Intro
We are already at the fifth princess in the line up. I know I said the next one would be Jasmine, but I forgot a princess that came out a year earlier than her movie. So today, we are diving into the personality of Belle. We have a lot to dive into here, so let's get started and analyze our favorite bookworm!
Belle's introduction
Belle is introduced very quickly without narration or someone talking about her. We see her come out of the house, and she is the one narrating everything and what the town is like. We instantly see that she is bored with the village, and is looking for something new. During only the introduction song, you already see that she loves to read. She just goes into the bookshop, asking if there is something new, to wFhich the answer is "Not since yesterday." It's obvious she is a bookworm and often reads a book within a day.
Belle is also very friendly and not shy at all. She does talk to other villagers and is polite to Gaston, who she clearly does not like at all and she rather avoids him.
Writer's note: There is a lot you can show in a simple introduction. In only an introduction song, or for book purposes, let's call it a scene or chapter, we see her love for books and her desire for something new. Even the main antagonist is quickly introduced. We know he is arrogant and in love with the main character just because of her beauty. You don't need a whole exposition to introduce the character and show their personality. I would especially not advice to 100% describe the main character's appearance as if they are looking into a mirror. Spreading everything out naturally is a lot better.
Love For Family
Belle is also very family oriented. While the whole town thinks her father is crazy, she thinks he is a genius and loves him more than anyone. We don't know anything about her mother, but I am sure she would have loved her just as much.
She is also very supportive. Maurice is ready to give up on his invention, thinking that it will never work. She however motivates him and tells him that he will win first price at the fair with his adventure. She doesn't let him give up that easily.
When she finds out her father is being held captive, she does not even hesitate one second before telling the beast she will take his place. She sacrifices herself for the one person she loves, knowing that he will probably die if he stays. It also shows her bravery and selflessness.
Writer's note: In books we often see a main character who is an outsider. People think they are weird and they are all alone. Their parents? Completely normal people and have no problems in the world whatsoever. Of course this is fine, but the fact that Belle has a parent who they think is even more crazy adds to the whole situation. When the parents are deemed crazy, often the kids are too. How would a main character deal with the fact that they are outsiders, just because their parents are outsiders? Showing a struggle like that is very interesting too.
Curiosity Killed The Cat
If we have to look into the bad character traits of Belle, I would say her curiosity. Curiosity can be a good trait, but with her, I don't think it is. She is in a huge castle where she can go wherever she wants to. There is just ONE wing she is not allowed to go in to and for the rest of it she can do whatever she wants. What does she do? Go into the one place she was told not to go, because she wants to know what is in there.
Of course, if you think about it, I understand the curiosity. She is in an enchanted castle after all... But still, when someone tells you you're not supposed to go there, then you should not go there.
She can also be very stubborn. The staff tells her not to go there and tries to lead her away. She doesn't even listen to them. Even a library cannot stop her from going to the west wing.
Writer's note: Of course, there is no story with some curiosity, and story wise, this is completely fine to do. But that doesn't make it a good character trait in this case either. Sometimes the bad character traits of a character need to be used to move the story along.
Impulsive Decision Making
Belle can be a little bit impulsive, which I kind of count as both good and bad. She made the impulsive decision to take her father's place, instead of trying other options to let the Beast release him. Though it was a brave and selfless thing to do, it was also impulsive.
When she goes to the West Wing and the beast yells at her, she instantly decides it's time to run away and break her promise of staying forever. She is attacked by wolves, saved by the beast and then she decides to stay after all. This makes her all a bit impulsive switching from staying, to leaving, back to staying very quickly just because of one single event.
Bookworm Does Not Equal Nerd
What I often see in modern AU fanfiction, especially the 'Disney High' fanfiction, is that Belle is always put as the smart, nerdy bookworm. Now I am not saying she is not smart at all... But being a bookworm does not make her smart. She likes to read fiction. She just loves to read fairy tales and adventure or fantasy. Nowhere in the movie does she actually read something educational. So if you are wondering why I didn't put 'intelligent' or 'smart' as a trait, this is why. She's not stupid, but she is also not exceptionally smart.
Conclusion
And that concludes our fifth disney princess analysis. Let's summarize Belle's character real quick!
Good Traits: Adventurous, Polite, Selfless
Neutral Traits: Bookworm, Family Oriented
Bad traits: Curios, Stubborn, Impulsive
Do you agree with these picks? What would you have assigned to her after watching the original animated movie? Let me know in the comments. The next princess will be Jasmine. Yes this time for real! See you all next time!
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