Helen's New Groove: Suitors in Shakespeare and Disney

            An interesting comparison can be found between the presenting of suitors to Helen in All’s Well That Ends Well (Act II, Scene III) and a similar presentation of potential spouses to the emperor Kuzco in the animated Disney film The Emperor’s New Groove. The drastically different origins/structures these two characters conform to (Kuzco being an upper-class/noble man, and Helen being a low-born/common woman) present a commentary on the treatment of gender/social class in regard to the suitor process. Not only this, but one can also find an interesting view into some of the changes/consistencies found in the depiction of finding a suitor in Shakespeare’s work as compared to a modern work.

First to consider is the role of each character’s social standing/class in regard to their approach of being presented with suitors. In this comparison, Kuzco appears on a surface level as a clearly more desirable spouse; as emperor of his kingdom, the wealth and social influence accompanied in becoming his wife are obvious. Alternatively, Helen appears/is viewed as a relatively undesirable bride, being of low birth and therefore lacking the dowry/familial connections/status a potential husband might be looking for. This can be seen as a potential reason for Kuzco’s suitor’s anger at his rejection (ignoring for the moment his disrespectful treatment of them), as well as Helen’s suitor’s (possible) relief at her dismissal of their advances in favor of Bertram. However, while Helen’s standing may not have been on par with nobility, she still had earned herself a close relationship with the king, and would’ve held a respectable degree of clout/significance through this relationship (evidenced by the king’s agreeing to allow her to pick her future husband). Not only this, but the king even states to Bertram his intention/willingness to more formally heighten Helen’s social standing, more or less alleviating the issue (although not to a satisfactory degree in Bertram’s opinion). Thus each character is presented as holding some degree of social significance (although the difference between their social standings is admittedly quite large), which pushes one to strive further outward in regard to the reasoning behind the suitors’ responses to their rejection.

Gender appears as potentially the most major difference existing between the reactions of the suitors to Helen as compared to Kuzco (possible relief/happiness and anger/sorrow respectively). With societal/cultural traditions usually stressing the male’s courtship of the woman, the interactions between Helen and her initial suitors can be viewed as potentially emasculating. In this situation, the classic gender roles have been reversed, and the group of young lords is presented to Helen in much the same way the maidens are presented to Kuzco. Thus Helen’s suitors would’ve viewed her rejection as less emasculating as compared to the removal of what they would’ve perceived as their right as men. This prebuilt gender norm also helps explain the modern interpretation of the suitor process as seen in Kuzco, the woman reacting more to him personally (and specifically his callous/rude behavior towards them) as compared to reacting to the situation itself (as is the case All’s Well that Ends Well, Helen herself being a wonderful individual often lauded by the other characters.