woman confined to a tower who longs to be treated like an adult and to experience life.
History
When Rapunzel's mother was pregnant with her, her mother had a craving for greens, so Rapunzel's father stole some from the Witch next door. When the witch caught him stealing from her one night, she agreed to let him go in exchange for the child.
When she was born, the Witch then took the baby from her cradle when she was born, much to the despair of her parents and raised her as her own for an unknown number of years.
Into the Woods
We first see Rapunzel when she is sitting by her window when the Witch calls on her to let down her hair. Hanging her hair over the rail, she helped her "mother" climb onto the window sill as her "mother" shows her what she had brought her: blackberries, her favorite.
Later that night, Rapunzel hears someone calling to her, thinking it's her prince, she opens her window and let's down her hair, unaware that it's the Baker's wife. But the Baker's wife yanks on her hair and manages to tear a length off, before running off.
"Stay With Me" she begged her, but the Witch angrily cut off Rapunzel's hair and banished her to a dirty swamp (Desert in the musical) as punishment for disobeying her.
At the swamp, Rapunzel is crying alone when she hears the prince approaching. Afraid of the creatures in the swamp, Rapunzel dashed across the river to her prince. She looked horrified when she saw the prince was blind. Cradling her prince, her tears brought back the prince's sight and declaring her love, they kiss.
During the wedding of Cinderella and the prince, the Giant's wife shook the kingdom, frightening Rapunzel, causing her to run off, with her prince chasing after her.
The Witch found Rapunzel crying at her destroyed tower and is shocked to discover her "mother" is now beautiful, the Witch drags her away but the prince arrives and as an argument ensues, Rapunzel rejects her mother and tells her to stay away as she leaps onto the prince's horse and the prince and Rapunzel galloped off into the woods.
Fate
It is unknown what happened to Rapunzel and her prince, or if she ever learns about her brother.
Original Into The Woods
In the original version of Into the Woods, The Witch has raised Rapunzel as her own daughter, keeping her locked away from the world in a tall tower in the middle of the woods, accessible only by climbing Rapunzel's long, golden hair ("Our Little World"). However, on this day a handsome prince spies the beautiful Rapunzel and resolves to climb the tower himself.
The Baker's Wife fools Rapunzel into letting down her hair and pulls out a piece of it.
The Witch discovers that the Prince has been visiting Rapunzel and begs Rapunzel to stay with her ("Stay with Me"). When Rapunzel refuses, the Witch angrily cuts off Rapunzel's hair and banishes her to a desert.
While everyone else is drawn back into the woods after the Giant attack, Rapunzel has fled there in a hysterical fit, her treatment at the hands of the Witch having driven her into madness.
As the Giantess leaves to search for Jack, Rapunzel runs into her path and is trampled, to the horror of the Witch and her Prince ("Witch's Lament").
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