"Wings. I need you to be my wings."
After Maleficent saves Diaval's life by turning him into a human, he vows to be her servant and asks what she wants from him. Maleficent replies she needs him to be her "wings," as Stefan's betrayal stole her power of flight. Maleficent's wings represent her freedom and power to protect the Moors; without her wings, Maleficent can no longer live a solitary life and needs others. Though Maleficent is initially jealous of Diaval's ability to fly, she needs his flight to exact her revenge.
"He did this to me so he could be King."
Maleficent is anguished when she realizes Stefan cut off her wings for personal gain. Maleficent reacts violently, screaming and sending a surge of magic into the sky. Ultimately, King Stefan's selfishness motivates Maleficent to seek revenge by cursing Aurora.
“I know who you are. You’ve been watching over me my whole life. I know you’re there. Your shadow, it’s been following me, ever since I was small. Don’t be afraid.”
In this quotation, Aurora convinces Maleficent to show herself and thus develops a friendship. Though the entire kingdom considers Maleficent an ominous, evil presence, Aurora sees the good in Maleficent and considers her a protective force, like a "fairy godmother." This statement is symbolic; when Aurora persuades Maleficent not to be afraid, her invitation convinces Maleficent to physically come out of the shadows and to be emotionally vulnerable, opening her heart to love.
"Nothing is indestructible! Not the wall, not Maleficent, not even her curse!"
As Aurora's sixteenth birthday approaches, Stefan grows increasingly unhinged and refuses to accept that his soldiers cannot penetrate Maleficent's wall of thorns. In this quotation, Stefan expresses his frustration that he cannot undo Maleficent's curse. Stefan attempts to save Aurora by destroying Maleficent; however, in the end Maleficent's curse and wall are not "destroyed" by force or violence, but by love and forgiveness.
"See here, young lady. I did not spend sixteen years in this miserable hovel with these two imbeciles so you could ruin it on the last day!"
When Aurora explains her plan to leave home, Knotgrass, one of the three fairies caring for Aurora, expresses her frustration and resentment over caring for Aurora. This quotation contrasts Maleficent's relationship with Aurora to that of the three fairies. Though Maleficent is the story's "villain," she genuinely cares for Aurora, whereas the fairies watch over Aurora out of a sense of obligation.
"Well, that might be how you feel, but what about Aurora? That boy could be her only chance. It's her fate, anyway."
Maleficent explains to Diaval that the curse cannot be broken because "there's no such thing" as true love. However, Diaval sagely argues that Maleficent's understanding of love might differ from Aurora's. This quotation marks the beginning of Maleficent's hope that Aurora's curse can be broken.
“I was so lost in hatred and revenge. You stole what was left of my heart.”
After Maleficent's curse places Aurora into an enchanted sleep, Maleficent apologizes, explaining that she cursed the princess to punish King Stefan. However, in this quotation, Maleficent does not ask for forgiveness but explains how Aurora's love helped her realize the error of her ways.
This quotation also parallels Maleficent's relationship with Stefan. Maleficent and Stefan originally developed a friendship when Stefan stole a gem, and their relationship ended when Stefan stole her wings. By contrast, Aurora "stole" Maleficent's heart by developing a loving relationship with her. Unlike Stefan and Maleficent's relationship, Maleficent selflessly saves Aurora, and Aurora forgives Maleficent.
"How does it feel to be a fairy creature without wings in a world where you don't belong?"
King Stefan screams this harrowing question at Maleficent during their final battle. Though Stefan initially betrayed Maleficent for personal gain, over the years, his bitterness and fear hardened into hatred. In this quotation, Stefan summarizes Maleficent's anger and fear: the loss of her wings and her sense of unbelonging.
"But, as many thought whenever they saw the graceful figure soaring through the air, it took a great hero and a terrible villain to make it all come about. And her name was Maleficent."
In the opening narration, the narrator explains that the human kingdom and the Moors are so different, "only a great hero or a terrible villain might bring them together." This quotation establishes the central conflict of the story: what makes a hero, and what makes a villain?
At different points throughout the story, Maleficent can be called both a "great hero" for protecting her homeland and a "terrible villain" for using Aurora to exact her revenge on Stefan.
At the end of the film, the narrator references the opening narration, recognizing that Maleficent is a complex character who is both a hero and a villain, subverting fairy tale tropes that characterize heroes and villains as morally black and white.
"So you see, the story is not quite as you were told."
In the finale, the narrator subverts traditional fairy tale tropes by recognizing that Maleficent adds nuance to the characters in the "Sleeping Beauty" story by sympathetically exploring the villain's backstory. Thus, the film challenges the audience to question other narratives that present characters as entirely good or evil, recognizing that the perspective from which a story is told dictates who is portrayed as heroic or villainous.
