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[[Image:Crane beauty5.jpg|thumb|Illustration for ''Beauty and the Beast'' by [[Walter Crane]].]]
'''''Beauty and the Beast''''' ({{lang-fr|'''La Belle et la Bête'''}}) is a traditional [[fairy tale]] written by French novelist [[Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont]] and published in 1756.

Variants of the tale are known across Europe.<ref name="surlalunefairytales.com">Heidi Anne Heiner, "[http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/beautybeast/other.html Tales Similar to Beauty and the Beast]"</ref> In France, for example, ''[[Zémire et Azor]]'' is an operatic version of the story, written by [[Jean-François Marmontel|Marmontel]] and composed by [[Grétry]] in 1771, which had enormous success well into the 19th century;<ref>Thomas, Downing. ''Aesthetics of Opera in the Ancien Régime, 1647–1785''. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2002.</ref> it is based on the second version of the tale. ''Amour pour amour'', by Nivelle de la Chaussée, is a 1742 play based on [[Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve]]'s version.

==Plot==
A wealthy widowed [[merchant]] lives in a mansion with his three daughters. All are equal in beauty, but the youngest, Beauty, is kind and pure of heart; while the two elders, in contrast, are wicked, selfish, vain and secretly taunt and treat Beauty more like a servant than a sister. The merchant eventually loses all of his wealth in a [[wikt:tempest|tempest]] at sea. He and his daughters are consequently forced to live in a small farmhouse and work for their living. After some years of this, the merchant hears that one of the trade ships he had sent off has arrived back in port, having escaped the destruction of its compatriots. He returns to the city to discover whether it contains anything valuable. Before leaving, he asks his daughters if they wish for him to bring any gifts back for them. The oldest two ask for clothing, jewels and the finest dresses possible, thinking his wealth has returned. Beauty is satisfied with the promise of a rose, as none grow in their part of the country. The merchant, to his dismay, finds that his ship's cargo has been seized to pay his debts, leaving him without money to buy his daughters their presents.

During his return, the merchant becomes lost in a forest. Seeking shelter, he enters a dazzling palace. A hidden figure opens the giant doors and silently invites him in. The merchant finds tables inside laden with food and drink, which seem to have been left for him by the palace's invisible owner. The merchant accepts this gift and spends the night there. The next morning as the merchant is about to leave, he sees a rose garden and recalls that Beauty had desired a rose. Upon picking the loveliest rose he can find, the merchant is confronted by a hideous "Beast" which tells him that for taking his most precious possession after accepting his hospitality, the merchant must die. The merchant begs to be set free, arguing that he had only picked the rose as a gift for his youngest daughter. The Beast agrees to let him give the rose to Beauty, but only if the merchant will return.

[[File:Anne Anderson05.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Beauty dines with the Beast in an illustration by [[Anne Anderson (illustrator)|Anne Anderson]].]]
The merchant is upset, but accepts this condition. The Beast sends him on his way, with jewels and fine clothes for his daughters, and stresses that Beauty must never know about his deal. The merchant, upon arriving home, tries to hide the secret from Beauty, but she pries it from him and willingly goes to the Beast's castle. The Beast receives her graciously and informs her that she is now mistress of the castle, and he is her servant. He gives her lavish clothing and food and carries on lengthy conversations with her. Every night, the Beast asks Beauty to marry him, only to be refused each time. After each refusal, Beauty dreams of a handsome prince who pleads with her to answer why she keeps refusing him, to which she replies that she cannot marry the Beast because she loves him only as a friend. Beauty does not make the connection between the handsome prince and the Beast and becomes convinced that the Beast is holding the prince captive somewhere in the castle. She searches and discovers multiple enchanted rooms, but never the prince from her dreams.

For several months, Beauty lives a life of luxury at the Beast's palace, having every whim catered to by servants, with no end of riches to amuse her and an endless supply of exquisite finery to wear. Eventually she becomes homesick and begs the Beast to allow her to go see her family. He allows it on the condition that she returns exactly a week later. Beauty agrees to this and sets off for home with an enchanted mirror and ring. The mirror allows her to see what is going on back at the Beast's castle, and the ring allows her to return to the castle in an instant when turned three times around her finger. Her older sisters are surprised to find her well fed and dressed in finery. They are envious when they hear of her happy life at the castle, and, hearing that she must return to the Beast on a certain day, beg her to stay another day, even putting onion in their eyes to make it appear as though they are weeping. They hope that the Beast will be angry with Beauty for breaking her promise and eat her alive. Beauty's heart is moved by her sisters' false show of love, and she agrees to stay.

[[File:Warwick Goble Beauty and Beast.jpg|thumb|200px|left|Illustration by [[Warwick Goble]].]]
Beauty begins to feel guilty about breaking her promise to the Beast and uses the mirror to see him back at the castle. She is horrified to discover that the Beast is lying half-dead from heartbreak near the rose bushes her father had stolen from and she immediately uses the ring to return to the Beast.

Beauty weeps over the Beast, saying that she loves him. When her tears strike him, the Beast is transformed into the handsome prince from Beauty's dreams. The Prince informs her that long ago a [[fairy]] turned him into a hideous beast after he refused to let her in from the rain, and that only by finding true love, despite his ugliness, could the curse be broken. He and Beauty are married and they live happily ever after together.

==Villeneuve's version==

Villeneuve's tale includes several elements that Beaumont's omits. Chiefly, the back-story of both Beauty and the Beast is given. The Beast was a prince who lost his father at a young age, and whose mother had to wage war to defend his kingdom. The queen left him in care of an evil fairy, who tried to seduce him when he became an adult; when he refused, she transformed him into a beast. Beauty's story reveals that she is not really a merchant's daughter but the offspring of a king and a good fairy. The wicked fairy had tried to murder Beauty so she could marry her father the king, and Beauty was put in the place of the merchant's dead daughter to protect her.<ref>Betsy Hearne, ''Beauty and the Beast: Visions and Revisions of An Old Tale'', p 22–23 ISBN 0-226-32239-4</ref> She also gave the castle elaborate magic, which obscured the more vital pieces of it.<ref name=hearne>Betsy Hearne, ''Beauty and the Beast: Visions and Revisions of An Old Tale'', p 25 ISBN 0-226-32239-4</ref> Beaumont greatly pared down the cast of characters and simplified the tale to an almost archetypal simplicity.<ref name=hearne/>

==Commentary==
The urban opening is unusual in fairy tales, as is the social class of the characters, neither royal nor peasants. It may reflect the social changes occurring at the time of its first writing.<ref>Maria Tatar, p 45, ''The Annotated Classic Fairy Tales'', ISBN 0-393-05163-3</ref>

==Modern uses and adaptations==
The tale has been notably adapted for screen, stage, prose, and television over the years.

===Literature===
* ''[[The Pig King]]'', by [[Giovanni Francesco Straparola]], an Italian fairytale published in ''[[The Facetious Nights of Straparola]]''.
* ''[[The Scarlet Flower]]'', a Russian fairy tale published by [[Sergey Aksakov]].
* ''Beast'' by [[Donna Jo Napoli]], a retelling set in Persia and told from the Beast's point of view.
* ''[[Beastly]],'' written by [[Alex Flinn]], sets the story in modern day Manhattan.
* "Beauty", a short story by [[Tanith Lee]], is a science fiction retelling of "Beauty and the Beast". It appeared in Lee's anthology, ''[[Red as Blood, or Tales from the Sisters Grimmer]]'', published in 1983. The heroine is named Estár; the Beast, a catlike telepathic alien, is never given a name that can be written or spoken in any human language.
* ''Beauty and the Beast ... The Story Retold.'' [[Laura E. Richards]]. London: Blickie & Son, 1886. Also, Boston: Roberts Brothers, 1886.
* ''Beauty and the Werewolf'' by [[Mercedes Lackey]], part of the ''Five Hundred Kingdoms'' series.
* ''[[Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast]]'' and ''[[Rose Daughter]]'' both by author [[Robin McKinley]].
* ''Belle: A Retelling of Beauty and the Beast'' by [[Cameron Dokey]], and ''Spirited'' by [[Nancy Holder]], both part of the ''[[Once Upon A Time (novel series)|Once Upon A Time]]'' series.
* "The Courtship of Mr. Lyon", a story from [[Angela Carter]]'s ''[[The Bloody Chamber]]'', is based on Madame Le Prince de Beaumont's version.<ref>Crunelle-Vanrigh, Anny. "The Logic of the Same and ''Différance'': 'The Courtship of Mr. Lyon'". In Roemer, Danielle Marie, and Bacchilega, Cristina, eds. (2001). [http://books.google.com/books?id=mcLy81hgirIC&pg128 ''Angela Carter and the Fairy Tale''], p. 128. Wayne State University Press.</ref>
* ''[[East (novel)|East]]'', by [[Edith Pattou]], is based on the Norwegian story "[[East of the Sun and West of the Moon]]".
* ''[[Fashion Beast]]'', a 1980s screenplay by [[Alan Moore]], was adapted into a graphic novel in 2012.
* ''[[The Fire Rose]]'' by [[Mercedes Lackey]], part of the ''Elementals'' series.
* ''Roses & Thorns : Beauty and the Beast Retold'', by Chris Anne Wolfe, a retelling of the classic story where both protagonists are female.
* In ''[[The Last Wish (book)|The Last Wish]]'' by [[Andrzej Sapkowski]], the story "A Grain of Truth" is very similar to "Beauty and the Beast", though the beast enjoys being a beast and the daughters of various merchants willingly live with him in exchange for money.
* ''[[The Quantum Rose]]'' by [[Catherine Asaro]] is a science fiction retelling of "Beauty and the Beast". It won the 2002 [[Nebula Award for Best Novel]] and the 2001 Affaire de Coeur Award for Best Science Fiction Novel. The first third of the novel appeared as a three-part serialization in ''[[Analog (magazine)|Analog]]'' magazine in the 1999 May, June, and July/August issues. [[Tor Books]] published the full novel in 2000.
* ''The Cold King'' by Amber Jaeger, a retelling in a historical setting.
* ''A Court of Thorns and Roses'' by [[Sarah J Maas]], a retelling of "Beauty and the Beast" alongside "East of the Sun, West of the Moon" and "Tam Lin"
* ''[[Lord of Scoundrels]]'' by [[Loretta Chase]], a [[Regency romance]] and retelling of ''Beauty and the Beast''<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m_6qBAAAQBAJ& |title=The Bloomsbury Introduction to Popular Fiction |editor-first1=Christine |editor-last1=Berberich |contribution=More than a Love Story: The Complexities of the Popular Romance |first1=Maryan |last1=Wherry |publisher=Bloomsbury |year=2015 |isbn=978-1441172013 |pages=55 }}</ref>

===Film===
* A French version entitled ''[[Beauty and the Beast (1946 film)|La Belle et la Bête]]'' was made in 1946, directed by [[Jean Cocteau]], starring [[Jean Marais]] as the Beast and [[Josette Day]] as the Beauty. This version adds a subplot involving Belle's suitor Avenant.<ref>{{Cite book| author= David J. Hogan | title = Dark Romance: Sexuality In the Horror Film | page = 90 | publisher =[[McFarland & Company]] | year = 1986 | isbn = 0-7864-0474-4 | location = Jefferson, North Carolina}}</ref>
* A 1952 animated feature film, ''[[The Scarlet Flower (1952 film)|The Scarlet Flower]]'', based upon Aksakov's aforementioned tale, was directed by [[Lev Atamanov]] and produced at the [[Soyuzmultfilm]]. It was restored at the [[Gorky Film Studio]] in 1987 and is now widely available on several video and DVD editions in Russia (an English-subtitled version has not been released).
* A 1962 version directed by [[Edward Cahn (director)|Edward L. Cahn]], starring Joyce Taylor and [[Mark Damon]], had the Beast as a prince who transformed into a [[werewolf]] at night, with makeup by [[Universal Studios|Universal]]'s [[Jack Pierce (makeup artist)|Jack Pierce]].<ref>{{Cite news| url = http://www.classichorror.free-online.co.uk/TML/b50.htm | title = 50's and 60's Horror Movies B | work = The Missing Link | accessdate = 2010-04-21}}</ref>
* In 1987, [[Golan-Globus|The Cannon Group and Golan-Globus]] Productions released ''[[Beauty and the Beast (1987 film)|Beauty and the Beast]]'', a musical live action version, directed by Eugene Marner, starring [[John Savage (actor)|John Savage]] as Beast, and [[Rebecca De Mornay]] as Beauty, with original music by Lori McKelvey. It was released on VHS in 1988 by Cannon Video, and on DVD in 2005 by [[MGM Home Entertainment]].<ref>{{Cite news| author = Russell A. Peck | url = http://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/cinder/BB1.htm | title = Cinderella Bibliography: Beauty and the Beast | work = The Camelot Project at the University of Rochester | accessdate = 2010-04-21| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20100406082012/http://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/CINDER/bb1.htm| archivedate= 6 April 2010 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref>
* In 1991, [[Walt Disney Animation Studios|Walt Disney Feature Animation]] produced a musical animated film entitled ''[[Beauty and the Beast (1991 film)|Beauty and the Beast]]'', directed by [[Kirk Wise]] and [[Gary Trousdale]], with a screenplay by [[Linda Woolverton]], and songs by [[Alan Menken]] and [[Howard Ashman]]. Like the 1946 version, the Disney version also names Beauty "Belle" and gives her a handsome suitor (here named [[Characters in Disney's Beauty and the Beast|Gaston]]) who eventually plots to kill the Beast.<ref>{{Cite news| author = [[Janet Maslin]] | url = http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9D0CE2DF1330F930A25752C1A967958260 | title = Disney's 'Beauty and the Beast' Updated In Form and Content |work=The New York Times | date = 13 November 1991 | accessdate = 2010-04-21}}</ref>
* Children's film producer Diane Eskenazi produced ''[[Beauty and the Beast (1992 film)|Beauty and the Beast]]'', directed by Masakazu Higuchi and Chinami Namba, for [[Golden Films]] in 1993. The film, which relied on moderate animation techniques but was mostly faithful to the original tale, featured classical compositions as opposed to an original soundtrack, featuring the works of many well-known popular composers.<ref>{{Cite news| url = http://moviereviewfilm.com/Beauty-and-the-Beast-27-08-2008/ | title = Beauty and the Beast | work = Movie Review Film | accessdate = 2010-04-21}}</ref>
* The theme of the music video "[[I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)]]" by [[Meat Loaf]], released in 1993, is adapted from ''Beauty and the Beast''.{{which|date=February 2014}}<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GNhdQRbXhc</ref>
* A 2003 [[Viking Age|Viking]] period film directed by [[David Lister (director)|David Lister]] was alternately known as ''Beauty and the Beast'' and ''[[Beauty and the Beast (2003 film)|Blood of Beasts]]''.<ref>{{Cite news| url = http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/441747/Beauty-And-The-Beast/overview | title = Beauty and the Beast: Overview |work=The New York Times | accessdate = 2010-04-21 | first=Janet | last=Maslin}}</ref>
* A dark version <ref>{{Cite news| author = Jason Buchanan | url = http://www.allmovie.com/work/spike-461310 | title = Spike | work = [[All Movie Guide]] | accessdate = 2010-04-21}}</ref> of the fairy tale updated to modern times,<ref>{{Cite news| author = [[Calum Waddell]] | url = http://totalscifionline.com/reviews/2323-spike | title = Spike | work = [[Dreamwatch|Total Sci-Fi]] | accessdate = 2010-04-21}}</ref> director Robert Beaucage's 2008 film ''[[Spike (2008 film)|Spike]]'',<ref>{{Cite news| url = http://www.horror-movies.ca/horror-news.php?id=7269 | title = Beauty & the Beast + Blood and Guts = Spike | work = HorrorMovies.ca | date = 11 January 2007 | accessdate = 2010-04-21}}</ref> was described (at its premiere at the [[Edinburgh International Film Festival]]<ref>{{Cite news| url = http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=festivals&jump=features&id=3168&articleid=VR1117987482 | title = Festival Highlights: 2008 Edinburgh International Film Festival |work = Variety | date = 13 June 2008 | accessdate = 2010-04-21}}</ref> where it was chosen as part of the Best of the Fest)<ref>{{Cite news| url = http://edinburghfestival.list.co.uk/article/9461-best-of-the-fest-programme-at-edinburgh-international-film-festival/ | title = Best of the Fest Programme at Edinburgh International Film Festival | work = [[The List (magazine)|The List]] | date = 25 June 2008 | accessdate = 2010-04-21}}</ref> as "[[Angela Carter]] rewriting ''La Belle et la Bête'' as an episode of ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV series)|Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]''".<ref>{{Cite news| author = Robert Hope | url = http://www.edfilmfest.org.uk/whats-on/2008/spike/full-details | title = Spike | work = [[Edinburgh International Film Festival]] | accessdate = 2010-04-21}}</ref>
* Another modern take on "Beauty and the Beast" is ''[[Beastly (film)|Beastly]]'' starring [[Alex Pettyfer]] as the beast (named Kyle) and [[Vanessa Hudgens]] as the love interest (named Lindy). Directed by [[Daniel Barnz]] and based on the [[Beastly|novel]] by [[Alex Flinn]], it was released on 18 March 2011. The story places the basics of the original fairy tale in the context of a contemporary American high school. The film also features [[Neil Patrick Harris]] as Kyle's blind tutor and [[Mary-Kate Olsen]] as the girl responsible for cursing Kyle and causing his subsequent transformation.<ref>{{Cite news| author = Larry Carroll | url = http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1635084/story.jhtml | title = Vanessa Hudgens And Alex Pettyfer Get 'Intense' In 'Beastly' | work = MTV | date = 30 March 2010 | accessdate = 2010-04-21| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20100405192951/http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1635084/story.jhtml| archivedate= 5 April 2010 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref>
* [[Beauty and the Beast (2014 film)|''Beauty and the Beast'']], a French-German film, released in 2014.
* ''[[Beauty and the Beast (2017 film)|Beauty and the Beast]]'', a Disney's live-action set for 2017 release.

===Television===
* [[George C. Scott]] appeared as the Beast in a made-for-TV rendition in 1976, with his second wife, [[Trish Van Devere|Patricia "Trish" Van Devere]], co-starring alongside him as Belle in the film, which aired as part of the ''[[Hallmark Hall of Fame]]''. Scott was nominated for an Emmy for his performance.
* In 1984, [[Shelley Duvall]]'s ''[[Faerie Tale Theatre]]'' aired "[[Beauty and the Beast (Faerie Tale Theatre episode)|Beauty and the Beast]]", starring [[Klaus Kinski]] and [[Susan Sarandon]]. The script, sets, makeup and costumes were based on the 1946 film.
* ''[[Beauty and the Beast (1987 TV series)|Beauty and the Beast]],'' a television series which owed as much to detective shows and fantasy fiction as to the fairy tale, was originally broadcast from 1987 to 1989. This was centered around the relationship between Catherine (played by [[Linda Hamilton]]), an attorney who lived in New York City, and Vincent (played by [[Ron Perlman]]), a gentle but lion-faced "beast" who dwells in the tunnels beneath the city. [[Wendy Pini]] created two issues of a comic-book adaptation of the TV series. The series was cancelled when ratings fell after Hamilton decided to leave the show at the end of the second season.
* Beauty and the Beast was featured in ''[[Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child]]''. The story is set in Africa and features the voices of [[Vanessa L. Williams]] as the Beauty, [[Gregory Hines]] as the Beast, [[Debbie Allen]] as Precious, [[Terrence C. Carson]] as the [[Tree]], and [[Paul Winfield]] as the Father.
* ''[[Beauty & the Beast (2012 TV series)|Beauty & the Beast (2012)]]'' is a reworking of the 1987 TV series with [[Jay Ryan (actor)|Jay Ryan]] and [[Kristin Kreuk]] reprising the roles that Perlman and Hamilton, respectively, had originated in that production.
* Both [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] and the [[The CW Television Network|CW]] have ordered pilots for television shows based on the classic fairy tale, with the CW version being a remake of the 1980s television series.<ref>{{cite web|title='Beauty and the Beast' pilot ordered by ABC&nbsp;– now there are two!|url=http://insidetv.ew.com/2012/01/24/beauty-and-the-beast-abc/|accessdate=2012-01-24}}</ref>
* A variation of the story was incorporated into an episode of the ABC TV series ''[[Once Upon a Time (TV series)|Once Upon a Time]]'' entitled "[[Skin Deep (Once Upon a Time)|Skin Deep]]", in which Beauty/Belle is played by [[Emilie de Ravin]] and the Beast is [[Rumpelstiltskin]] (played by [[Robert Carlyle]]).

===Theatre===
* In 1994, [[Philip Glass]] wrote an opera, ''La Belle et la Bête'', based on Cocteau's film. Glass's composition follows the film scene by scene, effectively providing a new original soundtrack for the movie.<ref>{{Cite news| url = http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038348/alternateversions | title = Alternate Versions for La Belle et la Bête | work = [[Internet Movie Database|IMDb]] | accessdate = 2010-04-21| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20100411023446/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038348/alternateversions| archivedate= 11 April 2010 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref>
* The Disney film was adapted for the stage as ''[[Beauty and the Beast (musical)|Beauty and the Beast]]'' by Linda Woolverton and [[Alan Menken]], who had worked on the film. [[Howard Ashman]], the original lyricist, had died, and additional [[Lyrics|lyric]]s were written by [[Tim Rice]].<ref name="DVDdocu">Tale as Old as Time: The Making of Beauty and the Beast. [VCD]. Walt Disney Home Entertainment. 2002.</ref>

===Other===
*A [[hidden object game]], ''Mystery Legends: Beauty and the Beast'', was released in 2012.<ref>[http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mystery-Legends-Beauty-Collectors-Edition/dp/B007GTOR1Q Mystery Legends: Beauty and the Beast Collector's Edition (PC DVD)]</ref>

*The narrative of the [[Sierra Entertainment]] adventure game [[King's Quest VI]] follows several fairy tales, and Beauty and the Beast is the focus of one multiple part quest. <ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksT_X9XD0bM KQ6 Game Play video]</ref>

*Stevie Nicks recorded a song based on the fairy tale for her 1983 solo album, ''[[The Wild Heart (album)|The Wild Heart]]''

==See also==
{{Commons|Beauty and Beast}}
{{wikisource|Beauty and the Beast}}
* [[Damsel in distress]]
* [[Eros and Psyche]]
* [[Noble savage]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* [http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/type0425c.html "Beauty and the Beast: folktales of Aarne-Thompson type 425C]
* [http://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/cinder/BB1.htm Cinderella Bibliography&nbsp;– includes an exhaustive list of B&tB productions in books, TV and recordings]
* [http://www.dbskeptic.com/2008/11/17/more-original-versions-of-classic-fairy-tales/ Original version and psychological analysis of Beauty and the Beast]
* {{fr}} [http://www.litteratureaudio.com/livre-audio-gratuit-mp3/leprince-de-beaumont-jeanne-marie-la-belle-et-la-bete.html/ ''La Belle et la Bête'', audio version] [[Image:Speaker Icon.svg|20px]]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beauty And The Beast}}
[[Category:Shapeshifting]]
[[Category:Fictional duos]]
[[Category:1740 works]]
[[Category:French fairy tales]]
[[Category:Fairy tales]]
[[Category:Beauty and the Beast| ]]
[[Category:Love stories]]

Revision as of 23:45, 13 October 2015

This article is about the fairy tale. For other uses, see Beauty and the Beast (disambiguation).

Illustration for Beauty and the Beast by Walter Crane.

Beauty and the Beast (French: La Belle et la Bête) is a traditional fairy tale written by French novelist Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont and published in 1756.

Variants of the tale are known across Europe.[1] In France, for example, Zémire et Azor is an operatic version of the story, written by Marmontel and composed by Grétry in 1771, which had enormous success well into the 19th century;[2] it is based on the second version of the tale. Amour pour amour, by Nivelle de la Chaussée, is a 1742 play based on Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve's version.

Plot

A wealthy widowed merchant lives in a mansion with his three daughters. All are equal in beauty, but the youngest, Beauty, is kind and pure of heart; while the two elders, in contrast, are wicked, selfish, vain and secretly taunt and treat Beauty more like a servant than a sister. The merchant eventually loses all of his wealth in a tempest at sea. He and his daughters are consequently forced to live in a small farmhouse and work for their living. After some years of this, the merchant hears that one of the trade ships he had sent off has arrived back in port, having escaped the destruction of its compatriots. He returns to the city to discover whether it contains anything valuable. Before leaving, he asks his daughters if they wish for him to bring any gifts back for them. The oldest two ask for clothing, jewels and the finest dresses possible, thinking his wealth has returned. Beauty is satisfied with the promise of a rose, as none grow in their part of the country. The merchant, to his dismay, finds that his ship's cargo has been seized to pay his debts, leaving him without money to buy his daughters their presents.

During his return, the merchant becomes lost in a forest. Seeking shelter, he enters a dazzling palace. A hidden figure opens the giant doors and silently invites him in. The merchant finds tables inside laden with food and drink, which seem to have been left for him by the palace's invisible owner. The merchant accepts this gift and spends the night there. The next morning as the merchant is about to leave, he sees a rose garden and recalls that Beauty had desired a rose. Upon picking the loveliest rose he can find, the merchant is confronted by a hideous "Beast" which tells him that for taking his most precious possession after accepting his hospitality, the merchant must die. The merchant begs to be set free, arguing that he had only picked the rose as a gift for his youngest daughter. The Beast agrees to let him give the rose to Beauty, but only if the merchant will return.

File:Anne Anderson05.jpg
Beauty dines with the Beast in an illustration by Anne Anderson.

The merchant is upset, but accepts this condition. The Beast sends him on his way, with jewels and fine clothes for his daughters, and stresses that Beauty must never know about his deal. The merchant, upon arriving home, tries to hide the secret from Beauty, but she pries it from him and willingly goes to the Beast's castle. The Beast receives her graciously and informs her that she is now mistress of the castle, and he is her servant. He gives her lavish clothing and food and carries on lengthy conversations with her. Every night, the Beast asks Beauty to marry him, only to be refused each time. After each refusal, Beauty dreams of a handsome prince who pleads with her to answer why she keeps refusing him, to which she replies that she cannot marry the Beast because she loves him only as a friend. Beauty does not make the connection between the handsome prince and the Beast and becomes convinced that the Beast is holding the prince captive somewhere in the castle. She searches and discovers multiple enchanted rooms, but never the prince from her dreams.

For several months, Beauty lives a life of luxury at the Beast's palace, having every whim catered to by servants, with no end of riches to amuse her and an endless supply of exquisite finery to wear. Eventually she becomes homesick and begs the Beast to allow her to go see her family. He allows it on the condition that she returns exactly a week later. Beauty agrees to this and sets off for home with an enchanted mirror and ring. The mirror allows her to see what is going on back at the Beast's castle, and the ring allows her to return to the castle in an instant when turned three times around her finger. Her older sisters are surprised to find her well fed and dressed in finery. They are envious when they hear of her happy life at the castle, and, hearing that she must return to the Beast on a certain day, beg her to stay another day, even putting onion in their eyes to make it appear as though they are weeping. They hope that the Beast will be angry with Beauty for breaking her promise and eat her alive. Beauty's heart is moved by her sisters' false show of love, and she agrees to stay.

Illustration by Warwick Goble.

Beauty begins to feel guilty about breaking her promise to the Beast and uses the mirror to see him back at the castle. She is horrified to discover that the Beast is lying half-dead from heartbreak near the rose bushes her father had stolen from and she immediately uses the ring to return to the Beast.

Beauty weeps over the Beast, saying that she loves him. When her tears strike him, the Beast is transformed into the handsome prince from Beauty's dreams. The Prince informs her that long ago a fairy turned him into a hideous beast after he refused to let her in from the rain, and that only by finding true love, despite his ugliness, could the curse be broken. He and Beauty are married and they live happily ever after together.

Villeneuve's version

Villeneuve's tale includes several elements that Beaumont's omits. Chiefly, the back-story of both Beauty and the Beast is given. The Beast was a prince who lost his father at a young age, and whose mother had to wage war to defend his kingdom. The queen left him in care of an evil fairy, who tried to seduce him when he became an adult; when he refused, she transformed him into a beast. Beauty's story reveals that she is not really a merchant's daughter but the offspring of a king and a good fairy. The wicked fairy had tried to murder Beauty so she could marry her father the king, and Beauty was put in the place of the merchant's dead daughter to protect her.[3] She also gave the castle elaborate magic, which obscured the more vital pieces of it.[4] Beaumont greatly pared down the cast of characters and simplified the tale to an almost archetypal simplicity.[4]

Commentary

The urban opening is unusual in fairy tales, as is the social class of the characters, neither royal nor peasants. It may reflect the social changes occurring at the time of its first writing.[5]

Modern uses and adaptations

The tale has been notably adapted for screen, stage, prose, and television over the years.

Literature

Film

Television

Theatre

  • In 1994, Philip Glass wrote an opera, La Belle et la Bête, based on Cocteau's film. Glass's composition follows the film scene by scene, effectively providing a new original soundtrack for the movie.[23]
  • The Disney film was adapted for the stage as Beauty and the Beast by Linda Woolverton and Alan Menken, who had worked on the film. Howard Ashman, the original lyricist, had died, and additional lyrics were written by Tim Rice.[24]

Other

  • Stevie Nicks recorded a song based on the fairy tale for her 1983 solo album, The Wild Heart

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Beauty and Beast.
Wikisource has original text related to this article:

References

  1. ^ Heidi Anne Heiner, "Tales Similar to Beauty and the Beast"
  2. ^ Thomas, Downing. Aesthetics of Opera in the Ancien Régime, 1647–1785. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2002.
  3. ^ Betsy Hearne, Beauty and the Beast: Visions and Revisions of An Old Tale, p 22–23 ISBN 0-226-32239-4
  4. ^ a b Betsy Hearne, Beauty and the Beast: Visions and Revisions of An Old Tale, p 25 ISBN 0-226-32239-4
  5. ^ Maria Tatar, p 45, The Annotated Classic Fairy Tales, ISBN 0-393-05163-3
  6. ^ Crunelle-Vanrigh, Anny. "The Logic of the Same and Différance: 'The Courtship of Mr. Lyon'". In Roemer, Danielle Marie, and Bacchilega, Cristina, eds. (2001). Angela Carter and the Fairy Tale, p. 128. Wayne State University Press.
  7. ^ Wherry, Maryan (2015). "More than a Love Story: The Complexities of the Popular Romance". In Berberich, Christine (ed.). The Bloomsbury Introduction to Popular Fiction. Bloomsbury. p. 55. ISBN 978-1441172013.
  8. ^ David J. Hogan (1986). Dark Romance: Sexuality In the Horror Film. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. p. 90. ISBN 0-7864-0474-4.
  9. ^ "50's and 60's Horror Movies B". The Missing Link. Retrieved 21 April 2010.
  10. ^ Russell A. Peck. "Cinderella Bibliography: Beauty and the Beast". The Camelot Project at the University of Rochester. Archived from the original on 6 April 2010. Retrieved 21 April 2010. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ Janet Maslin (13 November 1991). "Disney's 'Beauty and the Beast' Updated In Form and Content". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 April 2010.
  12. ^ "Beauty and the Beast". Movie Review Film. Retrieved 21 April 2010.
  13. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GNhdQRbXhc
  14. ^ Maslin, Janet. "Beauty and the Beast: Overview". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 April 2010.
  15. ^ Jason Buchanan. "Spike". All Movie Guide. Retrieved 21 April 2010.
  16. ^ Calum Waddell. "Spike". Total Sci-Fi. Retrieved 21 April 2010.
  17. ^ "Beauty & the Beast + Blood and Guts = Spike". HorrorMovies.ca. 11 January 2007. Retrieved 21 April 2010.
  18. ^ "Festival Highlights: 2008 Edinburgh International Film Festival". Variety. 13 June 2008. Retrieved 21 April 2010.
  19. ^ "Best of the Fest Programme at Edinburgh International Film Festival". The List. 25 June 2008. Retrieved 21 April 2010.
  20. ^ Robert Hope. "Spike". Edinburgh International Film Festival. Retrieved 21 April 2010.
  21. ^ Larry Carroll (30 March 2010). "Vanessa Hudgens And Alex Pettyfer Get 'Intense' In 'Beastly'". MTV. Archived from the original on 5 April 2010. Retrieved 21 April 2010. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  22. ^ "'Beauty and the Beast' pilot ordered by ABC – now there are two!". Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  23. ^ "Alternate Versions for La Belle et la Bête". IMDb. Archived from the original on 11 April 2010. Retrieved 21 April 2010. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  24. ^ Tale as Old as Time: The Making of Beauty and the Beast. [VCD]. Walt Disney Home Entertainment. 2002.
  25. ^ Mystery Legends: Beauty and the Beast Collector's Edition (PC DVD)
  26. ^ KQ6 Game Play video
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