Or did she just really, really love what Rapunzel could do for her?
There are some Disney villains who are wonderfully straightforward.
Cruella wants puppies.
Ursula wants power.
Scar wants the throne.
And then there’s Mother Gothel.
Mother Gothel kidnaps a baby, locks her in a tower for eighteen years, lies to her constantly, destroys her confidence and repeatedly reminds her that the outside world is absolutely terrifying.
So, case closed. Terrible mother. Next blog.
Except…
I’ve watched Tangled more times than I could reasonably defend in court, and there’s something about Gothel and Rapunzel’s relationship that has always made me wonder:
Did Mother Gothel actually love Rapunzel at all?
And I think my answer is…
Yes. Sort of. In a deeply unhealthy, selfish and rather complicated way.
Because I don’t think Rapunzel was only a magic flower with legs to her.
I think Gothel became genuinely attached to her.
The problem is that Mother Gothel’s version of love is completely tangled — excuse the unavoidable pun — with fear, possession, jealousy, control and her absolute terror of growing old.
And actually, I think there’s an interesting comparison to addiction here.
🌼 It Started With the Flower, Not the Baby
Before Rapunzel was born, Gothel had already spent goodness-knows-how-long secretly using the magic golden flower to keep herself young.
She didn’t share it.
She didn’t tell anyone about it.
She hid it and returned whenever she needed it.
Then the flower was discovered and used to save the pregnant Queen, transferring its magic to Rapunzel.
Suddenly, the thing Gothel depended upon was gone.
Except it wasn’t.
It now had enormous green eyes, a tiny nose and a full head of magical blonde hair.
And this is where Gothel makes the decision that defines everything that follows.
She tries cutting Rapunzel’s hair.
The magic disappears.
So she takes Rapunzel instead.
Not because she wants a daughter.
Because she wants what Rapunzel can give her.
That distinction matters.
💛 But Eighteen Years Is a Long Time…
Here’s where it becomes more complicated.
Gothel raises Rapunzel from infancy to her eighteenth birthday.
That means thousands upon thousands of meals, conversations, bedtimes, songs, jokes and ordinary little moments together.
And despite everything we know about Gothel, there are times when their relationship looks surprisingly normal.
They have little routines.
Gothel knows Rapunzel’s personality.
She knows what she likes.
She brings her gifts.
She knows how to make her laugh.
There are moments when Gothel appears genuinely amused by her.
And I find it difficult to believe that someone could raise a child for eighteen years and feel absolutely nothing for them.
But loving someone and loving them well are two very different things.
Gothel may have developed affection for Rapunzel.
She just never loved Rapunzel more than she loved herself.
And that is the problem.
🍷 Is Mother Gothel Almost Like an Addict?
This is the bit I find particularly interesting.
Gothel is completely dependent upon Rapunzel.
Without her, Gothel has to face the one thing she is absolutely terrified of: ageing and, ultimately, death.
So Rapunzel isn't simply her daughter.
She is also Gothel's fix.
And if you look at their relationship through that lens, some of Gothel’s behaviour becomes fascinating.
Her entire life revolves around maintaining access to the thing she believes she cannot live without.
She lies to protect it.
She isolates Rapunzel to protect it.
She becomes increasingly desperate when she thinks she might lose it.
And when Rapunzel begins developing independence, Gothel doesn't respond like a mother frightened of her daughter growing up.
She responds like someone terrified that the thing she depends upon is slipping out of her control.
That doesn’t excuse her behaviour, of course.
But it does make her a much more interesting villain.
Gothel isn't simply greedy.
She is terrified.
🪞 And Then There’s Mother Gothel's Jealousy…
Oh, Gothel.
There is something particularly uncomfortable about the way she chips away at Rapunzel’s confidence.
She mocks her appearance.
She laughs at her naivety.
She tells her she is weak.
She makes jokes at Rapunzel’s expense and then hides them behind:
“I’m just teasing!”
And Mother Knows Best is basically three minutes of weaponised maternal anxiety with excellent choreography.
But why constantly put Rapunzel down?
Control is obviously part of it.
If Rapunzel believes she is incapable of surviving outside the tower, she won't leave.
But I think there may be something else there too.
Jealousy.
Rapunzel is everything Gothel is desperately trying to remain.
Young.
Beautiful.
Full of life.
Naturally radiant.
And, most painfully of all, Rapunzel doesn't even care about the youth Gothel has devoted her entire existence to preserving.
Rapunzel wants experiences.
She wants adventure.
She wants love.
She wants to see the floating lights.
Gothel has spent centuries desperately clinging to youth…
…and Rapunzel simply has it.
That has to sting.
Particularly when your entire skincare routine consists of kidnapping someone and singing at their scalp
(I wonder if she ever tried snail slime - appartely that's really good?!)
😬 “I Love You Most”
One of the most revealing little exchanges in Tangled comes when Rapunzel and Gothel say:
“I love you.”
“I love you more.”
“I love you most.”
On the surface, it's sweet.
But knowing everything else, it becomes rather uncomfortable.
Because Gothel does love something “most.”
Herself.
Nearly every decision she makes ultimately serves her own needs.
Rapunzel can be happy - provided her happiness doesn't threaten Gothel.
Rapunzel can have hobbies - provided they happen inside the tower.
Rapunzel can paint every available square inch of wall, read the same books repeatedly, make candles, bake, sew, brush her hair and apparently become proficient in approximately seventeen different crafts…
…but she cannot choose her own life.
That isn't unconditional love.
It's love with a very substantial terms-and-conditions document attached.
🌸 I Think Gothel Did Love Rapunzel — But as a Possession
This is where I eventually land.
I don't think Mother Gothel was pretending every single affectionate moment.
I think she probably did feel tenderness towards Rapunzel.
I think she enjoyed her company.
I think she became attached to her.
Perhaps, in Gothel's own mind, she even genuinely believed she loved her.
But her love was possessive.
Rapunzel belonged to her.
And that's very different from the kind of love Rapunzel eventually experiences with Flynn, Pascal and her real parents.
Healthy love wants someone to grow, even when that growth takes them away from you.
Gothel's love requires Rapunzel to remain exactly where she is.
Forever.
Because Rapunzel becoming independent doesn't just mean Gothel loses control of her “daughter.”
It means Gothel loses the thing keeping her young.
Her emotional attachment and her addiction to Rapunzel's magic have become completely intertwined.
She may not even know where one ends and the other begins.
👑 Fear and Pride Rule Everything
For me, the two emotions that really drive Gothel are fear and pride.
She is terrified of ageing.
Terrified of death.
Terrified of losing Rapunzel.
And unbelievably invested in her own beauty.
That combination makes genuine, selfless love almost impossible.
Because real parental love sometimes requires sacrifice.
Gothel never sacrifices herself for Rapunzel.
She sacrifices Rapunzel for herself.
Again and again.
And when she finally has to choose between Rapunzel's freedom and keeping her forever?
We discover exactly where Rapunzel sits in the hierarchy.
Spoiler alert:
Below Mother Gothel.
Quite considerably.
💜 And That's Why Mother Gothel Such a Brilliant Disney Villain
Mother Gothel doesn't have horns.
She doesn't transform into a dragon.
She doesn't command an army of hyenas.
Most of the time, she doesn't even look particularly frightening.
She's funny.
She's theatrical.
She's glamorous.
She can be affectionate.
And that's precisely what makes her unsettling.
Her cruelty doesn't always look like cruelty.
Sometimes it looks like concern.
Sometimes it sounds like a joke.
Sometimes it arrives with a hazelnut soup.
And sometimes it says:
“Mother knows best.”
That's much more interesting than a villain who simply hates the heroine.
Because I don't think Mother Gothel hated Rapunzel at all.
I think she loved Rapunzel in the only way she really knew how:
Selfishly.
She loved having her.
She loved needing her.
She may even have loved her (in her own extremely unhealthy way!)
But when Rapunzel's happiness came into conflict with Gothel's own needs, Gothel chose herself every single time.
And perhaps that's the tragedy of their relationship.
Rapunzel spent eighteen years believing she was loved by a mother.
Mother Gothel may even have believed it too.
But real love would eventually have opened the tower door.
Gothel made sure it stayed locked.
💬 What Do You Think?
Do you think Mother Gothel genuinely loved Rapunzel after raising her for eighteen years?
Was Rapunzel simply the human equivalent of the magical flower to her?
Or did Gothel develop real affection for her — only for her fear of ageing and need for control to overpower it?
I'd love to know where other Disney collectors and Tangled fans land on this one.
Because Mother Gothel might know best…
…but I'm not entirely convinced she knows what love is.
