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I'm just fooling myself. She'll never see me as anything... but a monster. [petal drops from rose] It's hopeless.
„
~ The Beast despairing over his situation.
“
[scoffs] I don't need a rose. Go away, you wretched old hag!
„
~ Prince Adam dismissing the Enchantress.
Prince Adam, better known as the The Beast, is one of the two titular main protagonists (alongside Belle) of Disney's Beauty and the Beast franchise (which is based on the 1756 French fairytale of the same name by the late Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont).
In the story, he was once a selfish prince who was known for ruling his kingdom with an iron fist until he was cursed by an enchantress for his behavior, serving as a villainous protagonist until he learned the error of his ways before his heartfelt redemption. He also appeared in works such as House of Mouse, Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse and Mickey's House of Villains as a hero, the Kingdom Hearts franchise as an on and off protagonist/antagonist and in Mickey Mouse (2016) as a minor antagonist.
In all of his animated and video game appearances, he was voiced by Robby Benson. In the live action film, he was voiced/portrayed by Dan Stevens, who also played David Haller in Legion, Sir Lancelot in Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb and David Collins in The Guest. In the 30th anniversary special in live performances, he was portrayed by singer Josh Groban.
In his human form, Prince Adam appeared as a handsome young man with blue eyes and shoulder-length light auburn hair. As a beast, Adam was a chimeric mix of several animals; he had the head structure and horns of a buffalo, the arms and body of a bear, the ears of a cow, the eyebrows of a gorilla, the crest of a hyena, the jaws and mane of a lion, the tusks of a wild boar, and the legs and tail of a wolf. His only human trait left was his blue eyes, signifying that he was still human inside.
When he was first introduced, the Beast only wore black pants and a purple cape, but after saving Belle from the wolves, he began wearing more clothing, showing that he was regaining more of his humanity.
Personality[]
When the Beast first appeared, he appeared to be very irrational, short-tempered, stubborn and hostile, even to his own servants. He also found himself in conflict with his hideous exterior, making him an insecure person in nature as he felt ashamed of his actions against the Enchantress and that no one would love him for who he is on the inside, even despising his abusive father for raising him to become an arrogant ruler.
Despite his hostile nature, the Beast appears to have a kind and imaginative side, as he was willing to care for others, especially for Belle and the servants. He is also capable of remorse, as he felt guilty in scaring Belle out of the West Wing and letting her father Maurice go without letting her say goodbye to him. He is also empathetic, as he sympathized with Belle over her treatment as a village outcast and the loss of her mother (who died succumbing to a plague), similar to how his own mother died succumbing to an illness. He is also shown to be courageous, as he brutally fought against a pack of wolves to rescue Belle, even stopping Maestro Forte from crumbling the castle down with his music by destroying his keyboard and defeating Gaston LeGume in combat following Belle's return.
After rescuing Belle from the wolves, he changes himself for the better, becoming a more civilized and calm person in nature. He even let Belle go free so that she can save Maurice from freezing to death, even though he feared he may never see her again and remain a beast forever. Once the curse is finally broken following Gaston's death, the Beast (turned back into the handsome Prince he was) retains his peaceful nature, even reuniting with several of his servants (who too have turned back to normal) with a hug.
Powers and Abilities[]
Being transformed into his namesake, the Beast was known to have special abilities:
Superhuman Strength: Being capable of superhuman strength, the Beast is able to pick up and carry full-grown men like Maurice and Gaston, even more capable of fighting against a wolf pack in spite of being outnumbered. He is also capable of ramming down or lifting up hard objects with ease, as he managed to destroy the dungeon door and Forte's keyboard to stop Forte from destroying the castle.
Enhanced Speed and Agility: The Beast is able to move faster than ordinary humans as he is capable of climbing and jumping from greater distances. This was shown when he jumped from one floor to the next while confronting Belle for her refusal to come over to dinner and the time when he was able to climb to the balcony following his fight against Gaston.
Enhanced Durability: The Beast is shown to be durable as he is able to withstand attacks such as the wolf attacks, Forte's magic and Gaston's arrows, despite feeling great pain at these times.
Enhanced Healing: The Beast is able to heal faster from minor to moderate injuries as he was able to recuperate from his fight with the wolves within a few days and withstand Forte's magical energy. However, he succumbed to his fatal injuries inflicted by Gaston before the latter died, though the Beast would later be revived after the spell was broken thanks to Belle expressing her love for him.
Enhanced Senses: Due to his senses being enhanced, the Beast was capable of tracking down Belle in the woods when she was in danger by scent and listening in on conversations from several feet away from other people.
Claws and Fangs: The Beast possessed razor-sharp claws and fangs that enabled him to either rip, smash or bite through soft objects (such as thick rugs, curtains, portraits and books).
Stealth: The Beast was shown to be adept at stealth as he was capable of keeping himself hidden without anyone spotting him. This was shown when he witnessed both Belle and Maurice entering his castle without catching their attention, even at the time when he spotted Belle going into the West Wing against his orders, as well as surprising the wolves when coming to rescue Belle, and posing as a gargoyle in order to successfully sneak on Gaston.
Quotes[]
“
There's a stranger here.
„
~ The Beast sensing Maurice's presence.
“
Beast: Who are you!? What are you doing here!? Maurice: I- I- I was lost in the woods and- Beast: You are not WELCOME here! Maurice: I- I’m- I’m sorry! Beast: What are you staring at!? Maurice: Noth-noth-nothing! Beast: So, you’ve come to stare at the BEAST, have you!? Maurice: Please, I meant no harm! I just needed a place to stay! Beast: I’ll give you a place to stay! Maurice: Oh! Please! No, no!
„
~ The Beast capturing Maurice after finding him in his castle.
“
What are you doing here?!
„
~ The Beast to Belle after finding her in his castle.
“
Belle: Who’s there? Who are you? Beast: The master of this castle. Belle: I’ve come for my father. Please let him out! Can’t you see he’s sick? Beast: Then he shouldn’t have trespassed here! Belle: But he could die. Please, I’ll do anything! Beast: There’s nothing you can do. He’s my prisoner. Belle: Oh, there must be some way I can… wait! (Beast turns around to hear Belle's proposal) …Take me instead. Beast: You!? You would… take his place? Maurice: Belle, no! You don’t know what you’re doing! Belle: If I did, would you let him go? Beast: Yes, but… you must promise to stay here forever. Belle: …Come into the light. (Beast drags his legs, then his whole body into the beam of light. Belle looks, her eyes growing wider until she can stand no more and falls back to Maurice) Maurice: No, Belle. I won’t let you do this! (Belle regains her composure, then steps into the beam of light in front of Beast) Belle: …You have my word. Beast: Done!
„
~ The Beast first meeting Belle and agreeing to release her father in exchange for her own freedom.
“
Maurice: No, please spare my daughter! Please! Beast: She’s no longer your concern! (throws Maurice into the Palanquin.) Take him to the village.
„
~ The Beast sending Maurice home.
“
I let her go because... I love her.
„
~ The Beast explained why he allowed Belle to help her father.
“
At least I got to see you... one last time...
„
~ The Beast after his redemption.
Evermore Lyrics[]
I was the one who had it all I was the master of my fate I never needed anybody in my life I learned the truth too late I'll never shake away the pain I close my eyes but she's still there I let her steal into my melancholy heart It's more than I can bear
Now I know she'll never leave me Even as she runs away She will still torment me Calm me, hurt me Move me, come what may Wasting in my lonely tower Waiting by an open door I'll fool myself, she'll walk right in And be with me for evermore
I rage against the trials of love I curse the fading of the light Though she's already flown so far beyond my reach She's never out of sight
Now I know she'll never leave me Even as she fades from view She will still inspire me Be a part of everything I do Wasting in my lonely tower Waiting by an open door I'll fool myself, she'll walk right in And as the long, long nights begin I'll think of all that might have been Waiting here for evermore
Trivia[]
Despite being a beloved protagonist, the story is very clear that Beast was the original "villain" of the first half of the tale, with Gaston later taking on that role after Beast's original cruelty, insecurity and desperation to lift the curse gave way to genuine love for Belle and an ability to finally allow her feelings to come before his own. Prior to this change, the Beast was on the path of becoming a monster both inside and out (while Gaston would later prove to be far more monstrous).
As a matter of fact, the Beast served as a literal foil to Gaston as they both are egotistical men who wanted Belle for selfish reasons (although the Beast was more reasonable since he needed Belle to help him break the curse on him and his servants, while Gaston only wanted her as his trophy wife). However, the Beast proved himself to be capable of change, compassion and courage as he is willing to ensure Belle's happiness and safety (such as saving her from a wolf pack, giving her a library and letting her go to help her father), which allowed him to earn her love to break his curse. Gaston, on the other hand, refuses to change his ways out of his own arrogance and prefers to use dirty tricks to get what he wants, making him worse than the Beast. In fact, Gaston can be seen as representing the sort of person that the Beast would've almost ended up becoming if he had never met the Enchantress and Belle.
In the original tale, the Beast was portrayed with a more compassionate personality, but the filmmakers decided to add in some gruff behavior in order to provide a foil to Gaston (who would seem charming at first, but is actually rotten as the story goes on due to his egotism).
In a deleted scene, it's implied that Beast hunted and ate like a predator after his transformation, as evident by the fact that there's a skeleton of a dead animal seen in the west wing.
The Beast made a cameo as one of the Sultan's toys in Aladdin, which was released a year after Beauty and the Beast.
Laurence Fishburne, Val Kilmer, Mandy Patinkin, and Regis Philbin were all considered for the role of Beast during production of the original film, though the role was finally given to Robby Benson.
A possible reason that the Beast imprisoned Maurice was because he did not want to make the same mistake with the Enchantress by throwing him out of the castle into the rain to die, but at the same time, he feared that he was an enemy of sorts and did not trust him to walk freely around his servants.
Another reason would be that he feared that his animalistic rage would cause him to hurt or even kill Maurice, so he sent him into the dungeon to keep him safe from himself, similar to why he imprisoned his servants in Kingdom Hearts 2.