Shrek: Reader's Theatre Story -Funny Moral Fairy Tale

Summary:

Once upon a time, in a far away swamp, there lived an ogre named Shrek whose precious solitude is suddenly shattered by an invasion of annoying fairy tale characters. They were all banished from their kingdom by the evil Lord Farquaad. Determined to save their home -- not to mention his swamp-- Shrek makes a deal with Farquaad and sets out to rescue Princess Fiona to be Farquaad's bride. Rescuing the Princess may be small compared to her deep, dark secret. Along the way, Shrek will encounter a dragon and a talking donkey.

I have read this reader's theatre story with grades 3-11 and with my adult learners. Shrek is full of heartfelt morals and fairy tale spoofing jocularity that readers of all ages will find heartwarming and hilarious.

Shrek has a variety of voices that your class may be familiar with, and they will love imitating the voices of such classic characters as: Shrek, Donkey, Princess Fiona, Robin Hood, Pinocchio, The Gingerbread Man, Lord Farquaad, The Three Little Pigs, and many more.

The Morals of Shrek:

The underlying theme of Shrek: inner beauty is far more important than what you look like, and anyone who doesn’t celebrate this idea is not worth your time

The deciding moment that sets this fairytale apart is the moment when Fiona decides to kiss her true love at sunset and take his form. By choosing to not care about her appearance and what others think about her, Fiona is set free. She chooses to live life as her true self and takes comfort in this. Not only does she make the decision to not care about her appearance, she also chooses to surround herself with people who support her and celebrate her inner-beauty. While Fiona does fall in love with Shrek, it is important to acknowledge that she makes the decision to be an ogre by herself. This is the first time she makes her own decisions and takes control of her own destiny. Through this character’s growth, we can see the empowerment that comes from self-love and acceptance through a dismissal of society’s beauty standards.  

Nothing is handed to you

We learn from Lord Farquaad that nothing is handed to you in life. Lord Farquaad, instead of doing it himself, sends Shrek to go save the princess for him to marry. This backfires when Shrek and Fiona fall in love. All of Farquaad's gold, diamonds and castles are not impressive to Fiona and all those items do not make up for Farquaad's bad attitude and selfishness.

True love beats everything else

At the end of the day true love beats everything else. Looking past the looks, the rumors and the worries, your heart will pull you in the right direction.

Friends are family

We learn from Shrek and Donkey that friendships are often more than just someone you like to hang out with. Their relationship shows how friendships are often like family and how no matter how much you annoy each other, you will love each other and wouldn’t rather be with anyone else.

Intercultural relationships work

A princess and an ogre and a dragon and donkey fall in love. No matter your difference in race, type of animal, size or really anything about you, you can still be together if your heart wants it.

Everyone can find love

No matter what you look like or what the rumors say about you, there is someone for everyone. "Shrek" shows us that even an “ugly ogre” that everyone is afraid of can find the true love of his life.

Relationships matter to Shrek

No one likes to feel alone in the world – unexpected relationships can lead to happy endings. Not only for Shrek & Fiona but also Dragon & Donkey. Shrek and Donkey also form an unexpected relationship, that through communication and understanding, becomes a strong bond and encourages us to never give up on our friends.

Real life is much more fulfilling than pursuing a fantasy.

In her exile, Princess Fiona wishes her nights away dreaming that she will be awakened and rescued by Prince Charming, with whom she will live happily ever after. Shrek does his best to destroy every single fantasy the princess has ever fabricated. In doing so, he creates the most endearing fairy tale yet by not following any of her guidelines but instead embracing real life and finding magic in the incredibly mundane.

Kindness & friendship are important to Shrek

Shrek and Donkey have been bullied for most of their lives, so they have separated themselves from the world. Shrek is not a forgiving person until he listens to Donkey's practical worldly advice.

Shrek is like an Onion

“Onions have layers – Ogres have layers – You get it? – everyone has layers” Everyone has a story of discovery.

Take your time

Don’t turn your back on people too soon because people & attitudes change – it takes time for people to reveal new layers of their true selves. Building trust takes time. Just because you think it – does not make it true and don’t listen to rumours– that may not be true either ( Shrek interpreted & reacted by only hearing a snippet of reality & made up the rest & almost lost his happy ever after)

Being There

Being there for a friend is often the best present you can give someone.

Even when we irritate each other. Donkey would incessantly irritate Shrek by talking yet was the only friend that did not judge him for being an Ogre. Eventually Shrek realizes that he would rather have Donkey as a friend than be alone in his swamp.

Money isn’t Everything

Lord Farquaad realizes that money cannot buy you happiness if you are an emotionally unaware frustrated soul. Inner beauty is more important than appearance or possessions. Love comes in all shapes and sizes. There is more to any individual than meets the eye. Love of self is an inside job.

Contrast of the Have and Have-not in terms of their happiness

Shrek can barely afford to keep his land, while Lord Farquad owns most of the land. However, Shrek proves that he does not need the lavish lifestyle to be happy, and rather, he pursues fulfilling relationships. Be that with his swamp or with Princess Fiona, Shrek puts aside status and wealth and invests his time in developing meaningful relationships with those around him and nature.  

We are all like Onions

Shrek uses symbolism by comparing himself to an onion. Shrek talks about how he has layers and how there are many different sides to him, you just need to get to know him to see the different sides. I think this is true in everyday life. It’s like the old expression that you can’t judge a book by its cover because you don’t know what really is in the inside.

Authenticity

To be authentic is to create a life that feels good on the inside. Not a life that just looks good on the outside.

Hard work can get you anything you’ve always dreamed of.

Shrek heads out to to save Princess Fiona from a castle that is guarded by a dragon and surrounded by lava. Even though he knows it’s dangerous, he puts his head and heart forward to succeed at his dream.

Quick Notes on Shrek's Morals:

*Don't assume that others don't like you. They're probably just as insecure as you are.

*People will respect you if you follow your own path.

*No one likes to feel alone in this world, so why not reach out a friendly hand in a time of need?

*Kindness goes a long way.

*Everyone has layers. Everyone is an onions, and those onions often have a story to tell if you just take a moment to listen.

*Don't judge a book, or an ogre, by its cover.

*Don't turn your back on people too soon, because feelings and attitudes can change.

*You don't have to conform to the needs and wants of others to be a good person.

*Being there for a friend is often the best present you can give someone.

*Being an awful person who's mean to others won't get you very far in life.

*What we deem as attractive is different for everyone, and that’s more than OK.

*Love is represented in all shapes and sizes.

*Everyone deserves a happy ending.

*Love can bloom in unlikely places.

*Most people are more complex than you might first assume, so you should give them a chance to reveal their onion-y layers.

*Friendship isn't always easy. If a friend is treating you badly, you should let them know so they can try to do better.

*People can change, so you should try to give second chances.

*You shouldn't have to censor yourself just to be like everyone else.

*There are all kinds of ways to be beautiful, and what one person finds attractive isn't the same as another.

*All that glitters is gold, but only shooting stars break the mold.

This Reader's Theatre features:

19 Chapters

A story rich in morals and character development (as seen in the above notes)

Multiple fun speaking roles + the narrator

Jocular Oral Communication

2 versions of the story

One version includes visuals and the text, while the other version only contains the text and is a printer friendly version. I display my stories on a projector for the class to read or I airdrop it into their iPad or I display it on my screen when remote learning.

12 Book Report Choice Board Activities

Book Report Rubric based on 4 levels

Chapter 1: Cash for Creatures

3 characters - 11 pages

Chapter 2: Donkey On The Loose

11 characters - 11 pages

Chapter 3: You Got To Have Friends

3 characters - 9 pages

Chapter 4: Company

2 characters - 8 pages

Chapter 5: Lots More Company

9 characters - 15 pages

Chapter 6: Farquaad Picks a Wife

4 characters - 12 pages

Chapter 7: DuLoc is a Perfect Place

6 characters - 17 pages

Chapter 8: Layers

2 characters - 9 pages

Chapter 9: The Fiery Dragon

2 characters - 18 pages

Chapter 10: A Shrek In Shining Armour

2 characters - 9 pages

Chapter 11: True Love's First Kiss

3 characters - 21 pages

Chapter 12: The Princess Worries

3 characters - 10 pages

Chapter 13: Another One Of Those Onion Things

3 characters - 13 pages

Chapter 14: Shrek is Wounded in the Butt

6 characters - 25 pages

Chapter 15: Fiona's Secret

5 characters - 22 pages

Chapter 16: From Bad to Worse

4 characters - 21 pages

Chapter 17: Go Ask Fiona

2 characters - 12 pages

Chapter 18: The Ogre Objects

5 characters - 24 pages

Chapter 19: Into The Sunset

1 character - 4 pages - Sing Along

Do not fear the reader's theatre format. Students love these adapted stories because they are listening to the story and they are a part of the story by playing a character within the story. Reader's theatre inspires reluctant readers to join in the fun. The strongest and most advanced readers in your class will encourage other students to raise their hand and participate in the story. I also use reader's theatre to add to my drama marks.

If the reader's theatre format did not work for my students and I, then I would have stopped creating and adapting them years ago.

Reluctant readers sometimes feel anxious looking at pages of text, whereas a reader's theater script is broken up into narration and different characters speaking, thus making the story more accessible to those students who have not discovered the incredibly fun activity of reading.

I hope your class has fun reading and being Shrek.

I'm a Believer in Reader's Theatre and so will you!

Mr. Marvel: The King of Reader's Theater