Beauty & The Beast is a well-known fairytale that was first published in 1740. This fairytale originated in France and quickly swept across Europe, reaching Italy and Germany. The story centers around a wealthy young girl named Belle, who has several older sisters. Belle is very pretty and pure of heart, unlike her more shallow sisters, who are constantly searching for their prince charming. Their father, a merchant, promises Belle’s sisters jewelry and clothing, but all Belle wants is a rose. Belle’s father prowls around an enormous and decadent castle and finds the perfect rose, which he then plucks for Belle. A huge, frightening beast comes out of the castle and tells the merchant he will be a prisoner is his castle for all of eternity for taking his personal property. The only way the merchant can be freed is for one of the wealthy daughters to take his place, so Belle agrees to go.
When Belle arrives at the beast’s castle, he asks her to marry him. He smothers her with lavish food, beautiful dresses, and flowers. Every day, the beast asks Belle to marry him and every day she declines. Soon she asks to go home and see her family. The beast obliges, but only if she takes a mirror and a ring that he gives her. She agrees and discovers upon leaving that she can see what is going on inside the castle in the mirror. Her sisters grow wildly jealous of Belle’s spoiling and try to hide it by pretending to be concerned for her wellbeing. One night, Belle takes a look into the magic mirror and sees the best lying on the castle floor, crying and suffering from a broken heart. The beautiful roses he once grew are all now dying around him. She turns the ring around her finger three times, and is magically transported back to the castle. Once she arrives, she crouches over the beast and cries tears of pain and guilt. When her tears hit him, he is suddenly transformed into a handsome young prince. They live happily ever after.
There have been many variations of Beauty & The Beast, and of course the Disney cartoon film version has been the most popular in modern culture. There was also a popular television program version of the story in the United States starring Linda Hamilton. The story has been adapted for the stage, and holds a valuable lesson for boys and girls, as well as for adults. While some say that Beauty & The Beast exhibits a classic example of Stockholm syndrome, most can deduce that is more about not judging a book by its cover and understanding that true love is blind. The story has many different places in popular culture including music and movies, and teaches children that beauty is much more than skin deep.
As an educator, there are several ways in which Beauty & The Beast can be incorporated into the classroom. A reading of the story aloud is a good way to get kids excited about reading. An English lesson centered on Beauty & The Beast could include a group reading activity followed by a reader response about the importance of family and kindness to others. A viewing of the Disney version of the film is also a great way to introduce the kids to some of the moral issues of the story; the movie could then be followed by a discussion about the importance of inner beauty versus outer beauty and the importance of treating people with respect. Lessons about self-esteem and self-worth are a good way to use the story. If there happen to be plays in your area doing the story, plan a field trip for the class, and then discuss it when you return, asking the children what lessons they were able to take from it.
For more helpful information about the story of Beauty & The Beast and using it in the classroom, refer to the following websites:
- Personification – This lesson plan uses Beauty & The Beast to discuss personification.
- Speaking Lesson Plan – Using Beauty & The Beast as a stepping stone, this lesson plan focuses on speaking aloud in front of others.
- Characters & Plot – Teach the class about the use of characters and plot using this famous fairy tale & the song from the movie.
- Teaching Beauty & The Beast – This page shows some suggestions from teachers across the US on how to implement the story into teaching lessons.
- Images – Features beautiful imagery from various versions of the famous fairytale.
- Fairy Tales Webquest – Use this fun webquest to relate the story to other fairytales and how these stories are told.
- Film Education – A wonderfully done synopsis of the Disney version of Beauty & The Beast, with photos and much more.
- Ethics of the Story – This informative essay examines the ethical implications of the story.
- Versions – This page features the texts of several versions of the fairytale from around the world.
- Origins – Explains the origins of Beauty & The Beast; this information is helpful for high school grade classes.
