Media Power

It is very interesting to look at the power plays within the film, and how in some ways it demonstrates media reflecting on reality. First of all it is interesting to address where the power is placed among the characters of the film. It may seem obvious that of course the king and queen would be the most powerful members of society but there are further points to be noted when looking closer. First, as discussed, the females in the film lack any sort of power, even the queen is constrained to her role as mother and not as royalty. The class roles in this film are very pronounced, with the king and queen on top as the most respected, followed by the nobility which includes Rodmilla and her daughters, then the artists and creative members of society, followed by the servants to the nobility and such as the page and captain Laurent, with the regular servants such as Danielle at the bottom only followed by the barbaric Gypsies. The exemplifies the way society has typically treated any foreign or ethnic minorities as low class citizens, if citizens at all. Meanwhile, the large wealth distribution gap between the lowest of high society such as Rodmilla and the highest of the low class such as Laurent is rather large. In addition, despite his respectable position as right hand man of the king, Laurent will always be treated as lower importance than cruel and useless Rodmilla due to social standing. Although based in the Renaissance, these power displays can still be seen today in society between the upper class citizens of the first world and the lower class citizens of the 3rd world who are subjected to the whims of the rich and used as capital rather than treated as people.