The Disney classic “Beauty and the Beast” tells the story of Belle, a smart and intelligent girl who ends up a prisoner of the Beast, a prince transformed into a monstrous creature following a curse cast upon him by a witch who punished him for his arrogance. Only true love can break the curse, provided the prince learns to love and be loved in return, before the last petal falls from an enchanted rose.
Beauty and the Beast is in my opinion the perfect allegory of the spiritual awakening journey of individuals who pass precisely from the dominion of instincts (beast) to the rebirth of a new cleansed and aware self. A precious fairy tale, rich in symbolic meanings.
The Fairy – Providence
The old beggar woman who, at the beginning of the story, asks for shelter at the beast’s castle is actually a fairy and symbolizes Providence. It is in fact she who is the architect of the spell with which she transforms the prince into a beast because of his arrogance and his indifference towards others. Nothing that happens in our lives happens by chance. Sometimes dark moments are the opportunity for rebirth, only that, at the time, we do not realize it.
The Beast – The Instincts
He is the man brutalized by selfishness, arrogance and therefore by the instincts present in each of us. His outer appearance is therefore the manifestation of the soul, which now can no longer hide its true nature under the veil of appearance. If you notice, however, his eyes are always bright as if to demonstrate that there is a spark in him, the desire to be better.
Belle – The Awakened Consciousness
The protagonist is a sunny girl who loves to read and can see both the “smallness” of the inhabitants of her village and the “beauty” behind the monstrous appearance of the beast. What distinguishes her from other princesses is her moral independence and her ability to say no to what she considers wrong. Other princesses of the past tend to be too naive and too condescending even towards those who behave badly towards them, which is certainly not a good thing. She is the awakened consciousness that desires, for this reason, to guide the awakening of others.
Gaston – Pride
Gaston represents the man devoid of values and therefore proud. He does not tolerate that others can grow or have more success than him. So he belittles Belle’s love for culture, mistreats those he considers inferior and – unable to change his mind and see things as they really are – tries to kill the beast by deception.
Belle’s Village – Judgments
The villagers symbolize judgments. It is they who judge “strange” what they do not know and follow – without critical thinking – the crowd instead of their own conscience. “Little people”, as Belle says in her opening song, precisely…
The Castle – The Inner World
The enchanted castle is the world of the prince and that of all of us: when one does not take care of one’s inner improvement and lives only on superficial appearance, the moment comes when all the luxury and wealth to which importance was given appears for what it really is: an insignificant mass without soul or real value. Not only that: without an inner awakening, darkness, little by little, takes over as can be seen from all the statues that adorn the castle and which from representations of angels have transformed into images of demons.
The Enchanted Rose – The Beauty of the Soul
The enchanted rose is the beauty that lies within us, that purity of soul which, if neglected, can eventually die. We all have an “inner rose” to take care of if we want to definitively shine again and transform into the best version of ourselves. The rose will shine again when the prince has learned to love and be loved in return. Not when he falls in love therefore, but when he has become so luminous internally that his appearance will take a back seat compared to the light of his virtue.
West Wing – The Flaws
It is the dark part of us, the one we must correct, the one we are afraid to enter but which, if faced with a bit of courage, would make us discover the most precious of treasures…
Much more often than we imagine, fairy tales hide profound teachings related to inner improvement. Let’s not consider them simple fables, but opportunities for reflection and spiritual enrichment. If you are interested in discovering the hidden meaning in fairy tales, then read my post on Pinocchio.
♥
“When it seems like nothing is happening anymore, it takes you away again, like the tide, happiness”
Beauty and the Beast (Duet)
