History Characters / Frozen

* ItIsPronouncedTroPAY: The name of his town keeps getting mispronounced as ''Weasel''-ton. Gets turned into MaliciousMisnaming at the end when the servant informing him of the cut ties, makes a point of pronouncing it "Weasel Town".

* ManicPixieDreamGirl: She plays this part to Kristoff, being a spunky and cheeful girl to enliven the gruff, asocial ice harvester.

* ShipperOnDeck: In ''The Secret Admirer'', she's determined to learn who has been sending Elsa gifts so the two can meet face-to-face. She gives up on the relationship after learning Elsa's secret admirer is [[spoiler:a little boy]].

* EvilDebtCollector: If a villager is delinquent on their taxes, King Westergaard sends down one of his sons to forcibly strong-arm and shake down the villager into paying. And if anybody refuses to pay up, they're immediately killed on the spot.

* IgnoredEpiphany: ''A Frozen Heart'' depicts moments where he almost has HeelReelization, but desperation for freedom and respect from his family make him take the wrong choice.

.* AmbiguousDisorder: ''A Frozen Heart'' suggests he suffers from depression and suicidal thoughts.

* FateWorseThanDeath: In ''A Frozen Heart'', he's panicking when the guards drag him to be shipped back to the Southern Isles without even seeing Anna and Elsa one last time. Considering the book expands on his role and reveals more about him than the movie did, it's clear to the reader he will suffer far worse treatment than he has from his brothers and father beforehand, who were already horrible to him. As he was desperately trying to never go back, he's begging to be let go, not wanting to leave the Hell he was desperately trying to escape from in the first place. And ''Frozen Fever'' shows that part of his punishment is to shovel manure in the royal stables. The bleak environment of the Southern Isles in the background reveals the miserable conditions he's currently in.

* AlwaysSecondBest: He always seems himself as this compared to his older brothers, and has a desire to get out of their shadows.
* AmbiguousDisorder: ''A Frozen Heart'' suggests he suffers from depression and suicidal thoughts.

* AristocratsAreEvil: His [[TheUnfettered Machiavellian plans]] to seize control of Arendelle's throne place him firmly in this trope.

* AssholeVictim: Though he makes a short appearance in ''Frozen Fever'', it's shown that he was penalized for his actions in Arendelle, and his family's opinion of him hasn't changed much, even after sullying the Westergaard name.

* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: ''A Frozen Heart'' reveals that Hans is on good terms with only one of his brothers, Lars, who was the only one to not abuse him and have a meaningful conversation with him. Lars was the one to suggest [[UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom he go to Arendelle to court then Princess Elsa]]. He also seems to care for his mother.

* EvilAllAlong: You'd be ''very'' surprised when you find out he's the true villain of the movie, considering how he looks like he is going to be a supporting character and a potential love interest for one of the protagonists (Anna or Elsa) in promo photos for the movie. Hans is that rare Disney villain whose true nature casts a very dark pallor over all of the supposedly altruistic and benevolent deeds he had done prior to TheReveal, when it becomes apparent that he had been planning to murder our heroes and usurp the kingdom ''right from the start''. "Love is an Open Door"? Hollow lies. His charitable deeds for the people while Anna is gone? [[VillainWithGoodPublicity Calculated to make his rise to power easier]]. His drive to keep Anna safe? A mask of concern, casually discarded when he realized he can no longer use her: it was safe to ''let her die.''

* IgnoredEpiphany: In ''A Frozen Heart'', showing his side of the events between where he tells Elsa Anna died because of her and he's about to kill her with his sword, Hans doesn't take his weapon out because he's seeing what he's done to her. He realizes she's in grief over her dead sister and it seems he realizes he's gone too far... but quickly shakes his head, believing there's no point now that he has a chance to end the winter and be free from the Southern Isles forever.

* IveComeTooFar: In ''A Frozen Heart'', when he tells Elsa that Anna died because of her and he's about to kill her with his sword, Hans initially hesitates to take his weapon out because he's seeing what he's done to her. He realizes she's in grief over her dead sister and it seems he realizes he's gone way too far... but quickly shakes his head, believing there's no point now that he has a chance to end the winter and be free from the Southern Isles forever.

* NeverMyFault: In ''A Frozen Heart'', Anna believes that no matter how much Hans's claims of his brothers might be true, he's still a grown man who should have known better.

* PrinceCharming: He invokes this trope to appeal to Anna's romanticism. In truth, he is [[PrinceCharmless anything but charming]].
** His character is a major subversion of the classical Disney Prince; Hans himself notes of this during his betrayal, and uses it to his advantage.

* SelectiveObliviousness: ''A Frozen Heart'' shows him ignoring any indication that Elsa is not the monster he imagines her as.

* TykeBomb: Downplayed, but Hans was raised by [[AbusiveParents an abusive man]] who believed that [[TheSocialDarwinist the strong should pick on the weak]], and was often [[BigBrotherBully beaten up and bullied by his older brothers]] for failing to meet his family's harsh standards of ruling their kingdom. To rectify this, [[WellDoneSonGuy Hans]] slowly decides to become his father's gofer in the hopes of being recognized as a dutiful and prodigal son.
** This is because his dad simply regards him with utter disgust and contempt, comparing him to a "weakling" and an idiotic coward who couldn't stand up to the abuse he and his older sons throw at Hans. And from his POV, Hans being against his family's violent methods of controlling the kingdom made him the proverbial BlackSheep of the family. To him, any son who doesn't live up to expectations, namely Hans, must be "toughened up to the Westergaard mold" by encouraging his older sons to bully and torment him, which to him is a "sign of strength", and believes it's all "good politics" so Hans could be forced to use his family's methods of controlling the subjects, [[EvenEvilHasStandards despite what Hans has to say or object]].

* TheUnfavorite: ''A Frozen Heart'' reveals that his father has very little love for him and generally sees him as a whiner ranting about his brothers bullying him, even if Hans's brothers often bully him in very violent ways. [[WellDoneSonGuy Despite this, Hans often daydreams about having a loving and caring father, even as an adult]], and, [[EvenEvilHasStandards despite his objections]], is regularly forced to use violence against his father's subjects in order to gain respect. Yet, even after following all of his father's orders before setting off to Arendelle, Hans's father has only just begun to respect his youngest son. And even after sullying the Westergaard name in Arendelle, his father's opinion towards him hasn't changed much, as it's implied that he stripped Hans of his noble privileges and penalized him to shoveling manure in the royal stables.
* TheUnfettered: His Machiavellian plans to usurp Arendelle's throne firmly places him in this trope.

* AbusiveParents: The King is an emotionally abusive man who encourages violence and frequently makes his lack of respect for his youngest son blatant, going so far to encourage his older sons to physically abuse Hans. And even after sullying the Westergaard name in Arendelle, his father's opinion towards him hasn't changed much, as it's implied that he stripped Hans of his noble privileges and penalized him to shoveling manure in the royal stables.

* AlwaysSecondBest: Hans' father sees his youngest son as an useless spare and weakling compared to his twelve older sons, as while he is smart and intelligent, they are far more effective, ruthless, skilled and managed to woo eligible maidens much quicker than he was, something which Hans agrees on, and as a result, developed an [[InferioritySuperiorityComplex inferiority complex]]. To counter this, Hans tries to emulate them by becoming the king's errand boy and gofer before setting off to Arendelle in the hopes of surprising and upstaging his brothers by getting a throne more quickly and effectively by himself, and with this newfound power, he hopes to transform Arendelle from a backwater country into a power capable of fending off external threats. By becoming the new ruler of Arendelle, he hopes to force his father to recognize him on an equal footing, while his twelve older brothers would now have to respect him as a sovereign. But his hasty desire to become king and [[WellDoneSonGuy get the respect of his family]] backfires on him, and he's now back in the same Hell he wanted to escape in the first place. And even after sullying the Westergaard name in Arendelle, his family still sees him as a [[DisappointedInYou disappointment in their view]].

* BigBrotherBully: With the exception of Lars, all of Hans's brothers took sadistic delight in making Hans's life a living hell, and like their father, coldly see him their punching bag. Their actions went from standard jokes and tirades to being physically abusive, with the twins Rudi and Runo bullying him the most. In one case, three of them even pretended Hans was a non-entity for ''two straight years'', while in another, they threw glass at him just for daydreaming, not to mention being thrown off moving carts, shoved in the mud countless times and losing numerous fistfights. It's gotten so bad that Hans [[DespairEventHorizon has given up fighting back out of fear that they'll just treat him even worse]], [[ExtremeDoormat but this only enabled them to bully him even more]].

* ParentalFavoritism: Though the king favors all of his twelve older and more useful sons, he seems to dote over his oldest son Caleb (who's next in line to the throne), while coldly regarding his "weakling" youngest son Hans as a throwaway and useless spare. To rectify this, [[WellDoneSonGuy Hans]] slowly decides to become his father's gofer and errand boy in the hopes of being recognized as a dutiful and prodigal son. But despite sullying the Westergaard name in Arendelle, his father's opinion towards him hasn't changed much, as it's implied that he stripped Hans of his noble privileges and penalized him to shoveling manure in the royal stables.

* WhyCouldntYouBeDifferent: The king often claims that Hans should "learn a thing or two" from his older brothers, often berating and emotionally abusing him for not fighting back at their taunts. And even after sullying the Westergaard name in Arendelle, his father's opinion towards him hasn't changed much, as it's implied that he stripped Hans of his noble privileges and penalized him to shoveling manure in the royal stables.

* BigBrotherBully: With the exception of Lars, all of Hans's brothers took sadistic delight in making Hans's life a living hell, and like their father, coldly see him their punching bag. Their actions went from standard jokes and tirades to being physically abusive, with the twins Rudi and Runo bullying him the most. In one case, three of them even pretended Hans was a non-entity for ''two straight years'', while in another, they threw glass at him just for daydreaming, not to mention being thrown off moving carts, shoved in the mud countless times and losing numerous fistfights. It's gotten so bad that Hans [[DespairEventHorizon has given up fighting back out of fear that they'll just treat him even worse]].

* ThirteenIsUnlucky: Being the thirteenth in line for his kingdom's throne, he knows he doesn't stand a chance to be king, and this makes him do very desperate and unethical things.

* ExtremeDoormat: ''A Frozen Heart'' reveals that he's been been the victim of countless pranks (especially where [[BigBrotherBully three of his brothers pretended he was "invisible" for]] ''[[BigBrotherBully two straight years]]''), not to mention being pummeled, thrown off moving carts or being shoved in the mud numerous times despite repeatedly asking his brothers to stop it. And in one case, they even threw ''glass'' at him just for daydreaming. Plus, his father is an extremely stone-cold and unfeeling man who regards his youngest son with nothing but utter contempt and disgust for being a "weakling" against his older sons. By the time he's a young adult, [[DespairEventHorizon Hans has already given up fighting back as it just makes their physical abuse worse]], so he just stays quiet. But by doing this, his father's emotional abuse became worse by saying Hans should learn from his brothers.

* AloofBigBrother: Hans could never bond with any brother but Lars, as they follow their father's view of preying on the weak. While he dismisses it as "what brothers do", when he tells Anna that three of them pretended he was invisible for two years, he's visibly and clearly upset.

* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: He tells Anna about how his brothers were terrible to him, but the book reveals they were much worse than just ignoring him. All but one of them were physically and emotionally abusive to him [[DisproportionateRetribution just for being the youngest]] and his father dismissed him as a nuisance. The only people who weren't cruel to him were his mother and the good brother Lars, but they were unable to stop the torment.

* ClassicVillain: Represents Ambition. Knowing that he could never inherit a kingdom for his own, he intends to take over Arendelle by marrying into the royal family, and then killing both sisters. Although he's not the direct cause of the movie's main conflict, it was his deceptions i.e. pretending to be [[FalseSoulmate Anna's Love Interest]] and causing her to argue with Elsa over their whimsical relationship that triggers the plot into such direction. He also shares a number of similarities to both Anna and Elsa: like Anna, he is estranged to his older siblings, and like Elsa, he conceals his true emotions. But while Anna wishes to reconcile with Elsa (and vice versa), Hans clearly doesn't - as he's willing to leave behind his family to get Arendelle. While Elsa tries to control her emotions to stop herself from harming her loved ones, Hans hides his in order to manipulate others.

* EvilWearsBlack: Subverted. In order to throw off the audience, Hans wears light colors while Kristoff, Anna, and Elsa wear darker colors.

** And in ''A Frozen Heart'', even Hans had initial doubts about this, wondering if he's going way too fast and how his family would react -- his father would call him an idiot, while Lars would say that this was done too hastily. But then, these self-doubts are overridden by his goal to seize control of Arendelle.

* LoveIsAWeakness: From his POV in ''A Frozen Heart'', he seems to regard love as something for the weak-minded and as a weakness that can be exploited.

* TheUnfavorite: ''A Frozen Heart'' reveals that his father has very little love for him and generally sees him as a whiner ranting about his brothers bullying him, even if Hans's brothers often bully him in very violent ways. [[WellDoneSonGuy Despite this, Hans often daydreams about having a loving and caring father, even as an adult]], and, [[EvenEvilHasStandards despite his objections]], is regularly forced to use violence against his father's subjects in order to gain respect. Yet, even after following all of his father's orders before setting off to Arendelle, Hans's father has only just begun to respect his youngest son.

* AbusiveParents: The King is an emotionally abusive man who encourages violence and frequently makes his lack of respect for his youngest son blatant, going so far to encourage his older sons to physically abuse Hans.

* ParentalFavoritism: Though the king favors all of his twelve older and more useful sons, he seems to dote over his oldest son Caleb (who's next in line to the throne), while coldly regarding his "weakling" youngest son Hans as a throwaway and useless spare. To rectify this, [[WellDoneSonGuy Hans]] slowly decides to become his father's gofer and errand boy in the hopes of being recognized as a dutiful and prodigal son.

* WhyCouldntYouBeDifferent: The king often claims that Hans should "learn a thing or two" from his older brothers, often berating and emotionally abusing him for not fighting back at their taunts.

** King Westergaard is very much the polar opposite of King Agnarr. While Agnarr loved both his daughters unconditionally, Westergaard only favors the sons who are most loyal and useful to him while treating his youngest as a nuisance. While Agnarr genuinely loved Iduna, Westergaard is at best indifferent to his wife. While Agnarr forced Elsa and Anna to separated for their safety, Westergaard allowed and encouraged his sons to torment Hans out of contempt and cruelty. And while both are responsible for a child developing depression, Agnarr only wanted to keep Elsa and Anna safe, Westergaard is unfeeling to Hans.

** King Westergaard is very much the polar opposite of King Agnarr. While Agnarr loved both his daughters unconditionally, Westergaard only favors the sons who are most loyal and useful to him while treating his youngest as a nuisance. While Agnarr forced Elsa and Anna to separated for their safety, Westergaard allowed and encouraged his sons to torment Hans out of contempt and cruelty. And while both are responsible for a child developing depression, Agnarr only wanted to keep Elsa and Anna safe, Westergaard is unfeeling to Hans.

* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Lars had good intentions in helping to mold Hans into Elsa's suitor, but because he didn't keep a close eye on his little brother during the three years Hans spent as their father's assistant, Lars didn't see how desperate Hans became that he was willing to be as cruel as their family to be free. As such, it's only because of his good intentions did Hans ends up almost killing two innocent women.

* AlwaysSecondBest: Hans' father sees his youngest son as an useless spare and weakling towards his twelve older sons, as while he is smart and intelligent, they are far more effective, ruthless, skilled and managed to woo eligible maidens much quicker than he was, something which Hans agrees on, and as a result, developed an [[InferioritySuperiorityComplex inferiority complex]]. To counter this, Hans tries to emulate them by becoming the king's errand boy and gofer before setting off to Arendelle in the hopes of surprising and upstaging his brothers by getting a throne more quickly and effectively by himself, and with this newfound power, he hopes to transform Arendelle from a backwater country into a power capable of fending off external threats. By becoming the new ruler of Arendelle, he hopes to force his father to recognize him on an equal footing, while his brothers would now have to respect him as a sovereign. But his hasty desire to become king and [[WellDoneSonGuy get the respect of his family]] backfires on him, and he's now back in the same Hell he wanted to escape in the first place. And even after sullying the Westergaard name in Arendelle, his family still sees him as a [[DisappointedInYou disappointment in their view]].

* LoveIsAWeakness: From his POV in ''A Frozen Heart'', he seems to regard love as a weakness that can be exploited.

* ManipulativeBastard: He has very little direct impact on the plot, and doesn't need it to pull off his plan - he's very good at manipulating people in minor ways to push them where he needs them to go and it’s totally calculated. When he noticed how naive Anna is, he plays that up to seduce her. He helps the kingdom to gain their trust, and when Anna reveals she's dying, he says she's dead just to get other people to follow him in killing Elsa. From his twisted perspective, people are only a means to an end, considering the fact that he sees it as a [[CrapsackWorld dog-eat-dog world out there]] and that only [[TheSocialDarwinist the fittest survive]], thanks to his upbringing. He plays a long game, planning his marriage to Elsa for years, but when Anna looks like the more likely path to getting what he wants, he changes gears slightly. Hans doesn’t hesitate to lie and bribe, and starts to dehumanize Elsa so she is viewed as a monster so that no one questions it when he kills her, and he does everything he can to play into that narrative. He consciously mirrors people, showing them what he thinks they want to see, and he sees no reason to use violence if you can use other methods of getting people to do what you want. He’s a master of reading people and he nearly gets everything he’s aiming for.

** In ''A Frozen Heart'', showing his side of the incident, when he tells Elsa that Anna is dead because of her and causes the snowstorm to stop, he briefly notices how Elsa is taking it. He's genuinely surprised at the grief she has for her beloved sister and for a moment, Hans [[IgnoredEphiphany starts to realize he might have gone too far... but he quickly gets over it]].

** His reaction to Anna's HeroicSacrifice and resulting recovery from her frozen heart has left him confused and baffled.
** Additionally, the trolls entertain True Love's Kiss as being only one of the ways to save a frozen heart, but he clearly believes that "true love" can only come from the love of a man and a woman. He doesn't consider the love of siblings, though given his own relationship with his brothers and what Anna had told him about her relationship with Elsa, [[FreudianExcuse of course he wouldn't]].
** In ''A Frozen Heart'', showing his side of the incident, when he tells Elsa that Anna is dead because of her and causes the snowstorm to stop, he briefly notices how Elsa is taking it. He's genuinely surprised at the grief she has for her beloved sister and for a moment, Hans starts to realize he might have gone too far... but he quickly gets over it.
** When Anna tells him he has a frozen heart, he looks legitimately confused by her statement.

* AlwaysSecondBest: Hans' father sees his youngest son as inferior towards his twelve older sons, as while he is smart and intelligent, they are far more effective, skilled and managed to woo eligible maidens than he was, something which Hans agrees on, and as a result, developed an inferiority complex. To counter this, Hans tries to emulate them by becoming the king's errand boy and gofer before setting off to Arendelle in the hopes of surprising and upstaging his brothers by getting a throne more quickly and effectively by himself, and with this newfound power, he hopes to transform Arendelle from a backwater country into a power capable of fending off external threats. By becoming the new ruler of Arendelle, he hopes to force his father to recognize him on an equal footing, while his brothers would now have to respect him as a sovereign. But his hasty desire to become king and [[WellDoneSonGuy get the respect of his family]] backfires on him, and he's now back in the same Hell he wanted to escape in the first place. And even after sullying the Westergaard name in Arendelle, his father and brothers still see him as a [[DisappointedInYou disappointment in their view]].

* AnimalMotifs: His animator compares him to a chameleon. The only difference is that instead of his appearance, Hans changes his personality to adapt to situations. To woo Anna, he pretends to be a lovesick NiceGuy. To earn Arendelle's admiration, he helps them during the winter and goes to rescue their princess. To get Elsa's trust, he acts like a [[MoralityPet friend who knows she doesn't want to hurt people]].

* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: The king always regarded all of his twelve older sons as superior to Hans, who actually seems to agree with this. His brothers were more effective, more skilled and more capable of wooing eligible maidens than he was. It's one of his driving factors for his plans in Arendelle, to prove he can claim a throne more effectively by himself.

* BigBrotherBully: With the exception of Lars, all of Hans's brothers took sadistic delight in making Hans's life a living hell, and like their father, coldly see him their punching bag. Their actions went from standard jokes and tirades to being physically abusive, with the twins Rudi and Runo bullying him the most. And in one case, three of them even pretended Hans was a non-entity for ''two straight years'', while in another, they threw glass at him just for daydreaming, not to mention being thrown off moving carts, shoved in the mud countless times and losing numerous fistfights. It's gotten so bad that Hans [[DespairEventHorizon has given up fighting back out of fear that they'll just treat him even worse]].

* ExtremeDoormat: The queen loves her children and desires them to stop treating Hans so horribly, but years of childbirth and her husband's corrupting influence towards their sons has rendered her unable to do anything but acknowledge Hans with weak smiles.

* TheSocialDarwinist: In ''A Frozen Heart'', Prince Hans's father simply and coldly regards his youngest son with utter disgust and contempt, comparing him to a "weakling" and an idiotic coward who couldn't stand up to the abuse he and his older sons throw at Hans. To him, any of his sons displaying a softer side is a sign of weakness, so it must by countered by forcing them to be "toughened up in the Westergaard mold", that is, to be [[TykeBomb forcibly indoctrinated from a young age that the strong have a right to pick on the weak]]. And from his POV, Hans being against his family's violent methods of controlling the kingdom has made him the BlackSheep of the Westergaard clan. To counter his youngest son's weak nature, he encourages his older sons to bully and torment Hans at his expense, which to him is a "sign of strength", and believes it's all "good politics" so Hans could be forced to use his family's methods of controlling the subjects, [[EvenEvilHasStandards despite what Hans has to say or object]]. By the end of ''A Frozen Heart'', [[TheCorrupter his father's corrupting]] [[GreaterScopeVillain influence]] has slowly poisoned Hans into becoming an unfeeling and ruthless man, driving him to dehumanize everyone (including Elsa, Anna and the Duke of Weselton) in his quest for power.

* BigBrotherBully: With the exception of Lars, all of Hans's brothers took sadistic delight in making Hans's life a living hell, and like their father, coldly see him their punching bag. Their actions went from standard jokes and tirades to being physically abusive, with the twins Rudi and Runo bullying him the most. And in one case, three of them even pretended Hans was a non-entity for ''two straight years'', while in another, they threw glass at him just for daydreaming, not to mention being thrown off moving carts, shoved in the mud countless times and losing numerous fistfights. It's gotten so bad that Hans [[ExtremeDoormat doesn't bother fighting back anymore out of fear that they'll just be worse]].

* BigBrotherBully: With the exception of Lars, all of Hans's brothers took sadistic delight in making Hans's life a living hell, and like their father, coldly see him as a weakling and a punching bag. Their actions went from standard jokes and tirades to being physically abusive, with the twins Rudi and Runo bullying him the most. And in one case, three of them even pretended Hans was a non-entity for ''two straight years'', while in another, they threw glass at him just for daydreaming, not to mention being thrown off moving carts, shoved in the mud countless times and losing numerous fistfights. It's gotten so bad that Hans [[DespairEventHorizon doesn't bother fighting back anymore out of fear that they'll just be worse]].

** The queen is the family's ExtremeDoormat, as while she loves her children and desires them to stop treating Hans so horribly, years of childbirth and her husband's [[TheCorrupter corrupting influence]] towards their sons has rendered her unable to do anything but acknowledge Hans with weak smiles.

* DisappointedInYou: The king routinely never gets tired of telling Hans how much of a disappointment he was, is, and will remain as one in his eyes. Even after sullying the Westergaard name in Arendelle, his father still views him as this.

** The king is an apathetic and stone-cold man who generally regards his youngest son with utter contempt, dismissing him as an incompetent coward and "weakling" who couldn't stand up to the taunts they throw at him, while regarding his wife as an object whose job is to produce more heirs for the kingdom. To him, any of his thirteen sons who doesn't live up to his high but harsh expectations, must be "toughened up to the Westergaard mold" by being physically and emotionally abused.

* SoDisappointedInYou: The king routinely never gets tired of telling Hans how much of a disappointment he was, is, and will remain as one in his eyes.

* VillainOfAnotherStory: King Westergaard is a cruel dictator who abuses his sons into being bullies and sychophantic abusers loyal to him, treats his wife with complete indifference and has turned the Southern Isles into a PoliceState that drives people into poverty or has them killed for either criticizing him or not providing enough money or food. If this were Hans's story, his father would be the BigBad and Hans would be TheHero. Unfortunately, Hans's fear of being a disappointment to his father and unwillingness to return to that abusive household made him the villain of Anna and Elsa's story.

* MeaningfulName: Weselton is frequently mispronounced as 'Weaseltown' throughout the movie. Fittingly, the Duke is a rather weaselly and spineless character.

* BlackSheep: Being the youngest of thirteen sons meant that he was an easy target for [[BigBrotherBully his older brothers (especially Rudi and Runo, who bully Hans the most)]] to pick on - he's been the victim of countless practical jokes and pranks, not to mention being pummeled, thrown off moving carts or being shoved in the mud numerous times - in essence, becoming the ExtremeDoormat for his family. In ''A Frozen Heart'', his father often views him as a "weakling" compared to his older brothers, and [[ParentalNeglect therefore does nothing to stop them from bullying him]], going so much as to unabashedly acknowledge his lack of interest in his son's presence during family and diplomatic gatherings. Ironically, Hans being against the violent methods of his family made him the WhiteSheep, but his desire to [[WellDoneSonGuy appeal to his father]] [[UsedToBeASweetKid darkened him]].

* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: The king always regarded all his sons as superior to Hans, who actually seems to agree with this. His brothers were more effective, more skilled and more capable of meeting eligible maidens than he was. It's one of his driving factors for his plans in Arendelle, to prove he can claim a throne more effectively by himself.

* BigBrotherBully: With the exception of Lars, all of Hans's brothers took sadistic delight in making Hans's life a living hell, and like their father, coldly see him as a weakling. Their actions went from standard jokes and tirades to being physically abusive, with the twins Rudi and Runo bullying him the most. And in one case, three of them even pretended Hans was a non-entity for ''two straight years'', while in another, they threw glass at him just for daydreaming, not to mention being thrown off moving carts, being shoved in the mud countless times and losing numerous fistfights. It's gotten so bad that Hans [[DespairEventHorizon doesn't bother fighting back anymore out of fear that they'll just be worse]].

** The king is an apathetic and stone-cold man who generally regards his youngest son with utter contempt, dismissing him as an incompetent coward and "weakling" who couldn't stand up to the taunts they throw at him, while regarding his wife as an object whose job is to produce more heirs for the kingdom. To him, any of his thirteen sons who doesn't live up to his high expectations, must be "toughened up to the Westergaard mold" by being physically and emotionally abused.

* FreudianExcuse: Like Hans, Lars was also bullied for being the youngest (albeit not as violently). Because of this, Lars abhorred how cruelly everyone treats the youngest brother and is the only one to stand up for Hans. Hans wasn't sure if the bullying Lars himself suffered made him pity his youngest brothers or if he was a genuinely nice person because of it.

* JerkWithAHeartOfJerk: King Westergaard threw his wife's birthday party just for political reasons and to show off. Most of his sons attended their mother's birthday just to impress their father and taunt Hans.

* PoliceState: What the Southern Isles is, in essence. Killing those who don't pay their taxes on time or criticize the rulers, slavery, torturing prisoners, and forcibly seizing the property of a farmer just because they couldn't meet their production quota are just one of several hallmarks of a totalitarian dictatorship, and King Westergaard is a brutal and stone-cold tyrant who runs the kingdom in a notoriously draconian manner.

* TheSocialDarwinist: In ''A Frozen Heart'', Prince Hans's father simply and coldly regards his youngest son with utter disgust and contempt, comparing him to a "weakling" and an idiotic coward who couldn't stand up to the abuse he and his older sons throw at Hans. To him, any of his sons displaying a softer side is a sign of weakness, so it must by countered by forcing them to be "toughened up in the Westergaard mold", that is, to be [[TykeBomb indoctrinated from a young age that the strong have a right to pick on the weak]]. And from his POV, Hans being against his family's violent methods of controlling the kingdom has made him the BlackSheep of the Westergaard clan. To counter his youngest son's weak nature, he encourages his older sons to bully and torment Hans at his expense, which to him is a "sign of strength", and believes it's all "good politics" so Hans could be forced to use his family's methods of controlling the subjects, [[EvenEvilHasStandards despite what Hans has to say or object]]. By the end of ''A Frozen Heart'', [[TheCorrupter his father's corrupting]] [[GreaterScopeVillain influence]] has slowly poisoned Hans into becoming an unfeeling and ruthless man, driving him to dehumanize everyone (including Elsa, Anna and the Duke of Weselton) in his quest for power.

* SoDisappointedInYou: The king never got tired of telling Hans how much of a disappointment he was.

* VillainOfAnotherStory: King Westergaard is a cruel dictator who abuses his sons into being bullies and abuser loyal to him, treats him wife with complete indifference and has turned the Southern Isles into a PoliceState that drives people into poverty or has them killed for either criticizing him or not providing enough money or food. If this were Hans's story, his father would be the BigBad and Hans would be TheHero. Unfortunately, Hans's fear of his father's disappointment and returning to that abusive household made him willing to be the villain of Anna and Elsa's story.

* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Lars had good intentions in helping to mold Hans into Elsa's suitor, but because he didn't keep a close eye on his brother during the three years as their father's assistant, didn't see how desperate Hans became that he was willing to be as cruel as their family to be free. As such, it's only because of his good intentions did Hans end up almost killing two innocent women.

* TheSocialDarwinist: Hans's father simply regards his youngest son with utter disgust and contempt, comparing him to a "weakling" and an idiot who couldn't stand up to the abuse he and his older sons throw at Hans. And from his POV, Hans being against his family's violent methods of controlling the kingdom has made him the BlackSheep of the Westergaard clan. To counter his youngest son's weak nature, he encourages his older sons to bully and torment Hans at his expense, which to him is a "sign of strength", and believes it's all "good politics" so Hans could be forced to use his family's methods of controlling the subjects, [[EvenEvilHasStandards despite what Hans has to say]]. By the end of ''A Frozen Heart'', [[TheCorrupter his]] [[GreaterScopeVillain influence]] has slowly corrupted Hans into becoming an unfeeling and ruthless man, driving him to dehumanize everyone (including Elsa, Anna and the Duke of Weselton) in his quest for power.

* BigBrotherInstinct: Lars was the only brother who tried to help Hans, but his influence was severly limited, likely due to their father not accepting such actions. And despite not getting along with his oldest brother Caleb, Hans often daydreams what it's like being the heir to the throne.

* TheSociopath: Hans's father may very well be a more accurate depiction of this than his youngest son. While Hans does display many aspects of a sociopath, it's debatable if he truly is one, due to a strong FreudianExcuse and establishing the fact that he genuinely cares for Lars and [[EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas their mother]]. His father blatantly cares nothing for his wife, throwing her birthday just to make a show of it, and [[EvilOverlord treats the people of the Southern Isles quite viciously]], taxing them to poverty while brutalizing and possibly killing anyone who criticizes him or doesn't pay their taxes. It's implied he doesn't actually care about his sons unless they are of use to him in some way, as he only starts to treat Hans better because he became his right hand man three years before Hans went to Arendelle. Since Hans is an obsessive WellDoneSonGuy, he may have picked up some of his family's less than savory traits to emulate them and make himself [[TheDutifulSon the prodigal son]].

* AwfulWeddedLife: It's likely the marriage was a political one, as King Westergaard coldly regards his wife as a TrophyWife whose role is to produce more heirs for the kingdom. Hans's married brothers don't seem to have a good relationship with their wives either, with Caleb blatantly ignoring his own in favor of his father's attention. Even Lars, the good brother, doesn't generally seem to see eye-to-eye with his arranged wife Helga, and even though he was set to be a father, Helga desired to keep the child for herself. Hans wonders how most of his brothers, who are violent brutes to boot, managed to win these women to their side, but chose to neglect them once they're married.

* BigBrotherInstinct: Lars was the only brother who tried to help Hans, but his influence was limited, likely due to their father not accepting such actions. And despite not getting along with his oldest brother Caleb, Hans often daydreams what it's like being the heir to the throne.

* LackOfEmpathy: King Westergaard has no concern for anyone but himself, as to him, his wife is nothing more than someone to provide heirs. His people are a source of income he can abuse to his heart's content. Any son who doesn't live up to expectations, namely Hans, must be "toughened up to the Westergaard mold" by being physically and emotionally abused. Most of his sons have inherited this, feeling nothing to the people they abuse and hurt, even their wives or their youngest brother. Hans himself averted this initially, but his fear of going home and [[WellDoneSonGuy forever being the throwaway made him desperate enough to follow his father's example]].

* PoliceState: What the Southern Isles is, in essence. Killing those who don't pay their taxes on time or criticize the rulers, torturing prisoners, and forcibly seizing property just because a farmer couldn't meet their production quota are just one of several hallmarks of a totalitarian dictatorship, and King Westergaard is a brutal and stone-cold tyrant who runs the kingdom in a notoriously draconian manner.

* BigBrotherInstinct: Lars was the only brother who tried to help Hans, but his influence was limited, likely due to their father not accepting such actions.

* KarmaHoudini: As far as Anna and Elsa are concerned, sending Hans back to his family is a good thing, completely unaware of what kind of people they are. As such, his father got away with tormenting Hans and continue to do so, as shown in ''Frozen Fever''.

* TheSocialDarwinist: Hans's father simply regards his youngest son with utter disgust and contempt, comparing him to a "weakling" and an idiot who couldn't stand up to the abuse he and his older sons throw at Hans. And from his POV, Hans being against his family's violent methods of controlling the kingdom has made him the BlackSheep of the Westergaard clan. To counter his youngest son's weak nature, he encourages his older sons to bully and torment him, which to him is a "sign of strength", and believes it's all "good politics" so Hans could be forced to use his family's methods of controlling the subjects, [[EvenEvilHasStandards despite what Hans has to say]]. By the end of ''A Frozen Heart'', [[TheCorrupter his]] [[GreaterScopeVillain influence]] has slowly corrupted Hans into becoming an unfeeling and ruthless man, driving him to dehumanize everyone (including Elsa, Anna and the Duke of Weselton) in his quest for power.

* DysfunctionalFamily: The Westergaards are a screwed up family.