[[quoteright:250:[[Disney/{{Tangled}} http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/RapunzelTower_4197.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:250:Yeah, it's kinda like that.]]

->'''Shrek:''' Go over there and see if you can find any stairs.\\
'''Donkey:''' Stairs? I thought we was lookin' for the Princess.\\
'''Shrek:''' The Princess will be at the top of the stairs [[GenreSavvy in the highest room in the tallest tower]].\\
'''Donkey:''' Well, what makes you think she'll be there?\\
'''Shrek:''' [[SawItInAMovieOnce I read it in a book once]].
-->-- ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}''

The standard place to imprison {{distressed damsel}}s and [[ManInTheIronMask overthrown princes]]: [[TheTower A tower]]. Preferably the tallest tower, in the biggest castle, on the highest hill, in the most dangerous land in the whole wide world. After all, ItsAllUpstairsFromHere.

May be attached to an EvilTowerOfOminousness or TheAlcatraz, although some are freestanding. A BedsheetLadder or RapunzelHair is an invaluable tool in such cases. Possibly inspired by the [[TruthInTelevision Tower of London]]; originally a royal residence, the Tower later became a prison that was often used to house royal prisoners.

See also LockedAwayInAMonastery (used for broadly similar purposes, but without the implication of evil).

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!!Examples:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder: Anime ]]

* Clarisse in ''Anime/TheCastleOfCagliostro''.
* [[spoiler: Fai/Yuui and his twin brother]] in ''TsubasaReservoirChronicle''.
* [[BrattyHalfPint Alice]] of ''PandoraHearts'' was this to a tee. [[spoiler:When she was alive. [[MysteriousProtector Jack]]]] was her first friend after he discovered her in her lonely prison of a tower. [[spoiler:At least, the Will of the Abyss' first friend was Jack. As for the Alice we know, she has been known to get along well with Glen. The both of them. [[LukeIAmYourFather Without realizing that they are her father and uncle respectively.]]]]
** Before her was [[spoiler:her mother, [[StrangeGirl Lacie]]. Though, this GirlInTheTower isn't as easily contained as other examples, constantly slipping out whenever she gets the chance.]]
* Rachel from ''TowerOfGod'', the subversion that she went there on purpose and yet has to reach the top.
* A male example: [[TheWoobie Len]] from the manga adaptation of {{mothy}}'s [[{{Vocaloid}} "Aku no Meshitsukai"]] is locked in a tower from birth when it's revealed that [[spoiler:he possesses the birthmark that the fortune teller prophesied would lead the country into ruin.]] His [[SeparatedAtBirth twin sister]] [[RebelliousPrincess Rin]] eventually finds him there and starts visiting him.
* Diva from ''BloodPlus''.
* Princess Shirahoshi from ''Manga/OnePiece'' is a variation: [[spoiler: Her StalkerWithACrush, Vander Decken, can literally kill her from miles away because of his powers. This means that she had to stay confined in her room, which is located atop a tower, for ''ten years''. And since she's only ''sixteen'', that means she literally spent most of her life in that tower]].

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Comic Books ]]

* [[http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Tb0TfDlx6Eo/SY9xdkMWTtI/AAAAAAAAALM/KFqJ8ZFQZzo/s1600-h/pag1.jpg This Spanish comic based on]] ''TheFairlyOddparents'' has Tootie in this role.
* Subverted in one ComicBook/ConanTheBarbarian story where the princess in question is just a preserved corpse automated to wave once in a while, to lure potential challengers (who have to give up a deposit and sign an indemnity form first.)

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Fairy Tales ]]

* "Literature/{{Rapunzel}}" is a famous case of this, although she nixed the bedsheet in favour of [[RapunzelHair nature's ladder]].
** Other tales of this type include "Literature/SnowWhiteFireRed", "[[http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/rapunzel/stories/fairang.html The Fair Angiola]]", and "[[http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/rapunzel/stories/petros.html Petrosinella]]".
* "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tinderbox The Tinderbox]]" is another fairy tale with a damsel in distress who must be rescued by the handsome hero.
* In "Literature/TheGratefulBeasts"", the princess gets locked in the tower for complaining about her father's {{Impossible Task}}s. Which means she isn't there when the hero summons all the [[BigBadassWolf wolves]] in the land -- and it turns out they are ''hungry''.

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[[folder: Fan Works ]]

* For the first half of FanFic/{{Zastruga}}, Jack Frost [[GenderInvertedTrope inverts]] this trope as a male example, though his "tower" stretches down into the ground rather than rising up over it.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Film, Animated ]]

* Pictured above: ''Disney/{{Tangled}}'', {{Disney}}'s take on "Literature/{{Rapunzel}}".
* Mixed with the EvilTowerOfOminousness and clearly inspired by Rapunzel, princess Fiona in ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}'' is this.
* The eponymous heroine from Disney's ''Disney/SleepingBeauty'' slumbers in an artistically tall tower.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Film, Live Action ]]

* In ''Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail'', Lancelot goes to rescue [[DudeLooksLikeALady a damsel in distress]] from The Tall Tower. HilarityEnsues.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Literature ]]

* The original ''ManInTheIronMask'' was said to have been held in a tower in the Bastille.
* The overthrown king Peter's imprisonment in the tower called "The Needle", in Creator/StephenKing's novel ''The Eyes of the Dragon''.
* In ''ASongOfIceAndFire'', Donella Hornwood got locked in a tower by Ramsay Snow. Sansa Stark was also held in one in Maegor's Holdfast after [[spoiler:her father and members of his household were killed. Neither of them were rescued during their stays in their respective towers, though Lady Donella's fate is considerably worse.]]
** The fourth book of the series has a chapter called "The Princess in the Tower" about Princess Arianne of Dorne [[spoiler: after she has tried and failed to crown Myrcella Queen of the Seven Kingdoms and start a war with the Lannisters.]]
** And Val, the so-called "wildling princess", is held prisoner in one of the towers of Castle Black.
* In the ''ConanTheBarbarian'' story "Literature/TheHourOfTheDragon," the Countess Albiona (a supporter of King Conan) is imprisoned in the Iron Tower of Tarantia because she refused to become the consort of a tyrannical puppet king. [[spoiler:Conan infiltrates the tower through a hidden door, kills her jailors, and rescues her.]]
** Also, in ''Literature/ThePeopleOfTheBlackCircle'' the Devi Yasmina is captured and imprisoned in a tower atop Mount Yimsha. [[spoiler: This time, Conan infiltrates the tower with the help of an enchanted girdle that protects him from the magic of the evil wizards within.]]
* Done to Bellina in TheElenium. Subverted in that [[spoiler:she is a [[ImAHumanitarian cannibalistic]] EldritchAbomination worshipper who needs to be locked away for the good of the surrounding villages.]]
* The abducted Princess Eilonwy is found in a tower of her ancestral home, Caer Colur, in the third book of the ChroniclesOfPrydain.
* In ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'', Lúthien is put in a treehouse high enough to be considered a tower. [[ActionGirl She escaped]] and went to help her beloved, Beren, finish his EngagementChallenge.
* In GeneWolfe's ''Pandora by Holly Hollander'', at the end, Holly decides on StayingWithFriends. The friends look her over and conclude that since she's a teenaged girl, obviously she get the tower room.
* Spoofed in ''Feersum Endjinn'' by IainMBanks. The handsome prince turns up to rescue the DamselInDistress in her tower. She helps him climb most of the way up and then lets go of the rope so he'll fall to his death, as she knows she's in a LotusEaterMachine.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

* [[spoiler: Clementina]] from ''{{Carrusel}}'' is kept locked away in her own home [[spoiler: after her parents are hospitalized and she's in the care of her ''very'' overprotective aunts.]]
* ''Series/TheLegendOfDickAndDom'' episode "Princess Gladys" features the heroes rescuing the Princess [[spoiler: though not her sister]] from the top of a tower in a castle guarded by the Evil Dancing Dolphins of Doom.
* ''TheGoodies''. Spoofed in "Camelot Capers" when Graham goes to rescue Rapunzel from her tower by [[RapunzelHair climbing her hair]], only when he puts his weight on it he yanks her out of the tower.
* ''Series/{{Merlin}}'': Gwen in "The Dark Tower", stated explicitly by Gwaine in the episode.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Mythology ]]

* Princess Philomela of Athens was first raped by her brother in law, King Thereus of Thracia, then had her tongue cut out ''and'' was thrown into a tower in the middle of the nearby forest. She got out of there via first sewing a tapestry that represented her BreakTheCutie process, then having a caretaker take it to her sister Procne aka Thereus's wife, who the bailed her out. [[KnightTemplarBigBrother I]][[OffingTheOffspring t]] [[ImAHumanitarian went]] FromBadToWorse [[BalefulPolymorph very]] [[DownerEnding soon]].

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Theatre ]]

* Happens to Princess Jasmine in the play ''Sheik, Rattle and Roll'', where she insists on finishing her song before allowing herself to be rescued..

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]

* Princess Cassima of ''VideoGame/KingsQuestVIHeirTodayGoneTomorrow'' spends most of the game in a tower. In fact, her [[AwardBaitSong musical motif]] is called "Girl in the Tower."
** Valanice of ''VideoGame/KingsQuestIIRomancingTheThrone'' was also imprisoned in a tower; Graham takes it upon himself to rescue her, hoping for a StandardHeroReward.
** Rosella was also locked in a tower in Lolotte's castle in ''VideoGame/KingsQuestIVThePerilsOfRosella''. Good thing [[GoodAllAlong Edgar]] was [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy more fond]] of her than he was of Lolotte.
* Raz must make his way up Thorney Tower in ''VideoGame/{{Psychonauts}}'', to rescue the Girl in the Tower.
* ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIV'' has Rose, hidden away in a tower because HumansAreBastards.
* Ki, the shrine maiden in ''VideoGame/TheTowerOfDruaga''.
* ZUN, creator of ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'', must be fond of this trope:
** ''Imperishable Night'': In Eientei, Kaguya is safely hidden at the end of a long, long corridor that ''[[BatmanCanBreatheInSpace leads to outer space]]''.
** ''Perfect Cherry Blossom'': While it's more of an afterlife, the Hakugyokurou where Yuyuko resides is translated as "White Jade Tower". It's located high above the storm clouds.
** ''Embodiment of Scarlet Devil'': [[spoiler: Subverted, Flandre is hidden in the underground cellar.]]
* ''ProfessorLaytonAndTheCuriousVillage'' has [[spoiler: the Baron's daughter of the eponymous village living in a tower, and the heroes eventually rescue her at the game's ending. This is something of a twist on the trope, however, because she's not imprisoned up there - she can leave the tower whenever she pleases, and in fact is seen doing so (though the heroes don't know who she is at the time). She just can't leave [[GildedCage the village]].]]
* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'' has Link first meet the imprisoned Zelda in the tallest tower of Hyrule Castle, at which point he's informed that it's not just his [[DoomedHometown home]] [[TheCallKnowsWhereYouLive village]] that's in danger.
* In the PC game ''Love Chronicles: The Sword and the Rose'', the Prince needs to get into the castle tower to rescue the Princess, who is being held prisoner by a hideous beast. But when he finally gets to the tower, he finds only the beast. [[spoiler:The beast is actually the ensorcelled Princess.]]
* Princess Briar Rose in the ''Videogame/DarkParables'' is asleep in a tower.
* Princess Sophia, the LIterature/SleepingBeauty-ish heroine of the ''Awakening'' series of PC games, begins the first game (''Awakening: The Dreamless Castle'') by waking up from her enchanted sleep in the tower of an almost empty castle. In a refreshing twist, Sophia is a self-rescuing princess who finds her own way out.
* Princess Peach in the {{Mario}} games .
* Namine in KingdomHeartsChainOfMemories.
* Deirdre of ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemJugdral Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War]]'' is a largely voluntary case. She's not physically locked up, but lives in a very secluded community in a forest and she's strictly forbidden from meeting men from the outside. [[spoiler:This is because she is a distant descendant of Loputus, and could potentially give birth to someone capable of resurrecting him.]]
** Also, [[spoiler: Deirdre's mother Cygiun was subjected to the same treatment, for exactly the same reason.]]
* ''VideoGame/BioshockInfinite'' has Elizabeth, who lives in a tower shaped like a giant angelic statue of herself, where she's observed in secret by scientists and [[spoiler: [[PoweredByAForsakenChild slowly siphoned]] to produce the Vigors.]]

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Web Animation ]]

* ''WebAnimation/TheFlashTub'' cartoon ''Platform Hero'' plays with this trope. To be precise, it plays electric guitar with this trope.
* ''CyanideAndHappiness'' presents us [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTZ1znQAO8o Repulsel]], the parody of Rapunzel. Tower, check. RapunzelHair, check ([[spoiler: well, not ''that'' hair]]).

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Web Comics ]]

* In the current story arc of ''TheInexplicableAdventuresOfBob,'' Princess Voluptua is [[http://bobadventures.comicgenesis.com/d/20100501.html under siege inside Viceroy's Spire]]--with the variation that she's not a prisoner, and it's ''her'' tower, but she's still inside it and needs help as it's being attacked.
* In ''{{Erstwhile}}'', [[http://www.erstwhiletales.com/maidmaleen-02/#.T29xmdm6SuI Maid Maleen is locked in a tower to enforce]] a ParentalMarriageVeto.
* Webcomic/{{xkcd}} features a girl who wants to be a [[http://xkcd.com/59/ lighthouse keeper]]. She reasons that she gets to be the girl in the tower, only ''she's'' the one saving people.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

* The Sleeping Beauty in the ''[[RockyAndBullwinkle Fractured Fairy Tales]]'' version, which is a direct parody of the Disney version. The Prince (who looks like WaltDisney) realizes he can make a fortune off tourists so he turns the castle into [=SleepingBeautyLand=].
* The opening sequence of the Australian cartoon series ''ArthurAndTheSquareKnightsOfTheRoundTable'' has Arthur "rescuing" Guinevere from a tower in Camelot. It was a mere spoof, though, she was getting ready to have dinner with him.
* Quasimodo is a rare male example from ''Disney/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame''.
* Jenny from the pilot of ''WesternAnimation/MyLifeAsATeenageRobot'' is a variant of sorts. Jenny is kept in her room on the top floor, until the world needs saving. When Tuck claims to have seen a monster up there, Brad climbs up to see what it is.
* An episode of ''{{Jimmy Two-Shoes}}'' features a girl named Ariane held in a tower by [[BigBad Lucius]]. Jimmy and Beezy spend the entire episode trying to rescue her. [[spoiler: When they do, she transforms into a giant bug monster and levels Miseryville.]] As Lucius put it, "She was in there for a reason."
* The lady Melissa in the WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes classic ''TheScarletPumpernickel''.
* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/TalesFromTheCryptkeeper'' had a [[FracturedFairyTale twisted take]] on this, where the person the PrinceCharmless and his [[NoHeroToHisValet put-upon younger brother]] think is a traditional Sleeping Beauty is actually [[spoiler: a ''vampire'']].
* Invoked in one ''GummiBears'' episode by Cavin; when he and Princess Calla are captured and taken to Drekmore by the ogres, Cavin tells them that royal prisoners go in the tower. The ogres agree, but seperate the two by putting Cavin in the regulare dungeon.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Real Life ]]

* What happened to [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gwenllian_of_Wales Princess Gwenllian of Wales]] and her cousins after Wales was conquered by England. In the newborn Gwenllian's case, it was not just to keep her from marrying and having children when older, but to keep her completely hidden from the world.
* It also happened in the myth of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Barbara Saint Barbara]], who was locked in a tower by her father Dioscorus so she wouldn't convert to Christianity. She still turned towards the Christian God, and once her dad found out, it got worse.
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