i am about to inflict an unsolicited little mermaid opinion on you and theres nothing you can do about it:
i hate how the princess and the sea witch are treated in a lot of adaptations. in some sort of drive to find a villain in this story, people make the witch into some sort of evil mastermind trying to get to the sea king via his daughter and the princess some sort of cruel bitch willing to steal someone's partner because she thinks he's pretty, ignoring the anguish of the little mermaid at this action. sometimes shes even in on it with the witch! sometimes she is the witch!
the sea witch isn't evil. she's a neutral character. when she is asked for a spell, she does her best to provide it and asks for payment she considers justified. she tells the little mermaid exactly what to expect, informs her thoroughly of the consequences of her actions and then *lets her choose*. she is the first person in her life to give the little mermaid an actual genuine choice.
she gives the little mermaid legs but when her sisters come begging for a way to save her life, she provides one, even though she could have just let the story play out. she doesn't ask for power or wealth in exchange, just the princesses' hair, which will grow back.
the witch is simply a creature that is neither mermaid nor human, and expecting her to act like either is. incredibly odd to me.
the princess LITERALLY does nothing wrong. she sees a cute man lying on the beach, clearly in some sort of distress, so she goes to make sure he's alright and breathing and makes sure he is taken back home to rest and heal up. She also gets a BIG FAT crush on him from this experience. alas she is a princess and has to marry for the good of her country. so she can't have him. even though he's cute and she likes him.
can you imagine her glee upon discovering that the man she is about to marry is the man she actually wants to marry? she is so fucking lucky. and his friend is so sweet! she doesn't talk and always seems a bit sad but she's so sweet! her fiance is so fond of her that he wants to bring her with them on the ship where they'll be married and who is she to say no to him? if it makes him happy and if it makes his friend smile, what's the harm?
she doesn't know. she can't know. how on earth is she supposed to? she's just. getting married. she's so happy.
she's ripping the little mermaid's heart out, hand in hand with her husband, and is completely unaware of it. the pain she is causing is not knowingly done. how could she know?
trying to insert a villain into this story is to miss the point. it's about agency and depression and loving what you cannot have while craving it so much it makes you sick. its about existing in a world that has no space for someone like you. with your feelings. your thoughts. your body.
its not about who holds the trident or who marries the prince. none of this is a hero's journey.
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