In the Brothers Grimm's 'Beauty and the Beast' story, a merchant has three daughters. Beauty is the kindest. One day, the merchant gets lost in the forest and finds a castle. He picks a rose for Beauty from the garden and is confronted by the Beast. The Beast spares his life in exchange for one of his daughters. Beauty selflessly goes to the castle. At first, she is afraid of the Beast but soon realizes he has a gentle heart. Over time, she grows to care for him. Eventually, through her love, the Beast is transformed back into a handsome prince.
In the story, initially, the merchant is in the forest and enters the Beast's castle. He is caught taking a rose. Then Beauty goes to the castle. At first, she is scared of the Beast. But as time goes on, she sees his good qualities like his generosity towards her. They share meals and conversations. Their relationship grows deeper. And at the end, Beauty's love is so strong that it breaks the spell on the Beast, turning him into a prince. It's a story full of transformation, both in terms of the characters and the overall mood from fear to love.
The Brothers Grimm's 'Sleeping Beauty' real story is rather grim. It features a more complex and somewhat disturbing narrative. The sleeping curse on the princess is broken in an unexpected way. There are moral lessons in it as well, perhaps about the consequences of actions and the nature of true love that's different from the typical fairy - tale idea of love at first sight. It shows that the original fairy tales were not always as innocent as they are made out to be today.
The real story of 'Sleeping Beauty' by the Brothers Grimm is a dark and complex tale. It involves themes of enchantment, deep sleep, and a prince's rescue, but with underlying elements of fate and magic.
Well, the Grimm version has some dark elements. The princess is put into this deep sleep due to the curse. There's a lot of magic involved. The fairies play a big role. One is the bad fairy who sets the curse in motion, and the others try to mitigate it. The prince's arrival is crucial as it breaks the spell not just for the princess but for the entire kingdom that was under the sleeping spell too.
In the Brothers Grimm's original Sleeping Beauty story, one main element is the long sleep that the princess is put under by a curse. Another is the spindle which causes the curse to be activated when she touches it. And there is also the prince who finally wakes her up with a kiss after a long time has passed.
Well, the original story has a rather dark aspect. The princess is cursed by an evil fairy. The long sleep is a central part, and it's not just a simple sleep. When the prince comes, he kisses her and wakes her up. But there are also elements like the king and queen who are distraught during her sleep. And the castle being surrounded by the thorny barrier is quite a vivid part of the story.
The Brothers Grimm collected the stories by traveling around Germany and listening to people. They were interested in the oral traditions of the common folk. They would visit villages and small towns, and sit with the locals to hear their tales. They were careful to note down not just the stories but also the way they were told, with all the unique expressions and dialects. This way, they managed to compile a large collection of real folk stories that became known as the Brothers Grimm stories.
In the original Grimm Brothers' story, the princess is presented as a rather passive figure. She doesn't really have much agency in the events that lead to her curse. She's just a beautiful young girl, living her life in the castle until the fateful day of her 15th birthday when the curse takes effect. Once she's asleep, she's more of an object waiting to be rescued by the prince.
The princess in the Brothers Grimm's Sleeping Beauty is depicted as innocent. She is unaware of the danger of the spindle until it's too late. She is also beautiful, as is common in such fairy tales.