Plot Summary/Story Structure
Where does the father/merchant seek shelter?
The merchant/father gets caught in a storm while returning to his daughters and while seeking shelter, finds the castle. (Beginning)
What type of conflict is Beauty and the Beast?
Woman versus man
Who is the protagonist of the story?
Beauty
What is the main archetype of the story?
The main archetype of the story is Beauty and the Beast themselves as their love story has been rewritten through history in different time periods, stories, and cultures, each taking their own spin on the story of the two lovers.
What are the three main elements of the story's theme?
1.) Morality
2.) Value inward characteristics over superficial qualities like appearance
3.) Sacrifice
How are we introduced to the Beast? What did the merchant's daughter (Beauty) ask for?
Merchant stays the night in the castle and awakes to thank his generous host, but there is nobody to be seen. Upon leaving he remembers that his daughter had asked for him to bring back a rose, so he goes to the garden in front of the castle and picks a flower, revealing the beast at the same time. Furious over the fact that he had given him shelter and the man in return took from him.
Who is the conflict between?
Beauty and the Beast
Who is the antagonist of the story?
Beast
By the end of the story, the Beast turns into a prince and has nothing but roses in his gardens. These roses would be described as what?
Symbolism from the beginning of the story. Connects Beauty's fascination with roses to the symbol of the rose versus the time left to find true love.
List an example of don't judge a book by its cover.
Gross-looking food may be delicious.
What does the Beast tell the merchant to do in order to spare his life?
The Beast tells the merchant that he must bring back one of his daughters in exchange. Beauty decides to take her father's place.
How did the Beast become a monster and what was needed to break the curse?
A curse was placed on him and the only way to break it was to be loved by a "maiden willing to accept me as I was".
Describe the main protagonist.
Beauty is the “youngest, prettiest, and sweetest” of the three sisters in the tale. She cares for others around her and is willing to trade herself in order to protect her father. We also find out that she is truehearted as she kept the promise to the Beast making sure to return to the castle in order to save his life.
List three examples of other takes on the story.
1.) Beauty and the Beast live-action musical
2.) Beauty and the Beast Animated Version
3.) Zelinda and the Monster (An Italian Tale version)
What modern-day phrase does this story allude to?
Don't judge a book by its cover. Although the Besat may seem like a horrible monster, he turns out to be formal and nice to beauty.
What relationship do Beauty and the Beast start to form?
Beauty and the Beast come to like each other and develop a friendship. Often they found themselves engaging in deep conversations and started to care for one another.
What is the relationship between the two characters?
Beauty and the Beast start out as uninterested in each other, with Beauty finding the Beast to be horrid and frightening. Gradually this fear fell over time as the two developed a friendship with one another which soon kindled into a relationship of love for each other.
Describe the main antagonist.
The Beast is described as having an awful head and a monster-like appearance, however, Beauty soon overcomes looking at him as such and their relationship begins to grow.
What is the main symbol we see within the story?
The rose is the most prudent symbol within the story as it represents the Beast’s chance at love and breaking the curse he has been cast upon. On top of this, the rose acts as a timer counting down the days until the Beast’s chances of returning to a price are over.
What is the theme of the story?
The theme of Beauty and the Beast is to not love someone based on the appearance of wealth or looks, but rather, to care for the personality of the individual and what characteristics make them special.
What happens to Beauty's father? What happens to the Beast? How is the curse broken?
As Beauty’s father becomes ill, the Beast gives her a week to go see him as long as she returns, however, she forgets the time limit he had given her and has a dream of him dying and in agony. She rushes to the castle finding herself to be too late. She throws herself to him and exclaims that she can't live without him and will marry him, breaking the curse and returning the Beast back into a Handsome young man.
What conflict sets up Beauty and the Beast's marriage?
The Beast almost dies as the week limit he gave to Beauty in order to see her ill father expires. This leads to him almost perishing causing Beauty to accept his marriage proposal in order to save him and their relationship.
How does the antagonist challenge the protagonist? How does this change throughout the story?
The Beast puts obstacles between Beauty and her family as well as their relationship. Throughout the story, we see this relationship grow into a deep love for one another.
How has Beauty and the Beast been rewritten throughout time?
Throughout history, Beauty and the Beast has been rewritten multiple times. The story started out as a French tale written by Gabrielle-Suzanna Barbot de Villeneuve and now, Beauty and the Beast has crossed over multiple movies and tv shows.
What is a repeated pattern seen throughout the story?
1.) Accepting yourself and that you can't force others to love you.
2.) The symbolism and use of the roses.