History TearJerker / Shrek

%%This page is for exa8mples specific to the first film and any tie in ''Shrek'' media without its own page. Keep examples for the other films on their designated pages.
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shrektearjerker.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''[[Music/JohnCale ♫ And it's not a cry you can hear at night\\
It's not somebody who's seen the light\\
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah... ♫]]'']]
Every fairy tale has a humble beginning and a sweet ending, and ''Shrek'' is no different. But sad moments like these still exist during this comedic journey.

* Shrek explaining to Donkey why he is the way he is:
-->'''Donkey:''' Hey, what's your problem, Shrek? What you got against the whole world anyway, huh?\\
'''Shrek:''' Look, I'm not the one with the problem, okay? It's the world that seems to have a problem with ''me!'' People take one look at me and go, "Ahh! Help! Run! A big, stupid, ugly ogre!" (''depressed'') [[SincerityMode They judge me before they even know me.]] That's why [[FreudianExcuse I'm better off alone]].
** There is also Fiona's expression behind the door after she overhears this line. She's clearly regretful of how she misjudged Shrek, and as such becomes softer towards him the next morning.
*** This is more poignant when we learn the truth about her.
** Consider as well the scene where Shrek is sitting down and eating dinner. The music playing is very melancholic and Shrek is seen looking towards the door for Donkey, before shaking it off and eating. Shrek put on a show of wanting complete privacy; but [[SourOutsideSadInside in reality, he was very lonely]].
*** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zYT5hQR4Q4 There's also]] the original Creator/ChrisFarley animatic; the delivery and knowledge of his personal struggles in life make it downright heartwrenching to listen to, especially if you connect to some of the [[WhatCouldHaveBeen initial struggles Shrek was going through in these drafts]].
---->'''Donkey:''' You're really mad at whoever did this to you!\\
'''Shrek:''' No one did ''anything'' to me!\\
'''Donkey:''' Yes, yes, yes, someone hurt you real bad! Someone hurt you many years ago!\\
'''Shrek:''' '''''LEAVE MY PARENTS OUT OF THIS!'''''\\
'''Donkey:''' Breakthrough! Let's go with this! Let's explore family origins! Were you hugged as a child, Shrek?\\
'''Shrek:''' Alright, alright! I want a ''home...'' and... someone to... share it with. Okay?\\
'''Donkey:''' Yes, Shrek. It's ''o-kay.''\\
'''Shrek:''' (''later'') People see me and they go, "Aaah! Help! A big, stupid, stinky, smelly, ugly ogre! I'm so scared!" And they judge me before they even know me. My folks always told me that everyone LOVES ogres...\\
'''Donkey:''' I see.\\
'''Shrek:''' So... I guess they were a little overprotective.\\
'''Donkey:''' A ''little?''\\
'''Shrek:''' That's why I gotta do this. I want 'em to know I can take care of myself.\\
'''Donkey:''' You wanna make 'em proud?\\
'''Shrek:''' ...Yeah.
* And don't forget the scene after Shrek and Fiona split up, and everything's going as planned for Fiona and [[BigBad Lord Farquaad's]] wedding, but both the ogre and the princess are completely miserable, with top-class editing that goes back and forth in between them, such the moment where Fiona turns to look at an armor and the scene slowly switches to Shrek, and in the final moments of the scene, when the two sit eating and break down alone in different places, burying their heads in their hands. What really pushes it into tearjerker territory is the heartbreaking [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DinEKqtCDkg "Hallelujah"]] by Music/JohnCale playing in the background.
** Don't forget Donkey coming across a weeping Dragon, totally heartbroken at the loss of her new love.
** After Fiona pushes Farquaad's wedding cake topper down to reach his realistic height, she turns to the knight's armor, showing how much she resents that she can't be with Shrek.
*** Despite this, she's also angry at Shrek for rejecting her (see below). It shows when Shrek arrived at the wedding, she was briefly happy he came to stop it, but then went back to being angry at him. Until she learns that Shrek ''does'' love her.
* The [[ThirdActMisunderstanding misunderstanding]] where Shrek overhears Fiona saying, "Who could ever love a beast so hideous and ugly?" is painfully hard to watch. Extra points for being depressing both from Fiona's side ''and'' Shrek's side of the conversation.
-->'''Fiona:''' But... I thought it wouldn't matter to you.\\
'''Shrek:''' Yeah? Well, it does!
* ''"I live alone! My swamp! Me! Nobody else, understand?! Nobody! Especially useless, pathetic, annoying '''TALKING DONKEYS!'''"'' During the whole line, he's obviously trying not to cry. For once in his life, he's let himself have a friend, let himself fall in love but he thinks it can't be as he thought they were bad talking him behind his back and is trying to shove Donkey out of his life. To make it worse, there's Donkey's shocked expression and how it ends;
-->'''Donkey:''' But I thought --\\
'''Shrek:''' Yeah, well you know what? You thought ''wrong''!
** Kudos to Creator/MikeMyers. His [[SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct delivery of the line]] really sells how upset Shrek is about the ordeal.
** Just think how Shrek feels. He truly thought he had finally someone he could open his heart to, having a romantic moment with Fiona around the campfire and opening himself up to Donkey. Now, the only time he let his vulnerabilities out, he is seemingly betrayed by them and is absolutely heartbroken and probably feeling stupid for allowing himself to feel that way. This is later seen again when Shrek is at his home and sees a sunflower. He briefly smiles at it, remembering his love, and then recalling what she seemingly felt about him and angrily throws it into the fire.
** It comes right back to the following scene when Donkey confronts Shrek about this.
--->'''Donkey:''' Hey, where are you going? I'm not through with you yet!\\
'''Shrek:''' Well, I'm through with you!\\
'''Donkey:''' Uh-uh! You know, with you, it's always "me, me, me!" Well guess what! Now it's my turn! So you just shut up and pay attention! You are mean to me! You insult me and you don't appreciate anything that I do! You're always pushing me around, or pushing me away.\\
'''Shrek:''' Oh, yeah? Well if I treated you so bad, how come you came back?\\
'''Donkey:''' ''(furious)'' Because that's what friends do! '''''THEY FORGIVE EACH OTHER!'''''\\
'''Shrek:''' Oh, yeah. You're right, Donkey. I forgive you. '''''FOR STABBING ME IN THE BACK!!!''''' ''(goes into the outhouse and slams the door behind him)''\\
'''Donkey:''' ''(groans frustratedly)'' You're so wrapped up in layers, onion boy, you're afraid of your own feelings!\\
'''Shrek:''' Go away!\\
'''Donkey:''' See? There you are, doing it again just like you did to Fiona and all she ever do was like you. Maybe even love you.\\
'''Shrek:''' Love me?! She said I was ugly! A hideous creature! I heard the two of you talking!\\
'''Donkey:''' She wasn't talking about you! She was talking about...er, somebody else.\\
'''Shrek:''' ''(comes out of the outhouse)'' She wasn't...talking about me? Well, who was she talking about?\\
'''Donkey:''' Uh-uh, no way, I ain’t saying anything. You don’t wanna listen to me, right? Right?\\
'''Shrek:''' Donkey!\\
'''Donkey:''' No!\\
'''Shrek:''' Okay, look. I’m sorry, all right? ''(Donkey doesn't respond)'' I’m sorry. I guess I am just a big, stupid, ugly ogre. Can you forgive me? \\
'''Donkey:''' Hey, that’s what friends are for, right?
** Sad as well to think what would have happened if Donkey hadn't been so persistent with Shrek. Shrek and Fiona would have never seen each other again. Based on how Farquaad acted when he (finally) found out about Fiona's curse, Fiona would have had no one to protect her this time.
** Something that is rather sad is just how quick Shrek was to jump to conclusions. He had such low self-esteem after years of constant rejection that he wasn't even secure in his faith in these two who had previously shown him that they were fond of him. It was as though he still didn't believe that it was possible anyone could be in love with him or his friend.
** Going back to when he and Shrek first met, Donkey tells the former he likes and respects Shrek for his "I don't care what nobody thinks of me" attitude. Yeah, turns out that was wrong on so many levels as Shrek revealed twice during their travels. You can feel the pain in [[InnocentlyInsensitive how]] [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone badly]] he misjudged his friend's self-esteem upon his utterance of "Shrek..." when the ogre storms off. And the perceived betrayal really reflects in Shrek's face and tone when he tells Donkey off:
--->'''Shrek:''' "Yeah, I know you talked to (Fiona) last night! You're ''GREAT'' pals, aren't ya!? Now, if you two are such good friends why don't you follow ''her'' home!?"
* The scene when Shrek once again sees his reflection after he returned to the swamp. At the beginning of the film, Shrek seemed proud of his appearance -- but after being seemingly rejected by his love Fiona, he is utterly disgusted with himself.
* Lord Farquaad's attempt at a breaking speech towards Shrek begins with "It's rude enough being ''alive'' when ''no one wants you!''" Evil or not, that was [[KickTheDog just uncalled for]]. Fortunately, Shrek cuts him off to talk to Fiona.
** Farquaad laughs at Shrek when he confessed that he's in love with Fiona, and got everyone to laugh at him too. He also adds that the [[StupidestThingIVeEverHeard very idea a "monster" can actually fall in love]] [[EvilCannotComprehendGood is preposterous]].
* "Oh, that is so sweet. You don't have to waste good manners on the ogre. ''(laughs)'' It's not like it has feelings." Ouch. "No, you're right. ''It'' doesn't." Bigger ouch.
* The TwistEnding, in a SugarWiki/{{heartwarming|Moments}} sense --
-->'''Fiona:''' (''In her ogre form'') I'm supposed to be beautiful...\\
'''Shrek:''' But you are beautiful.
* You might not notice it the first time, but when we first see the three bears, they're in cages. Then, later on, we see the father and baby bear at Shrek's swamp with the rest of the fairy tale creatures; the baby bear is crying as the father bear comforts his child. You learn exactly why they're so sad when Lord Farquaad's castle is later shown: the mother bear is ''a skin rug'' on the floor of his bedroom. To summarise -- mother bear didn't make it out of the cage, was evidently killed, and her husband lost his wife while her baby bear lost their mother. A heart-wrenching story [[MeaningfulBackgroundEvent told entirely within the background.]]
** Good thing she reappears alive and well in ''Shrek in the Swamp Karaoke Dance Party''. If it was canon.
* "Ugh! It's disgusting!" Farquaad, at the end of his wits upon discovering Fiona's curse, lets his racism ''truly'' ignite and attempts to both banish Shrek to prison (and tortured to the point he'd be begging for death to save him, according to Farquaad) and not only marry Fiona to become king but afterward ''put her back in that tower for the rest of her days!'' That's how he plans to spend their marriage! He would rather leave her out of the picture for the sake of control than put the task ''he requested of Shrek'' to good use! He even puts the crown on himself before they even kiss! If Dragon didn't respond to Shrek's beckoning, it would've been the Bad End for ''everyone'' (except maybe Farquaad)...
* The Magic Mirror is captured by Farquaad and has to obey his bidding. He is one of the "fairy tale creatures" that is against his rule and clearly thinks Farquaad is insane and is intimidated by him, especially when ordered to obey under threat of murder by glass-breaking. During the pre-wedding preparations, as Lord Farquaad is proudly getting dressed, the Magic Mirror has a sad and solemn expression. When Farquaad suddenly turns to him, he instantly puts on a [[StepfordSmiler big smile]].
* There's a really tragic FridgeHorror to Fiona's reaction when Shrek first takes off his helmet after rescuing her from the castle. This was supposed to be the knight that breaks her enchantment, but instead, he reveals himself to be, essentially, that enchantment staring her in the face, now in the flesh instead of just a mirror's reflection.
-->'''Fiona:''' No... No, this is ''all wrong''!

* In the Broadway musical, there is the closing number of the first act "Who I'd Be" where Shrek is talking to Donkey about the things he would do if he weren't an ogre. The real clincher is Shrek's line, which delivers just how alone and isolated he feels:

'''Shrek:''' You're right. I forgive you. '''''FOR STABBING ME IN THE BACK!!!''''' ''(goes into the outhouse, slamming the door behind him)''\\
'''Donkey:''' ''(groans frustratedly)'' You're so wrapped up in layers, onion boy! You're afraid of your own feelings!\\

* "Oh, that is so sweet. You don't have to waste good manners on the ogre. ''(laughs)'' It's not like it has feelings." Ouch.

'''Shrek:''' (''later'') People see me and they go, "Aaah! Help! A big, stupid, stinky, smelly, ugly ogre! I'm so scared!" They judge me before they even know me. My folks always told me that everyone LOVES ogres...\\

* You might not notice it the first time, but when we first see the three bears, they're in cages. Then later on, we see the father and baby bears looking utterly miserable when at Shrek's swamp with the rest of the fairy tale creatures. You see exactly why in Lord Farquaad's castle, where the mother bear is shown as ''a skin rug.'' To summarise -- mother bear didn't make it out of the cage, was evidently killed, and her husband and son lost their wife/mother. A heart-wrenching story [[MeaningfulBackgroundEvent told entirely within the background.]]
** Good thing she reappears alive and well in ''Shrek in the Swamp Karaoke Dance Party'', if it was canon.
* "Ugh! It's disgusting!" Farquaad, at the end of his wits upon discovering Fiona's curse, lets his racism ''truly'' ignite and attempts to both banish Shrek to prison (and tortured to the point he'd be begging for death to save him, according to Farquaad) and not only marry Fiona to become king, but afterward ''put her back in that tower for the rest of her days!'' That's how he plans to spend their marriage! He would rather leave her out of the picture for the sake of control than put the task ''he requested of Shrek'' to good use! He even puts the crown on himself before they even kiss! If Dragon didn't respond to Shrek's beckoning, it would've been the Bad End for ''everyone'' (except maybe Farquaad)...
* The Magic Mirror is captured by Farquaad and has to obey his bidding. He is one of the "fairy tale creatures" that is against his rule, and clearly thinks Farquaad is insane and is intimidated by him, especially when ordered to obey him under threat of murder by glass-breaking.

-->'''Donkey:''' Hey, what's your problem? What you got against the world anyway, huh?\\

** Going back to when he and Shrek first met, Donkey tells the former he likes and respects Shrek for his "I don't care what nobody thinks of me" attitude. Yeah, turns out that was wrong on so many levels as Shrek revealed twice during their travels. You can feel the pain in [[InnocentlyInsensitive how badly]] he misjudged Shrek's self-esteem upon his utterance of the latter's name when he stomps off. And the perceived betrayal really reflects in Shrek's face and tone when he tells Donkey off:
-->'''Shrek:''' "Yeah, I know you talked to (Fiona) last night! You're ''GREAT'' pals, aren't ya!? Now, if you two are ''SUCH'' good friends why don't you follow ''her'' home!?"

* And don't forget the scene after Shrek and Fiona split up, and everything's going as planned for Fiona and [[BigBad Lord Farquaad's]] wedding, but both the ogre and the princess are completely miserable, and in the final moments of the song, the two sit and break down alone in different places, burying their heads in their hands. What really pushes it into tearjerker territory is the heartbreaking [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DinEKqtCDkg "Hallelujah"]] by Music/JohnCale playing in the background.

* ''"I live alone! My swamp! Me! Nobody else, understand?! Nobody! Especially useless, pathetic, annoying '''talking donkeys!'''"'' During the whole line, he's obviously trying not to cry. For once in his life, he's let himself have a friend, let himself fall in love but he thinks it can't be as he thought they were bad talking him behind his back and is trying to shove Donkey out of his life. To make it worse, there's Donkey's shocked expression and how it ends;

'''Donkey:''' ''(groans frustratedly)'' You're so wrapped up in layers, onion boy, that you're afraid of your own feelings!\\

'''Donkey:''' See? There you are, doing it again just like you did to Fiona, and all she ever do was like you, maybe even love you.\\

-->'''Fiona:''' No... No, this isn't ''right''.

** Farquaad laughs at Shrek when he confessed that he's in love with Shrek, and got everyone to laugh at him too. He also adds that the [[StupidestThingIVeEverHeard very idea a "monster" can actually fall in love]] [[EvilCannotComprehendGood is preposterous]].

*** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zYT5hQR4Q4 There's also]] the original Creator/ChrisFarley animatic; the delivery and knowledge of his personal struggles in life make it downright heart-wrenching to listen to especially if you connect to some of the [[WhatCouldHaveBeen initial struggles Shrek was going through in these drafts]].

!!Shrek Retold
* The song "Shed" by a musical group called Action Jelly, while you might be laughing at the visuals from the movie, listening to the song on its own is rather depressing.