Princess Jasmine's Whole New World
Do You Trust Me? (PART TWO)
The new Aladdin live-action remake inspired me to reflect on the characters and themes from both films. The first part talked about Aladdin and poverty, but I’d be remiss if I also didn’t talk about his love interest Jasmine.
If Aladdin’s the diamond in the rough, she’s the diamond on the expensive plush pillow, or, better yet, the diamond on the gold ring in expensive, fancy, gold settings.
She’s spoiled and immature, a fact which becomes painfully clear near the story’s beginning.
Phase One — Jasmine the Clueless
While Aladdin’s biggest problem at the outset involves whether or not he and Abu will be able to eat that day, Jasmine’s conundrum centers on her perceived lack of freedom, due to being guarded at all times. Her life is essentially limited to the palace property, so she undoubtedly found herself antsy, lonely, and misunderstood by her Sultan father.
In a fit of rebellion, Jasmine decides to check on the people of Agrabah in person. Of course, she goes in disguise and without any guards to protect her, which she probably should’ve known was a dumb move. Did the Sultan not teach her about safety, or was she just being ditsy in her rebellious phase?
Lucky for her, Aladdin saves her from getting her hand chopped off, after she steals fruit in the marketplace to give to a poor person (What do you mean it costs money? Isn’t this the commoner buffet?).
She spends the whole day with Aladdin, and they seem to have chemistry and mutual attraction, but she knows there’s no way they can be together.
A princess with a street rat? Not in Agrabah’s social climate.
But she is a young woman with feelings and hormones. And her father does want her to get married. And her father doesn’t have a male successor lined up. And her mother is dead, and the Sultan doesn’t really know how to confide in his daughter.
So, obviously, an arranged marriage is in order…
Phase Two — Jasmine the Hopeless
Though her lack of suitable suitors is apparent in both versions, I love how the live action version treated the arranged marriage subplot. Indeed, such marriages, though formerly a cultural way of life, are very awkward.
Before she meets Prince Ali, Jasmine is without hope. Her outside excursion only solidified her feelings of trapped-ness. She doesn’t want to marry a random prince for the sake of a treaty or politics. She doesn’t want someone who doesn’t care about Agrabah to become Sultan, either.
In this respect, the live-action Jasmine is an improvement on her animated counterpart. Jasmine has a passion for her people. She wants what’s best for Agrabah even more than she wants a husband. How could Prince Anders of Skånland be expected to rule her people well?
She wants to marry, but she doesn’t want to participate in the social hierarchal institutions that threaten to hold her down. Jasmine has more to offer Agrabah. She’s refuses to be relegated to the status of a bargaining chip, but her father sees things differently.
Because of that, she’s trapped in the ways of this world. But she’s about to see a whole new one…
Phase Three — Jasmine the Loved
There’s something different about Prince Ali. Something suspicious, beneath his pompous procession and gifts of jams. Yes, he’s awkward. Yes, he’s nervous. But he has a heart. And he reminds her of someone she met once. A certain charming homeless dude with a pet monkey.
Almost like magic, the near perfect prince is asking for her hand in marriage. He’s nice. He wants to spend time with her. He seems to even want what’s best for Agrabah. He seems to actually listen to her when she speaks.
How does a man seem both enamored by her beauty but also enraptured by her heart?
When Prince Ali asks, “Do you trust me?”—just like Aladdin had asked during her marketplace excursion—Jasmine opens her eyes to a truth: She can trust something different than the status quo.
She eventually discovers it’s Aladdin. Yes, she’s mad that he lied to her. But Prince Ali gave her hope. Hope that something could change. Hope that she didn’t have to settle for Prince Anders or any other strategic suitor.
Though, like most Disney romances, she and Aladdin’s relationship feels forced, sudden, natural, and unrealistic, their chemistry is undeniable, and their love hinges on their mutual admiration for each other, and their care for the people around them. They’re both loving, empathetic people with hearts for compassion and mercy, and in some ways, that’s all that’s required for a committed marriage to work.
[On a side-note, the romantic aspect is a valid complaint. It would feel more natural and realistic if Jasmine and Aladdin had spent more time together and built more of a friendship before Aladdin becomes Prince Ali, but I digress. It is a magical movie; not every part needs to be realistic.]
Aladdin showed her a whole new world of possibilities through their time together. The magic carpet could take her anywhere. Aladdin cared about her, just like she cared about her people.
Phase Four — Jasmine the Sultan
An emboldened Jasmine, channelling her inner Queen Esther, is able to stand up to Jafar. Jasmine can marry a man of a lower class. Jasmine can be her father’s successor as sultan.
Though I haven’t touched much on the genie in these posts, his magic and friendship with Aladdin make it possible for Aladdin to overcome his economic disadvantage. This same magic inspires Jasmine to see beyond her circumstances. She’s not only a princess, a piece of meat her father must use wisely. She’s not trapped and destined to be used!
Aladdin is a story of hope, love, and friendship overcoming the powers evil and greed.
Jasmine and Aladdin remind us that a whole new world waits for us above whatever situation you’re trapped in.
There’s magic in mercy! There’s hope in love! Opportunity and reform are possible.
The diamond can be lifted from the rough. The slave can be free from decades of bondage. And like Jasmine, your destiny isn’t based on how you can be used or who you’re married to or related to.
Your destiny can be forged through your grit, determination, and relentless compassion.
Jasmine didn’t find a new world. She changed the one where she lived.
Let us all be bold enough to do likewise.
