Shrek was the first animated film in over fifty years to be nominated for the most prestigious award at Cannes, the Palme d’Or. It blew the lid off animated cinema when it came out in 2001, basically deconstructing the fairy tale rule book established by Disney and going down as one of the best and most enduring animated films of the 2000s.
The franchise is nearly twenty years old, and it currently hosts a number of characters that have been co-opted from fairy tale classics and reframed perfectly to fit the wacky world of Shrek.
Updated on January 9th, 2022 by Tanner Fox: The zodiac signs of the Shrek characters aren’t so difficult to see as each character, big or small, across the four movies is so well-defined. What is Shrek’s zodiac sign? It’s easy to consider when looking at his strong personality, and the same is true for the rest of the inhabitants of his fairytale world.
Robin Hood – Leo
Robin Hood is a charismatic character in the Shrek franchise and has a personality resembling that of the Leo sign, showing both the sign’s strengths and weaknesses during his time in the movies.
Hood portrays a lot of Leo’s strengths, as he’s strong, brave, and good at strategic planning—even if his strategic planning mostly involves him waiting to ambush travelers in the woods with his merry men. He also portrays some of Leo’s weaknesses, as he’s egotistical and arrogant.
Arthur Pendragon – Pisces
Arthur Pendragon appears in Shrek the Third and begins the movie as a shy teenager who is bullied at his school until Shrek and Fiona appear to tell him that he’s heir to the Far Far Away throne.
Despite Artie’s difficult time at school and relationship with his father, he is a generous, empathetic, and brave character similar to the Pisces personality. Although Artie eventually agrees to his responsibilities of being King, it takes him a while to get there, and he spends a lot of the movie afraid of his new prospects, which is a weakness of the Pisces.
Queen Lillian – Sagittarius
Queen Lillian is a supportive and optimistic Queen and mother to Fiona, who has a similar personality to the Sagittarius sign. Lillian supports her daughter when she reveals that she’s married Shrek and has chosen to become an ogre. Her father is too concerned about appearances to respect his daughter’s decisions, but Lillian is a much sweeter sort.
She’s an honest and kind character who isn’t afraid to stand up for herself or others when she needs to.
Rumpelstiltskin – Scorpio
Rumpelstiltskin is the main antagonist who mainly appears in Shrek Forever After and tricks Shrek into giving away the day he was born making, thus undoing the events of the past three movies.
Rumpelstiltskin portrays all of Scorpio’s bad traits with his aggressive, possessive, and manipulative nature. Scorpio doesn’t necessarily epitomize evil, but the sign’s penchant for confrontation can make those born under it formidable antagonists.
Merlin – Pisces
Merlin appears in Shrek the Third and is Arthur’s retired magic teacher from his high school. Merlin travels with Artie and Shrek and tries to help Artie fulfill his destiny and become the king.
Merlin and Arthur portray different traits of the Pisces sign, as Merlin embodies the Pisces desire to escape reality, has a wise nature, does seem to care about Arthur and his journey, and is an intuitive person even if he has a difficult time honing his magical powers.
Shrek – Aries
Shrek is a typical Aries; he is frank about his opinions to the point of being blunt. Although bands of villagers keep trying to hunt him down, Shrek makes it a point to express his need for privacy, especially because he isn’t hurting anyone by living alone in his swamp.
Like many Aries folk, Shrek sometimes loses control of his emotions. In other words, his destructive tendencies take over when he is angry. Shrek displays commitment and loyalty to his friends, as seen when he goes to save Fiona from Lord Farquaad at great personal risk.
Princess Fiona – Taurus
Those blessed by the bull are extremely hardworking, taking leaps in order to accomplish their objectives. However, they can also be single-minded and can only be swayed from their course with great effort.
Princess Fiona embodies both these Taurus characteristics. For instance, in her search for true love’s first kiss, she fights her away across the forests of Duloc so she can finally be freed from her curse by marrying Farquaad. However, it takes a considerable amount of work on Shrek and Donkey’s part to convince her that her true love lies elsewhere.
Donkey – Gemini
Donkey is a complex character, much like Shrek’s metaphorical onion. He is generally cheerful and optimistic, which several characters love him for, but others—most of all Shrek—find extremely irritating. Donkey is given to bouts of excitability, flitting all over the place when he is in a good mood, but he can turn sullen and moody at the drop of a hat.
This binary nature of his places him under the Gemini sign. Another Gemini trait expressed by Donkey is his undying devotion towards Shrek and Fiona, which proves on a number of occasions.
Lord Farquaad – Cancer
Lord Farquaad is, overall, a terrible person, sending other people off to die on quests while he basks in the resulting glory. Being a Cancer, he easily develops bitterness towards those who slight him or his ego—for instance, when people refer to his height insultingly.
Farquaad is fickle-minded, seeing as he only cares about things that affect him directly and he discards anyone or anything once he finds their utility has been diminished. He is also extremely possessive about his “property.” For example, when Shrek tries to rescue Fiona, Farquaad clearly implies that she belongs to him.
Pinocchio – Leo
Pinocchio, one of Shrek’s closest friends, is ready to help whenever required. In true Leo form, he shows a surprising amount of intelligence and strategic planning when he rescues Shrek, Donkey, and Puss in Boots from prison.
He is incredibly friendly, almost never playing favorites with his friends. Pinocchio is incredibly courageous and resourceful, as well. This is seen when Shrek tosses him around in the air and flings him towards the Fairy Godmother so he could grab her wand directly from her hands.
King Harold – Virgo
People born under Virgo are highly perceptive, being able to picture a problem from all possible angles. King Harold exhibits these features when he asks the Fairy Godmother to change him from a frog into a human, thereby allowing him to marry Lilian.
He is also naturally secretive, a classic Virgo personality, considering his true nature. However, this is partly because he was ashamed of his origins and didn’t want to bring humiliation to the royal family. Being a perfectionist, Harold expects the same for his daughter, which is why he reacts with anger when he finds out that she wants to marry an ogre.
Prince Charming – Libra
Prince Charming is a boastful, pretentious man whose mother’s creepy devotion towards his success has left him expecting the world to revolve around him. Like some Libras, his selfishness is actually a mask hiding his innumerable insecurities. This is obvious from the way he acts around Fiona and the other princesses.
Prince Charming rarely shows signs of intelligence, given that his brain space is mostly taken up by fawning thoughts of himself. For example, he tries to trick Fiona into thinking he is Shrek, but he fails to emulate Shrek’s body movements as he believes the appearance change is enough.
Fairy Godmother – Scorpio
Fairy Godmother is a typical Scorpio; from her fierce drive towards her goals to her refusal to hold back in a fight, she is a metaphorical explosion simply waiting to happen. Her Zodiac sign grants her the strength required to concoct a plan elaborate enough to ensure her son inherits the kingdom of Far, Far Away.
The Fairy Godmother masks herself with a veneer of refinement of style, but she can bring her inner scorpion out, utterly destroying those opposing her if necessary.
Puss In Boots – Sagittarius
Puss in Boots is a loyal friend to Shrek, demonstrating his trustworthiness in several instances when his fighting skills save the day.
As a Sagittarius, Puss is determined to make friends with Donkey even though the latter despises him for stealing the spotlight. He is also very adventurous, working as a hired assassin and traveling to places far and wide in the course of his missions.
Gingerbread Man – Capricorn
The Gingerbread Man—also known as Gingy in the later movies—is first introduced as a victim of Lord Farquaad, who threatened to have him drowned in milk and even broke his legs off to get him to spill his secrets. However, Gingy is as crafty as he is creative, both definitive traits of the Capricorn sign.
This is reflected in his staunch resolve not to expose the hiding places of other fairy tale creatures to Farquaad. In fact, even when Farquaad pressures him by pulling at his gumdrop buttons, Gingy simply lies about the Muffin Man being involved.
Dragon – Aquarius
The Aquarius sign is noted for the air of mystery that surrounds those born under it, and “mystery” is a perfect description of Dragon’s personality. In the beginning, Dragon portrays herself as a fire-breathing monster whose sole purpose is to keep anyone from rescuing Princess Fiona from her tower.
But, her hostility is soon revealed to be an act when she shows that she is attracted to Donkey. In accordance with Aquarian nature, Dragon rarely communicates her emotions because members of this sign value their inner world too much to disclose its nature to most people.
Magic Mirror – Pisces
The Magic Mirror on the Wall might be an enchanted object, but its emotions and thoughts are as real as can be. It has a sensitive nature, reflecting those of most Pisces, as showcased when it is easily intimidated by Lord Farquaad threatening to shatter it.
Magic Mirror is highly innovative as well, given its tendency towards pageantry and fanfare. For instance, it shows three princesses for Farquaad to choose from, namely, Snow White, Cinderella, and Fiona, displaying them in the form of a television game show.
The Big Bad Wolf – Pisces
One of the many fairy tale background characters seen throughout the Shrek series, the Big Bad Wolf doesn’t get much attention. His biggest moment was arguably his appearance in an American Idol spoof skit in which he could be heard singing “Hungry Like the Wolf” by Duran Duran.
Wolfie seems to be fairly lackadaisical and laid back, often seen lying in bed in keeping with his backstory. However, he’s willing to accompany his friends when Shrek must be saved in the second film, and this empathy may mark him as a Pisces.
Doris – Capricorn
First appearing in the second Shrek movie, Doris is a bartender who seems to be the go-to for Far Far Away’s criminal underworld. Connected to some pretty unsavory folk, she’s a gruff, serious sort who isn’t to be toyed with.
Her softer side comes out later in the series when she renounces her old ways and joins the other princesses in Far Far Way, but her stern exterior is a major part of her character. Fiercely independent, Doris is assuredly a Capricorn.
Brogan
After Rumpelstiltskin dupes Shrek into entering an alternate reality in which forsakes his life in Far Far Away, Shrek must join a band of ogre warriors led by Fionna to reclaim the land from Rumpel. Chief amongst the ogre resistance is Brogan, a gruff, tall ogre who is fiercely dedicated to his cause.
Loyalty is at the core of Brogan’s character, indicating his status as a Virgo. A born leader willing to do anything to unseat Rumpelstiltskin, he’s the sort of hero Shrek struggled to become in the first movie.