<Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations . Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations . (May 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> <P> The damsel - in - distress, persecuted maiden, or princess in jeopardy is a classic theme in world literature, art, film and video games . This trope usually involves a beautiful or innocent young woman, placed in a dire predicament by a villain, monster or alien, and who requires a male hero to achieve her rescue . After rescuing her, the hero often obtains her hand in marriage . She has become a stock character of fiction, particularly of melodrama . Though she is usually human, she can also be of any other species, including fictional or folkloric species; and even divine figures such as an angel, spirit, or deity . </P> <P> The word "damsel" derives from the French demoiselle, meaning "young lady", and the term "damsel in distress" in turn is a translation of the French demoiselle en détresse . It is an archaic term not used in modern English except for effect or in expressions such as this . It can be traced back to the knight - errant of Medieval songs and tales, who regarded protection of women as an essential part of his chivalric code which includes a notion of honour and nobility . The English term "damsel in distress" itself first appeared in Tobias Smollett's 1755 translation of Don Quixote, a parody of medieval chivalry tales . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This section does not cite any sources . Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (March 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> </Table>

Where does the term damsel in distress come from