《美女與野獸》的原型故事,原來很暗黑

A live-action film based on the fairy tale “Beauty and the Beast” is hitting theaters this week.

本週根據童話故事《美女與野獸》改編的真人電影正在熱映中。

Today, Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” is most familiar to the masses in its animated form; however, the original can seem comparatively brutal and dark.

如今，大衆最熟悉的就是迪斯尼動畫版的《美女與野獸》，然而，故事原型似乎相當殘酷且黑暗。

Though Disney’s Belle is an only child, in the classic tale she has siblings. Unsurprisingly, her sisters serve the role of foils for Beauty. She’s gorgeous, they’re merely average-looking; she’s generous, they’re selfish and envious; she’s hardworking, they’re lazy; she’s well-read, they’re frivolous.

雖然迪斯尼版的貝爾是獨生女，但在傳統故事中，她是有兄弟姐妹的。毋庸置疑的是，她的姐妹們擔當着貝爾的陪襯。她美麗動人，她們只是相貌平平；她寬宏大量，她們自私又善妒；她勤勞，她們懶惰；她博覽羣書，她們不務正業。

One day, Beauty’s father is caught in a storm. Then, he takes refuge in a mysterious castle where he meets no one, but finds food, a fire, and a bed prepared for him. When he leaves, he takes a single rose from the garden to bring Beauty ― which brings the Beast’s wrath down upon him. In exchange for his life being spared, he agrees to return with one of his daughters. Beauty agrees to go, though she’s fearful that the monster will eat her.

一天，貝爾的父親遇上了暴風雨。然後他就躲進了一個神祕的城堡裏。在那兒，他一個人也沒碰到，但他卻發現了爲他準備好的食物、火爐和牀鋪。當他離開的時候，他從花園裏摘了一朵玫瑰打算帶給貝爾，然而這卻激怒了野獸。爲了讓野獸饒自己一命，他同意帶回一個女兒。貝爾同意前去，雖然她也害怕怪物會吃掉自己。

Instead, she’s given a lavish chamber and plied with good food and entertainments. She never sees anyone ― except in the evening, when the Beast joins her for dinner. She enjoys his sensible conversation, but every night he asks her to marry him, and she refuses. Finally, after several months, she admits that while she’s quite attached to him, she misses her family. The Beast allows her to return home for a visit, but warns that if she delays her return, he will die of grief.

然而，她卻被給予了一個奢華的房間，裏面堆放着美食和娛樂設施。她從未見過任何人，除了晚上的時候，野獸會和她一起吃晚飯。她喜歡他明智的言談，但是每天晚上野獸都會要求她嫁給他，而貝爾拒絕了。最終，幾個月之後，她承認，雖然自己很喜歡他，但她想念自己的家人。野獸允許她回家看看，但警告她，如果她回來晚了，他會悲傷而死。

This is where the sisters get extra vicious! Jealous of the finery Beauty wears upon her return, they overwhelm her with affection so that she will miss her deadline, assuming that the Beast will kill her and eat her in his anger. Instead, Beauty does return late and finds the Beast dying of sadness. Seeing him on his deathbed, she realizes that she loves him and begs him to live and marry her. Immediately, he is restored to his handsome, princely self ― and Beauty is rewarded for choosing a virtuous husband over a handsome or witty one. Her sisters are condemned to be living statues outside the castle, forever viewing her better fortune.

這就是她的姐妹們特別惡毒的地方！貝爾一回去，她們就嫉妒上貝爾華麗的服飾，於是她們就對她十分友愛而使她應接不暇，爲的是讓她錯過最後期限，她們認爲這樣野獸就會憤怒地殺掉她並吃掉她。然而，貝爾確實回去晚了，而且她發現野獸因悲傷而瀕臨死亡。在他彌留之際，她看着他，意識到自己是愛他的，於是她就祈求他活下去，並和她結婚。（她一說完，）他立刻就恢復成英俊高貴的樣子。貝爾因此而得到獎賞，她可以選擇一個或英俊或機智的正直的丈夫。而她的姐妹被迫變成了城堡外的雕像，永遠看着她的美好命運。

Anyway, every version is essentially the same story: A beautiful woman redeems her hideous captor with her love.

不管怎樣，每個版本本質上都是相同的故事：一個美女用她的愛救贖了她那醜陋的俘獲者。