Stepmother

The famous evil stepmother, also known as Lady Tremaine, made her appearance in Disney's Cinderella.  She also makes appearances in the sequels Cinderella II: Dreams Come True and Cinderella III: A Twist in Time.  If you would like a short summary of the movie, check out my post titled "Slippers Made of Glass."  Cinderella also had two stepsisters, Anastasia and Drizella, who were considered to be evil as well; however, under the influence of their mother they were, but that they weren't truly evil.

Pros:
- Determined: She is not only determined to have her daughters married off to the prince, but she is also determined to keep Cinderella hidden from the rest of the world.
- Wants the best for herself and her daughters:  When she hears about the ball, she makes sure that her and her daughters get new dresses and look their best for the ball.  She would do anything for her daughters no matter what the cost.  For her stepdaughter, that is not the case.
Cons:
- Manipulative: 'like many villains, she is able to manipulated Cinderella into many things.  She always has something up her sleeve to ruin Cinderella's life.   
- Abusive: She forces her stepdaughter to sleep in an attic, to do all of the chores, doesn't let her socialize or leave the house and she locks her in the attic to keep her from coming down the stairs when the duke arrives.  Today, this would be called child abuse.
- Lazy: Really?  She cant do a single chore in the entire mansion of a house?  She cant make her own food?  How did she survive before Cinderella?

In Disney's live action film of Cinderella, the evil stepmother was given more of a backstory than in Disney's original.  I think this helped develop her character and personality and almost gave a reason to feel sympathy towards her, which Cinderella does in the movie.  I honestly believe that villains are the most interesting characters in any story.  It shows what a person can do under the influence of hatred and pain.  Everyone has a bit of evil inside of them and its interesting to watch evil unfold.

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