JetUNsetter

I recently watched Beauty and the Beast (like how old am I really? As I did not watch it with a kid… anyhow). I actually watched a production by RAI, which was a little closer to reality than the Disney version that has the storyline unfolding around magic.

Funnily, as a kid I was instilled to believe by my grandma who, notably married my handsome but poor grandpa, that the morale of the story is that no matter how ugly he is, if he is rich you better settle for him. Hilarious, but grandma’s life choices led her to that interpretation. Who will blame her?

Other women in my life having watched that fairytale tend to believe that the morale of it is that, even if we are not perfect looking, it is the heart and minds that count to attract the One or just a good one.

I was always puzzled still, as he is a beast with a kind heart and she is kind of cute and naive and kind hearted but she is also beautiful. By instinct, this story in my baby mind would make more sense had it been the case that she was also average and got the prince in the end. It would surely have given me more hope in life and the confidence that even if a woman is a monster someone will still love her? Society at the time was not ready for that surely but Shrek later made things right, God bless.

Anyway, what was really mind blowing in that RAI production are the following lines that really stood out from the 3 hours show.

The first thing, was when Belle kind of opens up her heart and says something along the lines that when she was a little girl, her dad was a super hero who could solve all problems and keep her safe. She then grew older and at some point saw her father as the old, worn out and defeated man he was then. At that point, she realised that she still loves him but he is no hero and she is the only hero in her life. She realised she had to protect, support and nurture herself, not expecting others to live her life for her.

The second thing that really stood out, is that the Beast asks her to marry him but she has doubts. He then tells her something along the lines that he is indeed half beast and half prince and she needs to love both! Like the absolute truth about marriage packaged in some shallow tale: if you only love the bright side of your partner you are in for trouble. You need to see their whole and decide that you are good with it all and then say “I do”! maybe this show should be broadcasted in schools?

The last line in the show is that to be loveable you need to be loved. I guess that this is the very core of psychotherapy? The only reason why we think of ourselves of not worthy of love and happiness is because our parents, caregivers did not love us. And possibly because, in turn, someone who should have did not love them,. That is it. As long as you are loved when you should have, you just become loveable. Magic right?

I guess, that is the very morale of the story. There is no magic in life, no wizzards nor ecnhantresses but finding the way to unconditional love for ourselves and others is really magical…

Please help me make sense of this one too…