What is the Moral of Beauty and the Beast

Moral: Inner beauty is greater than physical beauty

Beauty and the Beast is a traditional fairy tale that is loved by people all over the world. But have you wondered about the moral taught by this tale? This article attempts to analyze the moral of Beauty and the Beast.

The Story of Beauty and the Beast  

A merchant, preparing to go on a long trip, asks his daughters what they want as presents; the two elder daughters ask for clothes and jewelry, but the youngest daughter Bella replies that all she really wants is for her father to return safely. But upon her father’s insistence, she asks for a rose. 

On the merchant’s return journey, he stops at a beautiful garden to cut a rose, but a horrible Beast stops him and tells the merchant that the penalty for stealing is death. But the beast makes a bargain with the merchant for his youngest daughter to come and live with him in his castle instead.

Bella dutifully joins the beast at his enchanted castle where she is treated like a queen. She becomes friends with the beast, but after some time Bella gets homesick, and the beast gives her permission to go, but on one condition – Bella must return to him in seven days. Bella makes a promise to the beast and goes home, but once home, she forgets the promise. But then she dreams that the beast is dying and rushes back to the castle. Bella finds the beast huddled in the garden.  Fearing his death, she cries out that she loves him, suddenly the beast turns into a handsome prince. The prince reveals that a witch has turned him into a beast and that only true love can transform him. Then Bella and the prince get married and live happily ever after.

Inner beauty is greater than physical beauty

What is the Moral of Beauty and the Beast  

The moral of the story is that inner beauty is greater than physical beauty. Although Bella is scared by the beast at first, she soon forgets his appearance and becomes his friend. She finds that he is a kind and compassionate person. It is his inner beauty that makes Bella fall in love with him. Therefore, this story conveys the moral that you should not judge a person by his appearance and that real beauty comes from within.

Image Courtesy:

“Beauty and the Beast” by Walter Crane – Beauty and the Beast. London: George Routledge and Sons, 1874., (Public Domain) via Wikimedia 

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