Beauty and the Beast

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London, England

1871

The old woman sat comfortably, but gracefully into her luxurious armchair at Almack’s, resting her gaze before the many young debutantes around her – many barely even seventeen and whom were itching with the gossip that followed their first season.

Beneath her gray wispy hair on her aged face, her eyes danced with a reminiscent twinkle, leaving her oblivious to her surroundings as the ton danced elegantly to the sweet music of the orchestra.

‘Milady, will you tell us the story of Beauty and the Beast?’ asked one of the two debutantes who had walked up to the old woman.

‘Yes, please do!’ pleaded the other.

Soon enough a small crowd of debutantes were sitting in front of the woman, their eyes gleaming in earnest.

‘Very well.’ She said.

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‘Years after the war, there was a young debutante; graceful, kind and beautiful. It was for this reason that her parents; the Duke and Duchess of Wellington named her ‘Belle’ – French for beauty.

‘Bearing a French name caused a large uproar, but with time, Belle proved herself worthy through her exuberant kindness and intelligence. All seemed well as Belle prepared for her first season before her seventeenth, her mother encouragingly alongside.

‘A hopeless romantic and an avid Shakespeare fan, the Duchess was, often telling her daughter not to fret because ‘the course of true love never did run smooth’. For the Duchess wished for her beautiful daughter to only ever be married for true love.

‘Then, great tragedy befell upon the family. The Duchess passed away suddenly, leaving a grief stricken Duke to care for Belle. The Duke in all his yearning to see his family rebuilt again, forced Belle into her first season prematurely.

‘Belle’s beauty attracted many suitors, but remembering her mother’s wish, she turned all of them down. The Duke grew impatient and soon enough, had found her a suitor he deemed worthy of inheriting his title.

“There is no use in protesting, this marriage will go ahead as planned.” He said.

“But father,” Belle replied, “you deny me my freedom and take away my choice.

“That may be so, but this is for the best,” the Duke told Belle. “His name is Pierre Gaston the new Earl of Surrey, just turned thirty and he’s come from France to inherit his title.”

“A Frenchman! Why Grandpapa would roll in his grave!” Belle gasped.

“Now, now dear, it is not as bad as it seems… and that language is quite unbecoming for a lady such as yourself.” The Duke replied.

“I will not marry that – that, beast!” she vowed.

“Yes you will and that’s final!” said her father.

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‘Then came that fateful day where Belle was to meet her future husband. She paced the foyer of her grand home. Too wrapped up within her anxiousness, she did not hear the door open and someone entering.

‘So when she found herself in the arms of a strong sturdy man, his eyes as deep as a sea of cerulean, she was entranced.

“Enchente mademoiselle.” His rich voice sounded as he planted a kiss to the back of her hand. Belle stepped back, gazed into his eyes and immediately her mother’s words echoed in her head.

“Marry for true love.” She whispered. “Wishes do come true.”

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Explanation of Beauty and the Beast

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My interpretation comments on women ‘coming-of-age’ in a society where arranged marriages were common in the upper-class. The elderly woman symbolises differences and similarities between the generations. A retelling of the story envisages the apparentness of the story being known to girls (intended audience), demonstrating the knowledge of duty of marriage in aristocratic culture, though portrayed horrifically, a clichéd happy ending will be granted through acceptance.

Belle’s fairytale is set post the Seven-Year’s-War, between periods of tensions in England and France. Aristocratic Belle shows a distaste towards the French hence labelling her fiance ‘Beast’, who is marginalised to comment on Belle’s independence. Compared to original texts, where the Beast is depicted physically, Beast in my interpretation is mental formation.

I ended with a cliché to Belle’s story to show the combining of two worlds where consequently, their values have moulded the worlds into one.

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A/N: This was my assessment for Extension English where we had to re-write an original text (under 500 words with a 100 word explanation) in a different context and time.

Reviews will greatly appreciated.

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