Candide vs. Shrek Once upon a time there were two fairytales. The first, Candide, is a story of an optimistic young man on a quest to find love; the other, Shrek, is the tale of a large green ogre who reluctantly does a king’s bidding. With the help of their trusty sidekicks, the ogre and the young man survive the grueling trials they face. Yet lurking beneath these stories is a biting satire. And …showed first 75 words of 1003 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1003 total…a quirky fairytale, of a quest to find love. Candide is also to a quest to find love, but is not a quirky fairytale. They also share similar contrasts in their beginnings and endings. Shrek starts with hate and fear and ends with love and understanding. On the other hand Candide begins optimistically and ends pessimistically. While Shrek is really just entertainment, Candide is ultimately a bitter, blunt ridicule of the false philosophy of optimism.