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| “ | I won't be given to anyone! Especially some arrogant, pampered, palace brat! | „ |
| ~ Tzipporah. |
| “ | Look. Look at your people, Moses. They are free. | „ |
| ~ Tzipporah |
Tzipporah is the deuteragonist of the 1998 Biblical animated film The Prince of Egypt.
She the eldest daughter of the leader of the Midians and later married Moses, with whom she helps the liberation of the Hebrew people of the oppression of Pharaoh Ramses.
She was voiced by Michelle Pfeiffer, who also portrayed Catwoman in Batman Returns, Janet Van Dyne in Ant-Man and the Wasp, Caroline Hubbard in Murder on the Orient Express, and Angela de Marco in Married to the Mob.
Physical appearance[]
Tzipporah is a young woman with dark skin, hazel eyes, thin nose, thick eyebrows and brown hair covering her ears. She is tall, with a slender figure and broad shoulders that are thicker than her arms. Her hairstyle consists of a voluminous ponytail held by a red scrunchie and has four small braids descending from her cheeks. She always wears a blue headband as well as a set of golden jewelry, such as armbands and earrings.
Personality[]
| “ | Let us inspect this "desert flower"... Ehhg! More like a desert cobra. | „ |
| ~ Ramses |
| “ | That's why Papa says she'll never get married. | „ |
| ~ Ephorah emphasizing the pettiness of Tzipporah. |
During her first appearance, Tzipporah appears wild and aggressive, filled with animosity towards royalty for their treatment of commoners. She only saw Ramses and Moses as spoiled, rotten princes who deserved no respect, which she fiercely wanted to highlight against Moses, which turned against her. Even soaked and humiliated, Tzipporah remained quite dignified, although she was very upset that Moses did this to her just to amuse the Egyptians.
After her escape from Egypt, Tzipporah's true personality is revealed as a kind, brave, determined and independent woman. She shows a slight resentful side, as when she dropped Moses in the well after recognizing it as a bit of revenge for having caused her to fall into the water earlier, although she is more acted out of pettiness when she took action and was happily satisfied to see him crash into the water, only to playfully strut off, smile mockingly, and comically walk away.
Despite her tumultuous history with Moses, she no longer had any resentment against him after he saved her sisters from the bandits. Her opinion also changed a lot about Moses seeing how much of a broken man he had become since their last meeting, the two quickly becoming friends and then ending up having very strong feelings for each other. After her marriage, Tzipporah followed Moses as God's messenger, although initially reluctantly because it meant leaving her family but she eventually did so. She is also very close to her sister-in-law, Miriam.
Tzipporah maintains a close relationship with her family, her relationship with her younger sisters being very close, as well as she is very fond of her jovial father, who often demonstrates his affection for his eldest daughter. Through exchanges, Tzipporah is used to listening to her sisters tell jests.
Biography[]
In the beginning of the movie Hotep and Huy offer her to Rameses as a concubine at a banquet. Ramses gives her to his adoptive brother Moses after she nearly bites him. Moses ends up sending Tzipporah into a pond, to which she gives him an angry glare before Ramses has servants take her away to be dried and sent to Moses' room. However, Tzipporah ties up the man charged with escorting her to Moses' room and escapes. She is then offered water by Miriam (who is Moses' biological sister) before returning to her home. Out of good conscience, Moses aids her escape by distracting guards before they spot Tzipporah.
After learning his true Hebrew origins and accidentally causing the death of an Egyptian guard, Moses exiles himself from Egypt ad crosses many miles of desert, and eventually reaches the land of the Midians, Tzipporah's people, who worship the Hebrews' god. After Moses saves Tzipporah's sisters from bandits, he is welcomed warmly into the tribe by their father Jethro, the High Priest. After assimilating in this new culture, Moses becomes a shepherd and gradually earns Tzipporah's respect and love, culminating in their marriage.
Sometime later, Moses is is called upon by God to return to Egypt and free the Hebrew slaves there. Tzipporah accompanies Moses back to Egypt where he tries to convince Rameses (who is now Pharaoh) to free the Hebrews, only for Rameses to refuse and double the Hebrews workload. Tzipporah later comes to Moses' defence when his biological brother Aaron calls him out for not caring about the Hebrews until he found out he was one. She is then present when Moses demonstrates the powers of God by turning the river into blood to intimidate Rameses into freeing the Hebrews, but the pharaoh is not impressed.
Tzipporah and Moses both express sadness during the tenth plague, where the Angel Of Death kills the first born children of Egypt. Only after the loss of his son does Rameses reluctantly allow the Hebrew people to leave. Tzipporah feels a deep relief as the time of terror finally ends for the oppressed people of Egypt, as does Miriam as the great journey begins to the Red Sea.
After days of walking, the people find themselves trapped by the ocean, but Moses uses the powers of God to open a passage through the water. Unfortunately, a resentful Rameses followed the Hebrews with his army in order to massacre them all. Tzipporah reaches the shore in time, then watches as the passage closes behind the pursuers, engulfing the Egyptian army and sending a defeated Rameses back across the sea. At the end of the film, after the Hebrews escape Egypt, Tzipporah embraces her husband then with a Miriam happy that their people are safe and sound. Later, Tzipporah tells Moses "Look. Look at your people, Moses. They are free".
Quotes[]
| “ | But I am showing you all the respect you deserve. None! | „ |
| “ | Untie his rope, I demand you you set me free! | „ |
| “ | Please, I need water. I have a long journey ahead of me. | „ |
| “ | Tzipporah: What are you girls doing? Jethrodiadah: We're trying to get the funny man out of the well! Tzipporah: Trying to get the funny man out of the well. Well, that's not I've never heard before. [Tzipporah notices someone at the bottom of the well] Oh, my! Don't worry down there! We'll get you out! Hold on! [Pulls the rope, but recognizes Moses] You! [Remembering her humiliation at the palace, Tzipporah humiliates Moses by letting go of the rope, sending him falling into the well, then she struts in front of her little sisters before leaving] Mm-hmm. |
„ |
| “ | My father, Jethro, high priest of Midian. | „ |
| “ | But, Moses, you are just one man. | „ |
| “ | I'm coming with you. | „ |
| “ | Don't listen to him. | „ |
| “ | ♫In this time of fear, when prayers so often proved in vain. Hope seemed like the summer birds too swiftly flown away. Yet now I'm standing here. With so heart so full I can't explain. Seeking faith and speaking words I never thought I'd say. There can be miracles when you believe♫ | „ |
Trivia[]
- In the original story, her name is rather Zipporah or Tzipora, making her name for the film a mixture of the two names. The meeting with Moses also differs a lot, they meet earlier in the film, before Moses discovers his Hebrew heritage and leave Egypt.
- In the original story, she was the oldest of seven daughters rather than just four daughters. Likewise, Tzipporah had a very poor relationship with Miriam and Aaron, although they are close friends in the film, especially closer to Miriam.
- Her name is derived from the Hebrew word for "bird".
- Tzipporah wears three different outfits throughout the film. She first wears a blue Egyptian-style dress with a high midriff in the air, then a teal dress similar to the first but with the shirt covering her upper body and finally a totally white dress for her wedding.
- Tzipporah was the second voice acting role of Michelle Pfeiffer.
- Tzipporah and Moses have been married for some years at the end of the film, as Tzipporah's sisters appear noticeably older in their final appearance.
External Links[]
- Tzipporah on the Love Interest Wiki