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Description
Oh, how you’ve turned my heart, my mind, my world, entirely upside down with longing, you precious girl. I’m starved for your attention. I’m exhausted from trying to obtain it. Everything I’ve done has been for you alone. I move the stars for no one else. Only you. Had it been any other, I would have never even considered it. You’ve run so long and so far; farther than I ever thought you would. Farther, I think, than even you thought you could. And now, as you look at me after everything I’ve put you through, your eyes are understandably cruel…..just as the perils I’ve made you face have perhaps been too cruel. But I believe in you and in your heart. I believe that those eyes will soften. That you’ll understand why I’ve done what I’ve done. …..I have to believe that. Because if you don’t, I’ll die. I can’t live without the sunlight you bring to me. I can’t love without your heart beating in time with mine. I…I can’t live within you anymore as nothing but a fictional character. Sarah, be on your guard. I have been generous up until now, but when I feel backed into a corner, I can become as dangerous and unpredictable as a wounded animal. I’m trying so hard. Everything you’ve ever dreamed of being a part of, I’ve laid out for you like a play. You asked that the child be taken, so, just as in your beloved story, I did it. You cowered before me as I did my best to play the intimidating King. A role for which I’ve had a great deal of practice since being set to rule over the Goblin Kingdom….but not a role I wish to play with you anymore. I’ve used a significant amount of magic to reorder time. I’ve turned my whole world upside down, and all to match the pages of the book you love so well. All to make your fantasy come to life. I’m exhausted from living up to your expectations of me. Isn’t that generous? Please, Sarah! My magic is linked with the words from your story. If you complete them, you’ll be sent back home to a house you can’t stand being in. I thought my world is what you were longing for! I’m trying to offer you your dreams! And do I truly ask for so much in return? Just let me be your King and you shall be my Queen. Respect me, love me, follow where I lead us, and I shall be your slave. I shall spend the rest of my days making sure your happiness never falters. You shall want for nothing. Please….I love you, Sarah.

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Just a short drabble by everyone’s favorite Goblin King. I literally took the last few minutes of his movie dialogue (starting with the song “Within You”) and rewrote/expounded upon it to flesh out what I feel he was trying to say. That’s the problem when an ancient Fae falls in love with a modern human….major communication issues. xD I’ve done a lot of thinking about Jareth and why he did the things he did. What his motivations were. What his thought process was. How he even fell in love with Sarah.

Here’s my take on it: Jareth is clearly not a goblin. Centuries ago over in Europe, however leaders were decided by the Fae, Jareth was put in charge of the Goblin Kingdom. He must have done something rather bad because, despite now being “royalty,” the goblins are quite looked down upon by the Fae. Being put in charge of babysitting them was probably a demotion and insulting to Jareth. The insult (mixed with the fact that he’s a Fae and therefore arrogant by nature) has caused him to take on the attitude we see in the movie. He has little patience for the Goblin’s incompetence, and he’d probably like to be anywhere but where he is. He misses his former home and the revels with his own kind. He’s friendless in his own kingdom because he feels like he can’t even hold an intelligent conversation with anyone. His only escape is his ability to visit earth in the form of an owl. It’s on one of these breaks that he first becomes aware of Sarah.

His magic, just like that of Fae in many fairy tales, is linked directly to belief. Jareth is guided to Sarah practicing in the park by her belief in him. The book she has, “Labyrinth,” was actually written by someone who had been there before. As evidenced by the movie, the goblins really do come and take children when they are asked to. Whoever sent for the goblins either lets them take the baby, or run the labyrinth. Some of the runners win, others are not so lucky. One of the babies who was taken and retrieved by his runner grew up to be an author. He wrote about what even he thought was just a childhood fantasy, filling in the gaps with fiction. It was a little known book; not very many printed. But somehow a copy escaped being forgotten. The copy Sarah has and loves. Jareth knew about and was amused by the book when it was published, but he never thought much of it after that. It was only when Sarah started believing in him that he really began to care about the human world again.

After finding her that first time in the park, he became fascinated with her. He learned as much as possible about her. Fae have always watched humans from the shadows, so he likely didn’t realize how creepy that might come across. Fae also care little about human ages. (when you’re centuries older than any human alive, the human terms “adult” and “child” just don’t seem as significant. Not to mention, during Jareth’s last time amongst humans it was perfectly normal for girls to be married before the age of thirteen.) so without thinking the stalking and age difference objectionable, being intoxicatingly drawn to belief as most Fae are, and having had no one of equal intelligence to talk to for who knows how long, it makes total sense that Jareth would be initially interested. The more he learned about her, the more he found her a kindred spirit. He commiserated with her about feeling lost and having her world turned on its head. He saw qualities they both possessed such as a strong personality and a love of fantasy; even her more negative qualities like stubbornness and pettiness were things that Jareth, as a Fae, could relate to. Fae themselves are childlike and immature in many ways. Even their arrogance and bravado is childlike. That’s one of the main reasons why Fae appear more often to children and younger adults than they do to older humans. Jareth found Sarah to be the most Fae-like human he’d yet come across. He fell in love with her. But his magic has restrictions. He could only reveal himself if he and his goblins were called upon. He was overjoyed when he got his chance.

The moment Sarah called for Toby to be taken, Jareth was ready. He’d seen her acting out the book a hundred times at the park. He wanted to make this as real for her as possible. He did not, however, want her to reach the end and play out the final scene. Magic always has a price. If Sarah completed the final scene, she and Toby would be returned home without a chance for Jareth to continue wooing her. Jareth’s hope was that Sarah would either give up or run out of time, forcing her to trade her freedom for Toby’s. This would give Jareth all the time he needed to win Sarah’s heart. (very Beauty and the Beast. Not at all the best way to go about things. But he’s an ancient egotistical Fae king. It seemed like a good idea to him at the time.) Since she did make it to the end, he tried to gather his thoughts and tell her how he felt. He did a pretty poor job of it though. Centuries old language and concepts applied to wooing a girl from the 80s….there were obvious communication issues.

There are two points in the movie where I really appreciated David Bowie’s acting. Well, there are many more than two points, but two specifically where I feel that Jareth’s affection for Sarah is plainly shown. The first is when he asks Sarah “how are you enjoying my labyrinth?” you can see in his face and hear in his tone that he genuinely is asking and is hoping she’s enjoying living her fantasy. There’s no sarcasm. No snarkiness. He really truly wants to give her what her book contained. The second time is in the peach-induced dream bubble. He’s trying to stall her so she doesn’t reach the end in time, but he could have chosen any number of things to keep her there. What he ended up picking is what he hopes they’ll have a chance for in the future. Lavish masques and dancing in each other’s arms as King and Queen. The most notable part of Bowie’s acting in this scene is the expression on his face as Sarah breaks away from him. He looks calm, but still devastated. It’s a subtle look, but a very powerful one. There are people who watch Labyrinth and don’t think Jareth wanted Sarah at all. They think he really did just want Toby all along. But I don’t buy that. Not for a minute.

Description
Oh, how you’ve turned my heart, my mind, my world, entirely upside down with longing, you precious girl. I’m starved for your attention. I’m exhausted from trying to obtain it. Everything I’ve done has been for you alone. I move the stars for no one else. Only you. Had it been any other, I would have never even considered it. You’ve run so long and so far; farther than I ever thought you would. Farther, I think, than even you thought you could. And now, as you look at me after everything I’ve put you through, your eyes are understandably cruel…..just as the perils I’ve made you face have perhaps been too cruel. But I believe in you and in your heart. I believe that those eyes will soften. That you’ll understand why I’ve done what I’ve done. …..I have to believe that. Because if you don’t, I’ll die. I can’t live without the sunlight you bring to me. I can’t love without your heart beating in time with mine. I…I can’t live within you anymore as nothing but a fictional character. Sarah, be on your guard. I have been generous up until now, but when I feel backed into a corner, I can become as dangerous and unpredictable as a wounded animal. I’m trying so hard. Everything you’ve ever dreamed of being a part of, I’ve laid out for you like a play. You asked that the child be taken, so, just as in your beloved story, I did it. You cowered before me as I did my best to play the intimidating King. A role for which I’ve had a great deal of practice since being set to rule over the Goblin Kingdom….but not a role I wish to play with you anymore. I’ve used a significant amount of magic to reorder time. I’ve turned my whole world upside down, and all to match the pages of the book you love so well. All to make your fantasy come to life. I’m exhausted from living up to your expectations of me. Isn’t that generous? Please, Sarah! My magic is linked with the words from your story. If you complete them, you’ll be sent back home to a house you can’t stand being in. I thought my world is what you were longing for! I’m trying to offer you your dreams! And do I truly ask for so much in return? Just let me be your King and you shall be my Queen. Respect me, love me, follow where I lead us, and I shall be your slave. I shall spend the rest of my days making sure your happiness never falters. You shall want for nothing. Please….I love you, Sarah.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Just a short drabble by everyone’s favorite Goblin King. I literally took the last few minutes of his movie dialogue (starting with the song “Within You”) and rewrote/expounded upon it to flesh out what I feel he was trying to say. That’s the problem when an ancient Fae falls in love with a modern human….major communication issues. xD I’ve done a lot of thinking about Jareth and why he did the things he did. What his motivations were. What his thought process was. How he even fell in love with Sarah.

Here’s my take on it: Jareth is clearly not a goblin. Centuries ago over in Europe, however leaders were decided by the Fae, Jareth was put in charge of the Goblin Kingdom. He must have done something rather bad because, despite now being “royalty,” the goblins are quite looked down upon by the Fae. Being put in charge of babysitting them was probably a demotion and insulting to Jareth. The insult (mixed with the fact that he’s a Fae and therefore arrogant by nature) has caused him to take on the attitude we see in the movie. He has little patience for the Goblin’s incompetence, and he’d probably like to be anywhere but where he is. He misses his former home and the revels with his own kind. He’s friendless in his own kingdom because he feels like he can’t even hold an intelligent conversation with anyone. His only escape is his ability to visit earth in the form of an owl. It’s on one of these breaks that he first becomes aware of Sarah.

His magic, just like that of Fae in many fairy tales, is linked directly to belief. Jareth is guided to Sarah practicing in the park by her belief in him. The book she has, “Labyrinth,” was actually written by someone who had been there before. As evidenced by the movie, the goblins really do come and take children when they are asked to. Whoever sent for the goblins either lets them take the baby, or run the labyrinth. Some of the runners win, others are not so lucky. One of the babies who was taken and retrieved by his runner grew up to be an author. He wrote about what even he thought was just a childhood fantasy, filling in the gaps with fiction. It was a little known book; not very many printed. But somehow a copy escaped being forgotten. The copy Sarah has and loves. Jareth knew about and was amused by the book when it was published, but he never thought much of it after that. It was only when Sarah started believing in him that he really began to care about the human world again.

After finding her that first time in the park, he became fascinated with her. He learned as much as possible about her. Fae have always watched humans from the shadows, so he likely didn’t realize how creepy that might come across. Fae also care little about human ages. (when you’re centuries older than any human alive, the human terms “adult” and “child” just don’t seem as significant. Not to mention, during Jareth’s last time amongst humans it was perfectly normal for girls to be married before the age of thirteen.) so without thinking the stalking and age difference objectionable, being intoxicatingly drawn to belief as most Fae are, and having had no one of equal intelligence to talk to for who knows how long, it makes total sense that Jareth would be initially interested. The more he learned about her, the more he found her a kindred spirit. He commiserated with her about feeling lost and having her world turned on its head. He saw qualities they both possessed such as a strong personality and a love of fantasy; even her more negative qualities like stubbornness and pettiness were things that Jareth, as a Fae, could relate to. Fae themselves are childlike and immature in many ways. Even their arrogance and bravado is childlike. That’s one of the main reasons why Fae appear more often to children and younger adults than they do to older humans. Jareth found Sarah to be the most Fae-like human he’d yet come across. He fell in love with her. But his magic has restrictions. He could only reveal himself if he and his goblins were called upon. He was overjoyed when he got his chance.

The moment Sarah called for Toby to be taken, Jareth was ready. He’d seen her acting out the book a hundred times at the park. He wanted to make this as real for her as possible. He did not, however, want her to reach the end and play out the final scene. Magic always has a price. If Sarah completed the final scene, she and Toby would be returned home without a chance for Jareth to continue wooing her. Jareth’s hope was that Sarah would either give up or run out of time, forcing her to trade her freedom for Toby’s. This would give Jareth all the time he needed to win Sarah’s heart. (very Beauty and the Beast. Not at all the best way to go about things. But he’s an ancient egotistical Fae king. It seemed like a good idea to him at the time.) Since she did make it to the end, he tried to gather his thoughts and tell her how he felt. He did a pretty poor job of it though. Centuries old language and concepts applied to wooing a girl from the 80s….there were obvious communication issues.

There are two points in the movie where I really appreciated David Bowie’s acting. Well, there are many more than two points, but two specifically where I feel that Jareth’s affection for Sarah is plainly shown. The first is when he asks Sarah “how are you enjoying my labyrinth?” you can see in his face and hear in his tone that he genuinely is asking and is hoping she’s enjoying living her fantasy. There’s no sarcasm. No snarkiness. He really truly wants to give her what her book contained. The second time is in the peach-induced dream bubble. He’s trying to stall her so she doesn’t reach the end in time, but he could have chosen any number of things to keep her there. What he ended up picking is what he hopes they’ll have a chance for in the future. Lavish masques and dancing in each other’s arms as King and Queen. The most notable part of Bowie’s acting in this scene is the expression on his face as Sarah breaks away from him. He looks calm, but still devastated. It’s a subtle look, but a very powerful one. There are people who watch Labyrinth and don’t think Jareth wanted Sarah at all. They think he really did just want Toby all along. But I don’t buy that. Not for a minute.