Even though his background is something of a mystery, according to Shrek The Musical, it is revealed that on his seventh birthday, Shrek was sent away by his parents, because it was an ogre tradition. (The original book also has his parents evicting him from their swamp.)
A mean lord exiles fairytale creatures to the swamp of a grumpy ogre, who must go on a quest and rescue a princess for the lord in order to get his land back. It's the story of a terrifying green ogre by the name of Shrek, who lives in a swamp.
Shrek, a solitary ogre, is angered when fairy tale creatures are sent to live in his swamp ordered by Lord Farquaad. He befriends a talking donkey named Donkey, and they set off to meet with Farquaad. The lord needs Princess Fiona to marry him so he will become the king of Duloc.
Shrek! is a fantasy comedy picture book published in 1990 by American book writer and cartoonist William Steig, about a repugnant green monster who leaves home to see the world and ends up marrying an ugly princess.
Plot. Shrek is an anti-social and highly territorial ogre who loves the solitude of his swamp, fending off mobs and enjoying some privacy. His life is interrupted after the dwarfish Lord Farquaad of Duloc exiles a vast number of fairy-tale creatures, who inadvertently end up in the swamp.
Lord Farquaad is the short-in-stature, ruthless ruler of Duloc. Several times in the film it is observed that, with Duloc's towering height, Farquaad may be compensating for something.
Shrek calls Donkey a stubborn jackass. Remember donkey and jackass usually refer to the same animal. A common simile is "as stubborn as a jackass" or "as stubborn as a mule".
In the movies, Shrek compares ogres to onions as they both have layers. I think you see where this is heading… Of course we will be enjoying onions with our Family Dinner Book Club meal! Shrek eats raw onions, Shrek is like an onion, we will also eat and be like onions.
In the case of the Shrek franchise, Shrek's Scottish accent was a much-needed addition to the film for character background, historical depth, and individuality.
Shrek's goal (his want) is clear. He wants to be left alone in his swamp. But that want is put into conflict when Lord Farquaad enacts a law and sends all the fairy tale creatures into his swamp.
First off, Fiona once mentioned that when she was a child, a witch cast a spell on her, yet the intro of Shrek 2 implies that she was born with the curse, which could be a consequence of the Fairy Godmother's deal with Harold, thus still making her responsible for it.
One of the film series' main characters, Fiona is introduced as a beautiful princess placed under a curse that transforms her into an ogre at night. She is initially determined to break the enchantment by kissing a prince, only to meet and fall in love with Shrek, an ogre, instead.
At the end of the first movie, Shrek and Fiona ride away from their wedding in a carriage made out of an onion. The onion was a significant part of the first movie, as it was used in Shrek's ogre metaphor, and the carriage becomes Shrek and Fiona's main form of transportation in "Shrek 2."
Add that on poor Fiona's age when she was first locked up and we find out that she's somewhere around 30. So assuming she and Shrek are the same age, since that's how the musical positions things, it's safe to say that he's about 30 as well.
Some fans have wondered why Shrek couldn't remain human permanently. One possible explanation is that being human isn't always desirable or comfortable for Shrek. He may be happier as an ogre and enjoy the freedom that comes with not having to worry about societal norms and expectations.
Among the many challenges Donkey presents for Shrek is his simple attitude toward Shrek. Much to Shrek's surprise, Donkey just likes him. He's not afraid of him because he's a big green ogre. He likes him, wants to be his friend and wants to help him.
Shrek has no definite last name. But he is married to fiona her parents are Harold and Lillian (last name unknown). Fiona has the same last name as Harold and Lillian. Arthur is the nephew of Harold and Lillian (king and queen of far far away).
Later in the film, when Shrek has experienced his worst nightmare—rejection by Fiona—and when he in turn has pushed Donkey away, he retreats into an outhouse. Now this symbol of solitude represents all his fears of getting close to others, and of literally shutting them out.
Shrek uses swamp slugs to brush his teeth while the wolf-eel uses sea urchins as a toothpick. Found in the colder waters of the Pacific Ocean, the wolf-eel is one of the few predators of the rapidly multiplying sea urchins. His strong jaw can crush crunchy crustaceans like mussels and clams.
Lord Farquaad has been said to be hinting at the term "f-wad". Shrek calls Donkey a "stubborn jackass", and Donkey calls Shrek a "kissass". In the "welcome to Duloc" song a lyric is "clean your shoes wipe your (pause) face" implying an anatomical term as two male puppets bend over with visible butt cracks.
Donkey tries to appeal to Shrek, but Shrek rejects him, angry that Donkey would talk about him with Fiona behind his back, and declares he will return to his swamp, alone ("Build A Wall").
