Beauty and the Beast, The Madame Le Prince de Beaumont version
The rich merchant not only has three
daughters but also three sons who have little to do with the story. All the
girls are good looking, particularly the youngest who becomes known as Little Beauty.
The sisters are vain and jealous of Beauty who is by contrast modest and
charming and wishes to stay with her father.
All
of a sudden the family loses its money and is forced into a poorer lifestyle
which makes life more difficult all around and exaggerates the differences
between Beauty and her sisters. Beauty and the three brothers throw themselves
into working for their new life while the sisters are bored. The father takes a
trip in the hopes of regaining his wealth, and the older sisters demand he
bring them expensive garments. Beauty asks simply for a rose.
The
father is unsuccessful in his attempt to regain his wealth and in despair,
wandering in the forest, is trapped in a snow storm. He comes upon a seemingly
deserted palace where he finds food and shelter for the night. In the morning
he wanders into the garden where he sees the perfect rose for Beauty. Upon
plucking it, a hideous Beast appears and says that for his thievery he must
die. The father begs for his life and, the Beast agrees to let him go if one of
his daughters will take his place. If she refuses, then he must return to die
himself. The Beast gives him a chest filled with gold and sends him home. This
treasure enables the older daughters to make fashionable marriages. On giving Beauty
the rose, her father cannot help but tell her what happened. The brothers offer
to slay the Beast but the father knows that they would die in the process.
Beauty insists on taking her father’s place, and so she returns with him to the
Beast’s palace where he reluctantly leaves her.
In
a dream Beauty sees a beautiful lady who thanks her for her sacrifice and says
that she will not go unrewarded. The Beast treats her well; all her wishes are
met by magic. He visits her every evening for supper and gradually Beauty grows
to look forwards to these meetings as a break to the monotony of her life. At
the end of each visit the Beast asks Beauty to be his wife, which she refuses
although agreeing never to leave the palace. Beauty sees in the magic mirror
that her father is desperately missing her and asks that she might return to
visit him. The Beast assents on the condition that she return in seven days,
lest he die.
The
next morning she is at home. Her father is overjoyed to see her but the sisters
are once again jealous of Beauty, her newly found happiness and material
comfort with the Beast. They persuade Beauty to stay longer, which she does,
but on the tenth night she dreams of the Beast who is dying. Wishing herself
back with him, she is transported back to the castle where she finds the Beast
dying of a broken heart. She realizes that she is desperately in love with the
Beast and says that she would gladly marry him. At this the Beast is
transformed into a prince, the Father joins them at the palace and the sisters
are turned into statues until they own up to their own faults.
The
Prince and Beauty live happily ever after because their "contentment is
founded on goodness."Return
to Beauty and the Beast the ballet
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