Shrek

"Look, I'm not the one with the problem, okay? It's the world that seems to have a problem with ME! People take one look at me and go "Aargh! Help! Run! A big stupid ugly ogre!" They judge me before they even know me - that's why I'm better off alone."

- Shrek explaining the reason for his desire for isolation to Donkey

Shrek is the titular protagonist of the franchise of the same name.

He is voiced by Mike Myers, who also portrayed Austin Powers.

In the first film, he was introduced as the main antagonist but this was a plot that Lord Farquaad is the true villain.

Relatives

 * Family:
 * Unnamed father
 * Unnamed mother
 * Spouse:
 * Princess Fiona (wife)
 * Children:
 * Fergus (son)
 * Felicia (daughter)
 * Fergel (son)
 * Relatives:
 * Donkey (burro best friend)
 * King Harold (father-in-law)
 * Queen Lillian (mother-in-law)

Personality
Shrek is overly aggressive and hostile towards strangers who wander into his swamp, an example of this is when several villagers came to kill him but then were left terrified when Shrek described ogres as ten times worse then giants after they fled, the ogre gave a hearty chuckle and warned them to stay out.

However behind this tough demeanour, Shrek is incredibly insecure and sought recluse from everyone as they judged him as a monster before getting to know him and believed that he was better off alone. When meeting new people Shrek is heavily sarcastic, when meeting Donkey the first time and asked for a place to stay Shrek agrees only to say no the second time he asks. Due to all the people he meets Shrek is used to being treated like a monster and is left surprised when Donkey has no problem with his appearance or his ogre roots.

Shrek has a short temper and is easily frustrated, the source of all this appears to be his best friend Donkey whom he considers a nuisance as he is both talkative and annoying, he normally resorts to using mild biting remarks to vent his anger or will occasionally yell towards him if he is that frustrated. Shrek has shown a dislike towards Fairy Tale Creatures, once they overran his swamp he became enraged to the point of screaming. He also has a violent sense of humour, when Prince Charming had overran Far Far Away he ambushed him in his dressing room and threateningly said "break a leg, or on second thought let me break it for you." This also shows when Donkey and him were at the Dragon's Keep and when he discovered his friend had a fear of heights, he swayed the bridge back and forth.

Shrek showed an utter disregard for personal hygiene and had little to none manners. While he would brush his testh it was with a bug and only made his teeth worse. In his life of recluse he resembled that of an old man, he lived a lifestyle of relaxation and enjoyed a mud bath in peace or would relax in his chair like a grandfather, Shrek has known to be very cranky at times and enjoyed to dine by himself. A running gag in the film series is Shrek's flatulance and belching actually cause animals to die, resembling toxic gas and can actually ignite an explosion when mixed with fire.

Before meeting Donkey, Puss or Fiona the only thing he had an emotional attachment was with his swamp. While other people saw it as "disgusting" or "filthy" Shrek truly values it as a home. He is definitely determined and was willing to fight a dragon and rescue a princess from a burning castle to get it back from Lord Farquaad, he actually preferred his swamp to a castle in Far Far Away. Shrek had daddy issues to say the least, as his father was an ogre and tried to eat him which he should have realised as "he used to bathe me with barbecue sauce and put me to bed with an apple in my mouth."

Shrek has an anti-social personality and not one to take one for answer. When he and Donkey had just rescued Princess Fiona and she refused to go with them to Farquaad, he instantly picked her up and dragged her towards Duloc. However as the three get closer Shrek and Fiona begin to develop an actual friendship and soon romance however after Shrek misinterpreted Fiona when she said "who could ever love an ugly beast?" The two were left heartbroken but due to a pep talk from Donkey, he interrupts the wedding between her and Farquaad and then learns of her ogre curse, the two fall in love and marry.

All and all while Shrek is cranky and a miserly, he is loyal, devoted and even selfless to his friends and the people he cares about. While at first he only saw Donkey as a pest he slowly but surely began to value him as his best friend. This is the same with Princess Fiona, at first he saw her as nothing more than a mission for Farquaad, over time and after helping her defeat Robin Hood and his Merry Men the two begin to care and even love another. In the second film Shrek's dedication to Fiona was so strong she was willing to turn himself and her back into a human as he apparently loves her more than being an ogre. Although he doesn't meet him until the second film Puss in Boots and Shrek are very good friends, the two actually gossip which is something he has never done with Donkey. Although he was at first hired to assassinate him, Puss was in reality extremely loyal defending the ogre and Donkey from knights all to repay his debts to Shrek.

Given the second film Shrek's personality has really evolved, he is much more sensitive and caring towards people more specifically towards his new wife Fiona but he is still easily irritated by Donkey this was shown when he got home from his honeymoon and Donkey showed up unexpectedly and then angrily threw him out. While driving to the Kingdom of Far Far Away and Donkey constantly kept asking "are we there yet?" Until it finally drove Shrek to the point of nearly attacking him.

After the newlyweds finally arrive at Far Far Away, the entire kingdom including the King and Queen who were Fiona's parents were all shocked upon discovering that the two were ogres. Like many stereotypical father and step-son relationships, the two share a dislike of one another and are not afraid to openly express this even if it was during dinner with both of their family and friends. After a fight with Fiona and reading through her old diary it's revealed that Shrek will go to great lengths to make her happy even if it meant stealing a potion and then using it to make him human which granted did work but the cruel Fairy Godmother tricked the princess into believing that her son, Prince Charming was Shrek which leaves him heartbroken but after discovering it was all a ruse he attempts to put an end Charming and Fiona's love blossoming. After defeating the Fairy Godmother Fiona and Shrek return to being ogres and he earns the respect from his father-in-law.

However after Prince Harold had fallen ill Shrek and Fiona had to manage the kingdom of Far Far Away. While he was incredibly reluctant to take any responsibility, he was still able to manage the kingdom but still missed his swamp and was eager to return there. Shrek proves he is very heavy-handed, when trying to knight someone he ends up impaling his shoulder, this also shows when hitting a boat with a bottle and ends up sinking it. After attending a ball and then nearly burning it down, it proved to be a last straw for Shrek and demanded to leave and said he wasn't cut out for being a king. On his deathbed King Harold would have to pass his title to the ogre which he refused and sought to locate the second heir, Arthur.

Just before leaving Far Far Away to bring back Arthur, Fiona reveals to Shrek that she is pregnant which shows a more anxious side of his personality and had vivid nightmares of being a father however this was mostly due to Shrek feeling guilty of ruining the child's life as he considers having an ogre won't bode well with him. In a twist of irony Shrek proves that he knows very little about children as when he found Arthur and then forced him to become a king so he can solely avoid becoming one himself. He does try to relate to Arthur by using what he considers slang but fails horrifically. It's not until the two meet Professor Merlin, his old college teacher and began to sympathise with the boy and freely allows him to become king as it is now his choice. Shrek's dedication to Artie was so strong he was willing to allow Charming kill himself if it allowed him to live.

After being captured by Prince Charming and put on his play, "It's A Happily Ever After, After All" where he planned to execute the ogre in front of the whole kingdom of Far Far Away. In the face of death, Shrek concerned no fear at the face of death and even mocked his killer, he came close to actually murdering Shrek if Dragon, Queen Lillian, Fiona and her friends had intervened. After Charming was overthrown Arthur became King and Shrek and Fiona returned to their swamp and raised three ogre children.

Shrek is a now a loving father and caring husband to Fiona and his children Farkle, Fungus and Felicia however he does miss the old days when he was a wanted ogre and became is somewhat neglectful of his family. After being constantly irritated by his friends and villagers after being described as no longer being a real ogre, he destroys his sons cake in a fit of anger and then had a massive argument with Fiona which causes him to accidentally blurt out he wished he had never rescued her from the dragon's keep. After he meets Rumpelstiltskin and helps fix his vehicle, the two bond and he gives Shrek a chance to become a real ogre again and in return he gives Stiltskin a day from his past. The contract works and he is able to terrify a village only to find that Fiona is wanted as well, his swamp is ruined and none of his friends, including Donkey remember him and Stiltskin stole the day he was born and had one day until he was wiped from existence.

After escaping Rumpelstiltskin's palace with Donkey, he tries to prove to the mule that he is his friend and sings his favourite song only for Donkey to attempt to run away. After discovering that he still had his daughter, Felicia's doll he is left crying, something which ogres rarely ever do. Once Donkey is abducted again, Shrek is able to stumble onto an entire colony of ogres where he meets Fiona however she is literally repulsed by his presence and is only focused on defeating Rumpelstiltskin and his empire.

The main focus on the fourth film is to teach Shrek that the grass isn't greener on the other side and that he had no idea what he had until it was gone. He frantically tries to get Fiona to fall in love with him again so that they may share True Loves Kiss and get his old life back however this only causes her to dislike him even more and caused the entire army of ogres to be captured, only for Shrek to turn himself in and get the Deal of a Lifetime from Rumpelstiltskin so that he may free the captured ogres. After nearly being eaten by Dragon, Fiona are Shrek are able to defeat Stiltskim however it proves as his day is over and on his deathbed he is able to get the princess to fall in love and was able to get his life back. Shrek now valued his wife and children above anything now.

Shrek prides himself on being the King of Halloween and took great delight in terrifying his friends with scary stories and helped teaching his kids how to frighten children. However despite this he knows very little about Christmas mostly because ogres never celebrate it but still tries to make it a perfect holiday for his family and friends.

Description 41 (Shrek 2, 2004) 44 (Shrek the Third, 2007) 47 (Shrek Forever After, 2010) Shrek is a large, fat, green, physically intimidating ogre. However, his background is something of a mystery. In the musical, it is revealed that on his seventh birthday, Shrek was sent away by his parents because it was an ogre tradition. He is seen traveling alone, either being screamed at or teased by passers-by. The only time he receives a pleasant greeting is a wave from a young Fiona, who is promptly led away by her parents.
 * Possibly Age Human: 38 (Shrek, 2001)

After scaring away an angry mob, he arrives at his swamp, enters an outhouse and literally breaks out as the adult Shrek. Though surly, misanthropic, and venomously cranky, Shrek is peaceful and doesn't care to hurt anyone, but he just wants to live his life in solitude and be left alone. Shrek is befriended by a donkey named Donkey. It's notable that when Shrek's first seen, he's successfully scaring off villagers by roaring at them, but it later becomes obvious that they were only attacking him because he's an ogre, not because he did anything particularly wrong. In the first Shrek movie, during a conversation with Donkey, he laments that he is constantly judged by the outside world the minute people meet him, and is thus better off alone. This implies that he became a recluse after trying and failing to find acceptance among others.

Another factor causing lack of acceptance can be found in Shrek the Third, it's revealed Shrek had a father who tried to eat him as Shrek stated, "I guess I should have seen it coming. He used to bathe me in barbecue sauce and put me to bed with an apple in my mouth". Artie thought he been jesting. Shrek lives in an Ogre Swamp, which is green and murky, like any other swamp. The swamp contains small and big ponds of muddy water and it also has geysers that squirt out mud. The swamp contains the living quarters of Shrek which consists of an outhouse and Shrek's house. The swamp is also a home to different kinds of species including the swamp slug that Shrek uses for his toothpaste. This basically beginning portrays Shrek as a real grubby beast.

When he finds squatters where he lives, he agrees to the rescue of Princess Fiona to evict all the squatters. However, during the course of the mission, Shrek falls deeply in love with Fiona. Since he's an ogre, Shrek has a considerable amount of physical strength, being able to break wood, and metal constructs, get in physical combat with a number of armored humans and usually winning, unintentionally destroying a wooden vessel with a bottle of wine, and even lifting or turning objects that are too heavy for a normal human being, such as a gigantic vat of magic potion against the maximum security of the Fairy Godmother in Shrek 2. In Shrek and the Swamp Gang Karaoke Dance Party, Shrek sings Just the Way You Are. In Far Far Away Idol, he sang "What I Like About You" by The Romantics with Fiona.

Shrek has a little problem socializing due to the fact that people think he is a mean ugly ogre, even though his appearance is remarkably humanoid, with a few cosmetic exceptions. In being in the process Shrek is said to have sociophobia.

However, from Shrek the Third onward, Shrek has become a well-liked celebrity, at least in Far Far Away. In the fourth movie, people managed to realize that Shrek isn't dangerous and lost their fear and prejudice over him, but to Shrek's dismay, they also come to regard him as a folk hero and visit him with even more frequency than before, disturbing him. But after the experiences of the movie, Shrek comes to appreciate his life more than ever.

History
Although Steven Spielberg had planned, when he bought the rights in 1991, Bill Murray to play Shrek, DreamWorks, when they bought the rights to the book 4 years later, in 1996 planned Chris Farley to voice Shrek. Chris had recorded 80 to 90% (or 95% according to Farley's brother Tom) of the dialogue for the character, but died in December 1997 before completing the project. This would result in development of the film being scrapped involving storyboards and six recording sessions, which cost $34 million alone. Shrek screenwriter Terry Rossio describes Chris' vocal performance as "the good hearted young ogre as being extraordinary".

DreamWorks then re-cast the voice role to Mike Myers, who insisted on a complete script rewrite, to leave no traces of Farley's version of Shrek. After Myers had completed providing the voice for the character, after a February 2000 rough cut of the film, he asked to re-record all of his lines in a Scottish accent similar to the one his mother had used when she told him bedtime stories. Myers explained his decision, "There is a class struggle in Shrek between the fairy-tale kings and queens and the common people. I always thought that Shrek was raised working-class. And since Lord Farquaad (the villain) was played English, I thought of Scottish". After hearing the alternative, Katzenberg agreed to redo scenes in the film, saying, "It was so good we took $4m worth of animation out and did it again." Myers later reported: "I got a letter from Spielberg thanking me so much for caring about the character... And he said the Scottish accent had improved the movie." Some early sketches of 'Shrek's house were done in 1996 through 1997 using Photoshop, with the sketches showing Shrek first living in a garbage dump near a human village called Wart Creek. It was also thought one time that he lived with his parents and kept rotting fish in his bedroom. Art Director Douglas Rogers visited a magnolia plantation in Charleston, South Carolina for inspiration for Shrek's swamp.

Shrek appears in the stage musical version of the 2001 film which debuted in 2008. The role was originated by Broadway actor Brian d'Arcy James, who earned a Tony nomination for it. The character has remained virtually unchanged in the musical, as does the plot. However, various minor details differ between the musical and the film. Other actors to play the role include Ben Crawford (Broadway), Eric Petersen (National Tour), Jacob Ming-Trent (Broadway understudy), Brian Gonzales (Broadway/National Tour understudy), David Foley, Jr. (National Tour understudy), and from 2011 - Nigel Lindsay (West End). On May 21, 2010, Shrek received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles.

In video games, Shrek appeared as an unlockable player in Tony Hawk's Underground 2, and as a playable character in Madagascar Kartz. In few episodes of MAD, Shrek made appearances including the episode KoBee Movie/Law and Ogre.

Similar Heroes

 * Peter Griffin (Family Guy)
 * Homer Simpson (The Simpsons)
 * Stan Smith (American Dad)
 * Bender (Futurama)
 * Fred Flintstone (The Flintstones)
 * Wreck-It Ralph (Wreck-It Ralph)
 * Discord (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)
 * James P. Sullivan (Monsters University and Monsters Inc.)
 * Mario (Super Mario series)
 * Boog (Open Season)
 * Manny (Ice Age)
 * Raphael (TMNT)

Trivia

 * Mike Myers wasn't originally meant to voice Shrek.
 * Chris Farley was meant to be Shrek, but sadly passed away, due to his death similar to John Belushi's death.
 * Shrek appears as a character in YouTube videos created by SuperMarioLogan.
 * Shrek has become an Internet meme in which he appears in a series of videos call Shrek is Love Shrek is Life.