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Rapunzel

Folklore
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Maiden with long hair imprisoned in a tower, rescued by a prince

Detailed Definition
Rapunzel’s isolation and eventual liberation through love symbolize entrapment and the power of connection. In poetry, she embodies longing, the voice that calls from confinement, and the intertwining of hair as a lifeline.
Example
Example in poetry:
In the Brothers Grimm tale rendered poetically by Anne Sexton in “Rapunzel,” the tower symbolizes female isolation and eventual liberation; In Friedrich Rückert’s lyrical poems, Rapunzel’s hair becomes a metaphor for connection and entrapment; In Carol Ann Duffy’s “Rapunzel,” the heroine cuts her hair and walks away, reclaiming autonomy; In modern feminist poetry, Rapunzel often signifies the breaking of patriarchal confinement; In Tracy K. Smith’s “Watershed,” Rapunzel’s braid echoes in narratives of escape; In Sylvia Plath’s “Daddy,” Rapunzel imagery conveys rescue fantasies and disillusionment.
Additional Notes
Rapunzel, the fairy tale girl imprisoned in a tower with long hair, symbolizes isolation, female sexuality (hair as metaphor), and eventual liberation; poets reinterpret her to critique patriarchal control or explore the voice emerging from confinement—her hair becomes a ladder, a text, or a symbol of entanglement in feminist and psychoanalytic poetry.
Also Known As
Tower-Bound Maiden Hair of Gold Enchanted Captive
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