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Beauty and the beast analysis essay
Beauty and the beast analysis essay
Story analysis of beauty and the beast
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Throughout the movie Beauty and the Beast, many archetypes are demonstrated by the characters’ thoughts, actions, and personalities. Each person has distinct characteristics that clearly fit one archetype or another, which is an important aspect of children’s fairy tale. First, Belle represents the maiden because of her innocence, purity, and naivety. Next, Maurice is the inventor as he is constantly creating new machines and is very persistent. Third, the shadow is represented by the Beast at the beginning of the movie, as he hurts others and only looks out for himself. Finally, Lafou, Gaston’s sidekick, takes on the role of the trickster, as he is always goofing off and not being serious.
In the story of Beauty and the Beast, Belle represents
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the innocent maiden archetype, defined as being pure, naïve, and often oblivious to her surroundings (worksheet). She was a young girl who was always eager to get her nose in a new book and take her away to a far, imaginary place. First, this was demonstrated by her walking into the castle in order to see if her father got lost and ended up inside, yet it was very dark and appeared dangerous. She was most likely afraid of being left by herself if something happened to him, as she had no other person to stay with,. Secondly, she showed her naivety when she put her complete trust in the Beast, even though he was keeping her as his prisoner, and did not doubt that he was truly good-natured at heart. Next, when the town decided to rally together and try to kill the Beast, Belle did all she could to try to convince them that he was not harmful, regardless of the fact that he had tried to hurt and scare her on various occasions. Later, because of her innocence and good-naturedness, she took care of the beast when he was injured and inspired him to treat others better. Finally, it is evident that the maiden character generally falls in love throughout the course of the story, which occurred in Beauty and the Beast. A second archetype presented in Beauty and the Beast is the inventor, demonstrated by the thoughts and actions of Belle’s father, Maurice.
This is described as someone who is constantly thinking, creating new products, trying to get others to sample their creations, and is very persistent (Archetypes). It is evident throughout the movie that Maurice is constantly trying to invent new things, although they do not always work out as he anticipated. He was a very imaginative man and looked at what the future could be like, not at past failed inventions. Towards the beginning of the story, he created a wood-chopping machine, which he claimed would lead him and his daughter to fame and fortune. However, while he was bringing his machine to the fair, Maurice took a long turn and ended up at the Beast’s castle. When Belle took his place in the dungeon, he went home and would be able to continue working on his inventions. Then, he became very worried and feared his daughter’s safety, resulting in him asking every person around town about the mysterious beast, but they thought he was mentally ill. Although no one believed him, he was persistent, an important quality of the inventor, and went off looking for her in the woods. In the end, while his inventions did not necessarily lead him to success, they did lead him and Belle to the Beast, her one true …show more content…
love. During the earlier half of Beauty and the Beast, the Beast would be considered the shadow archetype, which is described as “the animalistic, pre-human side; amoral; “dark side” of ego; may be a dragon, monster or demon” (worksheet).
Because of his past negative choices, he was forced to turn into a horrible beast and took his problems out on other people, particularly Belle and Maurice who were lost. After he captured Belle, he showed how violent he was and did all he could to make her feel as miserable as possible. For example, when she first refused to attend dinner with him, he became increasingly angrier and treated the young woman with much disrespect, most likely since he was not used to being rejected after living alone for so long. In addition, he showed his dominance and abusing power over others by constantly bossing the talking objects around and telling them that they weren’t allowed to do certain things. The Beast’s actions show that prior to developing feelings for Belle, he was very controlling, acted on instinct, and had many difficulties getting along with others. However, as the story went on, he was able to control his temper more easily and form relationships with those he came in contact
with. A fourth archetype used in Beauty and the Beast is the Trickster, who is defined as “often a clown or magician; make trouble or prevents progress of the hero” (worksheet). This is represented by Lefou, Gaston’s sidekick, whose name appears to be similar to “the fool”. Because of his size, appearance, and lack of power, he respected Gaston for being able to have girls dote on him and being an important figure in the town. Therefore, he constantly followed him around, cracking jokes and getting in the way, even if he didn’t always agree with what Gaston was doing. For example, it is clear that he was good-natured at heart, but joins in the battle to kill the Beast because Gaston said it was the right thing to do. Later on in the movie, Lefou was put in charge of tricking Maurice and forcing him to share his story about his encounter with the Beast in order to try to commit him to the asylum. Finally, throughout the entire movie, he was always having fun and disregarding the remarks made by Gaston, such as when he got himself stuck in a barrel at the bar. Unlike his superior, he did not seem to have a problem without having a wife and just wants to be able to enjoy himself. In conclusion, because of the significance of archetypes in children’s literature, the writer of Beauty and the Beast placed many within the story. They are easy for even those of a young age to pick up on, at least to an extent, and children are able to relate more to the characters’ strong and definitive traits. In addition, they help move the story along at a reasonable pace for all to enjoy. Therefore, the use of the maiden, inventor, shadow, and trickster archetypes add much to the movie by revealing more information about the characters and their motives.
Every story has characters with different roles, and each of them are important to make the story complete. Three characters, Bilbo, Gandalf, and Smaug represent three archetypal roles in this story. Their guide Gandalf, represents the mentor, Bilbo represents the hero, and Smaug represents the shadow. Smaug symbolizes fear to the characters, and the dragon represents one of the characters that are most often causing the most terror and trouble to the other characters in the story. The hobbit symbolizes the hero of the story, because he sacrifices himself throughout the book. Mr. Bilbo Baggins learns more and more each day, and he tries to always do the right thing. Gandalf symbolizes the guidance and help as a mentor, and he provides training and motivation to the characters. These three important characters greatly explain the
The popular film from 1977 known as Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope written and directed by George Lucas, there are many uses of archetypes, which include use of the colors blue and green in light sabers, and the color gold in the character, Luke Skywalker’s, clothing at the end of the movie. The use of these colors throughout the movie help to show the heroic cycle of Luke Skywalker by bringing out the changes he goes through from his purity, to his rebirth, and then finally when Luke gains wisdom from his journey.
An archetype is a universal symbol. It is also a term from the criticism that accepts Jung’s idea of recurring patterns of situation, character, or symbol existing universally and instinctively in the collective unconscious of man. Archetypes come in three categories: images (symbols), characters, and situations. Feelings are provoked about a certain subject by archetypes. The use of the images of water, sunsets, and circles set the scene of the movie. Characters, including the temptress, the devil figure, and the trickster, contribute to the movie’s conflicts that the hero must overcome in order to reach his dream. However, to reach his dream, the hero must also go through many situations such as, the fall, dealing with the unhealable wound, and the task. By using archetypes in the movie, the viewer can obtain more than just the plot and better understand the true theme of the movie: to never give up on dreams.
Standing out and being different can be very difficult because of the people and the world around us. Belle--from Beauty and the Beast--does not follow the ordinary lifestyle of the villagers. She wants more than just the same old boring routine in the village that her whole life has been about. The movie Beauty and the Beast is transcendental because it encourages that at heart the individual is a good person, self reliance, and trusting your intuition.
Consistent in literature throughout every era and culture, archetypes represent a recurring image, pattern, or motif mirroring a typical human experience. An idea developed by Carl Jung, archetypes in literature exist as representations reflecting vital perceptions of the human psyche expressing the manner in which individuals experience the world. Using Jung’s concept, writers of all epochs embeds archetypes in structures, characters, and images of their narratives. John Gardner, in his novel Grendel, integrates several of Jung’s archetypes into his epic tale derived from the early story Beowulf. Gardner associates Jung’s personas of the outcast, the shadow, and the mentor-pupil relationship through the identities of Grendel, the narrator of events, and the dragon.
Quite often in life we wish for things bigger than ourselves. Seeming to get wrapped up in our own minds we do not pay attention to reality. As reality comes full force we are not sure how to take it, so we let it take us. In the writing “Where are you going, where have you been?” we see Oates craft archetypes and allegories into the work through detail and word choice in order to help the reader understand the shocking outdistancing of day dreams and the overshadowing sockdolager called reality. These archetypes and allegories provide a way for the reader to join Connie in the story, but also to see the danger of what Connie doesn’t see.
Nicholas A. Smith’s “Idealism and Insanity: The Subversion of the Southern Belle through Blanche Dubois” describe Southern Belles as charming, educated, and independent (Smith 1). These characteristics describe the main character, Flossie, in Patricia McKissack’s “Flossie and the Fox.” Southern Belles are taught at a young age that knowledge instead of beauty provides prosperity, an idea that surfaces in McKissack’s short story (Smith 1). They have a different portrayal in films, such as Victor Fleming’s Gone with the Wind; beauty is the path into prosperity (Gone with the Wind). Flossie symbolizes a Southern Belle, whose knowledge soon becomes tainted when she employs charm as a means of manipulation to trick the fox. Flossie use of manipulation transforms her into the villain of the story.
In an archetypal sense, “The Princess and the Frog” have the same type of characters and other elements just as other fairy tales. For example, Dr Facilier’s many physical traits can be compared to that of Jafar in Disney’s ‘Aladdin’ such as being tall and skinny and dressed up in very linear black and red (Aladdin). Also Dr Facilier’s personality as that of a scheming broker with ‘friends on the other side’ can be compared to that of Ursula and Hades in Disney’s ‘The Little Mermaid’ and ‘Hercules’ respectively (The Little Mermaid) (Hercules). The motif which includes the Quest in the movie, and characters like Louis, Ray and Mama Odie, learning and overcoming obstacles resulted in the transformation of both Tiana and Prince Naveen, both physically and mentally. One of the main uses of object archetypes in the movie can be Mama Odie’s blind glasses. These glasses shows that Mama Odie is blind. Analysing this with a critical eye, Mama Odie’s glasses are so such similar to that of the blindfold of ‘Lady Liberty’. The irony is that Mama Odie sees the truth and solution to everything. Archetypes can give strong and powerful meanings to mere objects like a feather to a giant
Psychologist Carl Jung proposed that humankind has a collective unconscious, which is manifested in myths and dreams, which harbors themes and images that all humans inherit. Carl Jung’s proposal about the collective unconscious is expressed when archetypal and mythological criticism applies to literary works (Archetypal Criticism). Neverwhere is a novel written by Neil Gaiman, which is heavily influenced by archetypal and mythological concepts. Neverwhere is the story of a young man who tries to help an injured girl named Door on the street, when he soon realizes that this is no ordinary person that he has come across and he has to go into the underworld to get her help. Richard goes to get her help from a man in the underworld named Marquis
The Beast (aka The Beast of War) is about a Soviet T-62 tank lost in Afghanistan during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1981. The movie was released in 1988. It was based on a William Mastrosimone play entitled Nanawatai. It was directed by Kevin Reynolds, who later directed Waterworld. It starred George Dzundza, Jason Patric, Steven Baldwin. A Soviet tank unit in Afghanistan helps "clear out" a village, destroying it. One of the tanks, led by a ruthless Commander Daskal, orders the crushing of a captured prisoner under their treads of the tank. Leaving the village, Daskal's tank is separated from its unit and is soon lost. Mujahadeen warriors, led by the murdered prisoner's brother Taj, discover the lost tank and see an opportunity to take revenge. Knowing that the tank is in a valley with only one exit, they begin following its tracks, intending to use a captured RPG to attack it. Some women from the village also follow along with captured grenades in hand. The tank crew is made up of four Soviets and one Afghani. As night falls and the crew sets up camp, the Afghan tank crewman Samad teaches the tank driver, Konstantin Koverchenko, about the fundamental principles of Pashtunwali, the Pashtun people's code of honor: melmastia (hospitality), badal (revenge), and nanawatai, which requires even an enemy to be given sanctuary if he asks. We then see that Commander Daskal, called "Tank Boy" during the Great Patriotic War for destroying a number of German tanks in the Battle of Stalingrad, is not ruthless only to the enemy, but also to his men. He despises Samad and kills him on the pretext of suspecting him a traitor. After Konstantin threatens to report Daskal for the killing, Daskal orders the other two crew members to tie Konstantin to a rock, with a grenade to serve as booby-trap for the Mujahadeen. Some wild dogs come upon him and as Konstantin tries to kick at them, the grenade rolls down the rock and explodes, killing a dog but leaving Konstantin unhurt. The sound, however, draws the group of Afghani women. They begin to stone him and are soon joined by the mujahadeen. Konstantin is saved when he remembers Samad's lesson about "nanawatai," sanctuary. He calls out the word and the mujahadeen are obligated to take him with them. Camping out in a cave, they feed him and ask him to fix the broken RPG.
In the novel, Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury, the quest archetypes are shown when Will goes on a journey to defeat the carnival. Will, Jim and Charles have to kill Mr. Dark and the Dust Witch in order to defeat the carnival and complete their quest.
Throughout the movie The Beauty and The Beast Disney presents a classic fairytale, but when seen in a different perspective it demonstrated that not everything is as it seems. Belle is affected by multiple disorders starting with Introversion, Schizoid Personality Disorder, Schizophrenia as well as Stockholm Syndrome. However, with psychoactive drugs and extensive therapy Belle can be treated to allow her to progress prevent a relapse in her daily
to reassure and respect him. The beast also confesses that he is lonely and disliked (Shelley 105). The creature’s confession indicates the impact prejudice can have on a victim. Though he
Once Upon a Time is a television series aired on ABC, a company owned by Disney’s conglomerate. With this said, it is important to acknowledge Disney’s own adaptation of Disney characters into a series. Once Upon a Time mentions various Disney characters; however, for the purpose of this assignment I will focus on three characters and their origination, to analyze and contrast to this adaptation. The characters to be analyzed are Peter Pan, Belle, and Mulan. While analyzing these characters, we’ll visualize how each character’s personality changes, as the medium of adaptation changes. In the television series there is not only a change in character, but there is a change in setting, garments, language, tone, and a target audience. During this
They fantasize aspects of human nature and potential, for example, werewolves represent our core animal tendencies, and the story of Rapunzel demonstrates the struggle