![]() When Agathe the enchantress casts her spell on the castle and the prince, she gives him the enchanted rose–a constant reminder of the transience of life. In his arrogance, he certainly wasn’t thinking it could all be taken away in a moment. Before he became the Beast, the prince in this fairy tale felt invincible he had everything he could ask for. Flowers are commonly used in vanitas paintings because flowers fade and die, reminding us that the beauties and luxuries of this life will pass away. If the rose in Beauty and the Beast borrows from this tradition of artistic symbolism, then it points to more than just the status of the Beast’s love life. The Beauty and the Beast fairy tale is set in the mid-1700s in France, and the live-action remake is as gorgeous and opulent as a vanitas painting of the period. Self-Portrait with Vanitas Symbols by David Bailly, 1651 If you’ve ever visited an art museum or taken an art history class, it’s a pretty sure bet you’ve seen a vanitas. Vanitas paintings often depict a collection of luxurious, richly-detailed objects, all of which symbolize the brevity of life and the futility of worldly pleasures (the Latin vanitas means “emptiness”). Vanitas is a genre of still life painting common in northern Europe during the 16th to 18th centuries. Interpreting the rose and other symbolic items in Beauty and the Beast in light of the vanitas tradition imbues the story with fresh meaning and even spiritual significance. The wilting rose in Beauty and the Beast strongly echoes other dying flowers in art, particularly those used in vanitas paintings. Even more importantly, the rose symbolizes the fragile nature of life and the Beast’s need to reform from his previous life of vanity and excess in order to restore his kingdom. A rose symbolizes love, but this particular rose is dying–just like the Beast’s hopes for true love. Perhaps the most iconic symbol in Beauty and the Beast is the glass-encased rose. What does the rose symbolize in Beauty and the Beast? ![]() That book tells us just as much about her as the lyrics in her opening song. For instance, the book that Belle reads in the opening village scene symbolizes her thirst for knowledge, novelty, and challenging of social norms. Symbolism changed the way I engaged with The Scarlet Letter, and I’ve been more attuned to seeking it in stories ever since.īeauty and the Beast contains some pretty obvious symbols, and their main purpose is to give us basic information about the leading cast of characters. The linchpin was a very knowledgeable professor who showed us that The Scarlet Letter is alive with a web of beautiful and complex symbols. But when I read the novel again in college I discovered a completely different book. I loved reading, so I felt a little guilty that I found the book so boring. I remember reading Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter in high school and being only mildly engaged. Sure, you don’t have to be a symbolism treasure hunter to enjoy a story–but it’s quite fun to dip below the surface and speculate about those deeper, hidden meanings! Symbolism adds depth to a story and helps you see it in fresh and fascinating ways. Because Beauty and the Beast has some gems. Since watching Disney’s gorgeous live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast, I’ve been musing about the use of symbols in story. ![]() Disney’s Beauty and the Beast is full of vanitas symbols that add a new depth of meaning to a tale as old as time.Īnalyzing Beauty and the Beast: Hidden Meanings and Symbols
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