Unmasking Mother Gothel

Unmasking Mother Gothel: The Epitome of Narcissism

By Arya Meshram

In Walt Disney Production's 2010 animation film Tangled, the villain Mother Gothel does not just rely on dark magic to maintain her youth; she, instead, wields emotional manipulation as her greatest weapon. Trapped in a tower by the woman who claims to love her, the main character, Rapunzel, is fed a diet of fear and deceit, made to believe that the outside world is wicked and dangerous, too much so to ever venture into it unaccompanied. Yet, beneath the surface of Gothel’s motherly facade lies something more insidious: a textbook display of narcissism, driven by the need to control and consume Rapunzel’s vitality for her own gain.

But why would Rapunzel believe such an obvious lie? Like any other person, Rapunzel craved freedom and discovery, but her reality was shaped by isolation. With no knowledge of the world beyond her tower, and no experiences to contradict Gothel’s warnings, Rapunzel had no choice but to trust her captor. 

Alas, Gothel did not feel this commitment to Rapunzel in turn. Not only did she steal Rapunzel from her kingdom for her own benefit, but she took her entire identity away from her too. To Gothel, Rapunzel was not a daughter but a source of power, with “the hair of a child” imbued with magic. When Rapunzel sang, her golden locks glowed with the energy Gothel needed to keep her youth intact, allowing her to cling to immortality.

Gothel’s selfishness knew no bounds. She showed no true affection for Rapunzel, only for what she could gain from her. More interested in her shallow pursuits of appearance, this was no motherly bond; it was a transaction, with Gothel fixated solely on her own preservation. In one early scene of Tangled, Gothel’s obsession is laid bare—she lovingly kisses Rapunzel’s hair, the key to her eternal youth, instead of Rapunzel herself, showing her “daughter” to be little more than a tool.

In her desperate attempt to maintain immortality, Gothel is selfishly driven to take away Rapunzel's youth. Her cold, deceitful nature led to the complete isolation of a child who had no control over the circumstances of her birth. If it were not for her curiosity and her encounter with Flynn Rider, the deuteragonist of the animation, she would have remained trapped in the tower, her potential wasted within those circular walls, her creativity stifled, and her freedom denied.

Was Gothel’s obsession purely a matter of vanity, or did deeper fears fuel her actions? Perhaps it was not just about looking young forever but about avoiding the inevitability of death. Death is inevitable; if one is given a chance to escape it, wouldn’t everyone take it, regardless of the circumstances? Gothel learned of such an escape and made the most of it. Were this theory to prove true, this would mean that Gothel’s actions reflected more than just herself, echoing an existential terror that many might share of confronting the end of life.

Still, Gothel’s actions revealed little remorse. Her selfish desire for eternal youth came at the expense of Rapunzel’s freedom, making it impossible to excuse her behavior, no matter its rationale. Gothel was willing to sacrifice Rapunzel’s life to satisfy her own shallow needs, and that lack of empathy—her willingness to harm others for personal gain—ultimately defines her as a narcissist.

In the end, Mother Gothel’s story poses complex questions about the human desire for self-preservation and the lengths one might go to avoid mortality. Her actions force us to consider whether desperation can ever truly justify harm and if the pursuit of immortality inevitably leads to a distorted view of reality and relationships. Through Gothel’s narcissism, Tangled offers a cautionary tale, reminding us of the profound consequences that arise when one’s selfish desires overshadow the well-being of others.