Donna Murphy believed that Gothel did really love Rapunzel in her own way. "I also think there is this thread of a kind of love that she does have for Rapunzel. It's not what she set out.
She lives to take care of Rapunzel, but only to use her to stay young, and keeps her locked up. Gothel appears to be a loving, though overprotective (and emotionally abusive), mother towards Rapunzel.
Fearing that she may be losing control over her flower, Mother Gothel uses subtle jabs, over-the-top guilt trips, and refrains of "Mother Knows Best" to keep Rapunzel from leaving, before firmly, and darkly ordering Rapunzel to never ask to leave the tower, again.
Why was Mother Gothel interested in Rapunzel's hair?
As it turned out, this flower had been used by an evil old woman named Gothel to stay young for centuries. The only way that Gothel could continue to live forever, beautiful and young, was if she kidnapped Rapunzel and used her hair (and a magical song).
The story by the Brothers Grimm begins with a mother's craving for rampion, a leafy green vegetable. This craving leads to her giving up her baby to Dame Gothel. Dame Gothel names the child Rapunzel, but as the child ages, Gothel realizes how beautiful Rapunzel is and hides her in a tall tower to protect her.
Narcissistic Parenting: Did Mother Gothel Ever Love Rapunzel in Disney’s Tangled? - The Fangirl
Who killed Mother Gothel in Tangled?
Rapunzel was eventually freed from Gothel by her lover Eugene Fitzherbert as Pascal and threw Gothel out of the tower and destroyed Rapunzels powers that kept Gothel alive. It is unknown of the fall from the tower killed her or that she turned to dust because of Rapunzels hair being cut off first.
Why did Mother Gothel not lie about Rapunzel's birthday?
Simple answer: She never expected Rapunzel to ever leave the tower - and she already had a set birthday that Gothel could easily remember, why change it?
The fact that Mother Gothel only cares about the power of Rapunzel's hair, and not Rapunzel herself, is demonstrated in almost every scene in which she appears with her. By referring to Rapunzel as 'Flower', rather than her name. By always stroking or checking her hair every time they embrace.
What was Rapunzel's real name before she was taken?
Rapunzel's real story is said to have been loosely based on a true story about a woman, Saint Barbara, in Italy around the 3rd century. The story of Barbara was that she was so beautiful that her father felt he had to lock her in a tower to protect her.
Queen Ariana is the Queen of Corona, the birth mother of Princess Rapunzel and a secondary character in the Disney Channel animated series, Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure.
Her actual age is around 400 years old, and due to this Gothel became obsessed with regaining her youth. She was ultimately forced to kidnap Rapunzel and raise her as her own at the cost of abandoning her birth daughter, Cassandra.
According to the Brothers Grimm, Princess Rapunzel is named after the cultivated vegetable of the same name, growing in a witch's garden. The wording of the story suggested to me that the Grimms' contemporaries would be familiar with the plant as a vegetable, that it wasn't a fantastical invented thing.
She stopped showing any affection to Rapunzel when she expressed her want for freedom because she could no longer manipulate her anymore into thinking everyone wanted her hair. Her love was conditional and she did not love her whatsoever.
In "Once a Handmaiden...", after realizing that Zhan Tiri tricked her and that her mother never really loved her, Cassandra becomes remorseful over her actions and seeks to make amends with Rapunzel.
Gothel fatally stabs Flynn upon his arrival and attempts to leave with Rapunzel, who offers to go willingly with her if she can heal Flynn. Gothel reluctantly releases her. However, Flynn unexpectedly cuts Rapunzel's hair, causing it to lose its magic and turn brown.
In the past, Rapunzel had two daughters, Anastasia and Drizella, and made a deal with Mother Gothel to be locked in a tower in exchange for the safety of her family. Six years later, Rapunzel frees herself and when she returns to her family, she discovers she has gained a stepdaughter named Ella.
Although Flynn Rider never mentions how old he is on-screen, the animators behind Tangled have confirmed (via Showbiz Cheat Sheet) that Flynn is 26 years old in the movie. When he meets the likable Disney princess Rapunzel in her tower, she's 17 years old with her 18th birthday right around the corner.
Gothel did care for Rapunzel but not because she was a person, but because of what she could give Gothel. She loved her hair, her magic more than anything. Though in her own twisted way she might've loved Rapunzel like a daughter.
In order to market the new film to both sexes and additional age groups, Disney changed the title from Rapunzel to Tangled while also emphasizing Flynn Rider, the film's prominent male character, showing that his story is just as important as that of Rapunzel.
vain, manipulative, and selfish. Mother Gothel has some motherly, nurturing qualities, but they're always as part of a façade used to maintain control over Rapunzel. She lies about the dangers of the outside world, plays the victim for sympathy, and batters Rapunzel's self-esteem – all in order to keep her power.
Mother Gothel's song “Mother Knows Best” is a prime example of the emotional abuse and backhanded comments she throws at Rapunzel. The audience isn't shown much else about Rapunzel's younger years of adolescents or childhood. Though, it is easy to see that Mother Gothel's emotional abuse is long-running.
Gothel wasn't a good parent and was capable of awful things. She was selfish, cunning, and smart, which made her a great Disney villain. Audiences know that Gothel is bad news, but in certain ways, she's still an underrated Disney villain.
A dying Flynn protests the deal, and cuts off Rapunzel's hair with a shard of glass when she tries to heal him. Gothel withers and disappears when the hair is cut, and Flynn dies, but Rapunzel's tears contain enough magic to revive him.
Gothel did care for Rapunzel but not because she was a person, but because of what she could give Gothel. She loved her hair, her magic more than anything.
