The prince has everything he wants, but he is selfish and unkind. The tale’s point is that wealth lies not in having, but in being loving and doing the loving thing. The enchantress, disguised as a beggar, tells the prince that beauty lies within.
But how to recognize what’s hidden? By its fruit. The prince’s actions reveal to the enchantress who he really is. If there’s no love in us, we don’t need to be cursed or transformed into beasts—we already are. The lack of love is its own punishment, destroying everything and everyone it touches, just as the curse here cloaks not just the prince but “all who lived there.”
Rose and Mirror
The rose and the deadline of “the last petal,” are reminders of our mortality. Hedonism is a lie. No, we don’t have an eternity in which to be good: self-indulgence now, sacrifice later. Goodness has its own urgency. The time for kindness is today, not tomorrow.The mirror is akin to our conscience, reflecting to us not our looks, hairstyles, makeup, or clothes but our very nature. Are we compassionate or cruel? Self-acceptance, or facing the truth about ourselves, is the beginning of love. Belle calls to Beast, “Come into the light.” She won’t commit in darkness or deceit. She’ll do her best to accept him, but even she can’t do much if he hasn’t the courage to accept himself.
Gaston (Richard White) and the Beast mirror masculine possibilities. Gaston embodies the man a boy can easily become: proud, selfish, cowardly, entitled, impudent, vengeful. Beast represents the man a boy becomes if he allows his true, princely nature to be overcome by his negative self. His princely nature can come to light with love. That is seen when a man is courageous, generous, forgiving, humble, respectful, and restrained. No one’s safe until the beast is killed. Except, Belle sees Beast’s better self. She defends Beast to Gaston when she says to him, “He’s no monster, Gaston, you are.”
Mrs. Potts
Belle and Mrs. Potts (Angela Lansbury) mirror feminine possibilities. Loving and inexperienced, Belle complains of what she’s lost in surrendering to Beast: “My father, my dreams, everything.” Loving and experienced, Mrs. Potts reassures her, “It’ll turn out all right.” She knows, sacrifice in a loving cause only seems like loss. In reality, it’s gain.
When Beast fears that his coarse exterior might prevent Belle from ever discovering his real worth, Mrs. Potts insists that he must help Belle “see past all that.” How? By being more presentable, gentle, and gentlemanly. He must compliment her, and learn to control his temper. As the petals fall, Beast is fearful that time’s running out, and he despairs. Where’s the love at first sight that’s supposed to instantly break the spell? Mrs. Potts cautions against such manly impatience, “These things take time.” Crucially, she qualifies her tips with a rider, “Be sincere.”
The title song is prophetic: “Barely even friends, then somebody bends. … Finding you can change, learning you were wrong.” The lyrics say that love is impossible without the humility required to stop bad behavior, and the courage required to ask for forgiveness. It’s love, after all, that is the greatest magic spell. It doesn’t cling or enslave. It sets the beloved free.
Beast risks everything, including his last hope of being saved, by letting Belle rush to her father. A stunned Cogsworth (David Ogden Stiers) demands, “How could you?” Beast simply says, “I had to.” That’s weakness, right? Wrong. That’s the power of love.
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