My entire life, Belle has always been my absolute 가장 좋아하는 princess. When I was just a toddler I dressed up like her for 할로윈 and when I got married, I even tried to find a dress that resembled her yellow 겉옷, 가운 (in white, of course).

In so many ways, Belle reminds me of myself. As someone who relates so closely to and identifies with Belle, I wanted to share my well-detailed analysis of her character. I believe we all know our 가장 좋아하는 characters the best so I would encourage others to write an 기사 about their 가장 좋아하는 princess. I hope that this will help others understand Belle a little bit better. (Much like other users here have helped me to understand Merida better, for example.)

1. Belle has experienced hardship. In the beginning of her opening "Belle" song, she says "Every morning just the same, since the morning that we came to this poor provincial town." Her father is an inventor so most likely, he was using a lot of his funds towards his inventions as most inventors did in their lives.

2. Belle is most likely one of the very few people, if not the only person, who reads in her town. This is shown when she talks to the baker who asks where she is off to. When Belle responds, "The book shop. I just finished the most wonderful story about a beanstalk and an ogre and.." he cuts her off with "That's nice." and stops paying attention to her, almost as if bringing up 책 was kryptonite. Add in the later line "And her nose stuck in a book" as though it were not normal behavior and we see this is one of the things that makes her different. Then, Belle gets to the book 샵 which is very small and looks to have really only 1 large 벽 of 책 and 2 half walls of books. (No wonder Belle read everything in there!) In addition, she seems to have a closer relationship with the owner of the book store (or librarian) than any of the other townspeople. When he points out that she's read a certain book twice already, either he has a great memory 또는 he doesn't get many other customers.



3. Belle is a quick reader. "Good morning, I've come to return the book I borrowed." "Finished already" "Oh, I couldn't put it down! Have 당신 got anything new?" "Ha. Not since yesterday."

4. Belle finds solace in books. This one's obvious to all but I added it anyway. This is why she'll read the same 책 over. "That's all right. I'll borrow this one." "That one? But you've read it twice." "Well it's my favorite. Far off places, daring swordfights, magic spells, a prince in disguise." "If 당신 like it all that much, it's yours." "But sir!" "I insist." "Well thank you. Thank 당신 very much!"
Clearly she has a lot of time in this town she lives in where there is not much going on other than plain surviving. She doesn't want to live this way and I don't blame her.

5. Belle is adventurous and not indoorsy. I think that because Belle is so associated with books, that she often gets misunderstood as being an indoor-person when she's actually not. We know she is an outdoor person because when she does read, she chooses to read outside instead of inside. Also later in her reprise, she says the iconic line "I want much 더 많이 than this provincial life. I want adventure in the great wide somewhere. I want it 더 많이 than I can tell." Someone who is indoorsy does not want adventure in the great wide 더 많이 than anything else. Note that this line is delivered as she is literally running out into the outdoors, into the field and past the trees onto the 상단, 맨 위로 of the 언덕, 힐 where she looks out at the river and hills. This entire reprise is sung outdoors (as is most of the first part near the beginning of the film).



6. Belle does not have a short temper and is actually very patient and polite. I think this is forgotten because of the way she interacts with the Beast but that is a specific case that is not representative of her demeanor in general. Whenever she is with Gaston, she is very self-controlled. He snatches her book out of his hand and she merely asks "Gaston, may I have my book, please?" in a very polite manner. When he asks "How can 당신 read this? There's no pictures." She doesn't get rude and insult him, she just says "Well some people use their imagination." Even when he throws her 가장 좋아하는 book into the mud, she does not yell 또는 react to him. Gaston then completely degrades her 의해 saying "It's not right for a woman to read. Soon she starts getting ideas and thinking." In the nicest way that she can, Belle responds "Gaston, 당신 are positively primeval." That's a pretty decent response to someone who just said 당신 shouldn't be allowed to think. Later when Gaston tries to push himself onto her, she rejects him in the absolute most polite way she possibly can. "I just don't deserve you."



7. Belle is far from superficial. She is not impressed 의해 Gaston's positive superficial aspects because she is too turned off 의해 his genuinely negative aspects. If Belle married Gaston, she would have to give up everything that makes her who she is (reading, giving opinions, wanting to travel, etc.) and marry someone who is a dimwit but the most beloved man in town. Belle didn't care about popularity 또는 image, she cared about substance. "Can 당신 imagine? He asked me to marry him. Me, the wife of that boorish, brainless..."

8. Belle is optimistic and supportive. When she hears an explosion from her 집 and runs in, she finds her father distressed with his work. He says "I'm... I'm about ready to give up on this 큰 덩어리, 한 조각 of junk." To which she chuckles and responds "You always say that." but he persists "I mean it this time! I'll never get this boneheaded contraption to work!" Belle reassures him 의해 saying "Yes 당신 will. And you'll win first prize at the fair tomorrow. And become a world famous inventor." When he asks "You really believe that?" She answers, "I always have." This immediately gives her father the energy and encouragement he needed to get back to it. Also her saying "you always say that" and "I always have" shows that she has been most likely encouraging him for a long time. This is all despite the fact that they have had to downgrade in their living since he's been inventing.



9. Belle is a romantic deep down. She asks her father if he thinks she is odd and tells him she doesn't fit in. She says "There's no one I can really talk to." and her father asks "What about Gaston? He's a handsome fella." (Because he understood she meant love.) Belle doesn't say "I'm not looking for a relationship 또는 love." She says "He's handsome, all right, and rude and conceited and... Papa he's not for me." This shows that she is open to 사랑 and she does want someone to 사랑 and talk to but she hasn't met the right man yet and doesn't want to settle. Also, I think some people misunderstand her line about "little wife" in the reprise as meaning that she doesn't want to be a wife at all. This is not true, her "little wife" line is a rebuttal from Gaston's proposal earlier when he says to her "Do 당신 know who that little wife will be?" He meant it as a derogative, which is why she rejected his "little wife" phrase. She's okay with being a wife, not "the little wife" of someone like Gaston.



10. Belle knows her self-worth, hence not wanting to settle with Gaston. She is a smart young woman and Gaston is definitely not a smart man. Later in the film Gaston says "LeFou, I'm afraid I've been thinking." and LeFou responds to his face "A dangerous pastime" to which Gaston merely responds with an affirming nod, "I know." This shows that even he and his friend admit he's not a bright guy (to each other). This also brings us back to why Gaston didn't want Belle to be reading, he was already intimidated 의해 her as it was. Also later when Gaston offers to not send Belle's father away as long as she marries him, she responds "Never!". She would rather be a slave to the Beast to save her father's life then the slave of the brainless town jerk to save her father from an asylum.

11. Belle is 메리다와 마법의 숲 and loyal and even slightly impulsive. When her family horse, Philippe, returns without her father, Belle does not hesitate to go after him and find him. "We have to find him. 당신 have to take me to him." is what she tells the horse immediately. This is a bit impulsive but he is her only family and she's not a majorly impulsive person. I think the fear and adrenaline got to her because she was so frightened for her father. She ventured into the woods alone just to find him. Although she could have gone to the townspeople, we see later that the townspeople don't really care about 또는 respect Maurice enough to help Belle so most likely, she knew she was on her own anyway. Also later when she knows Gaston went to kill the Beast, she hurries to warn and save him. She even saves him from falling off of the cliff after Gaston stabs him.



12. Belle values family above all. When Belle does find her father, he tells her to leave but she says "I won't leave you." This is because she cannot just leave him locked in a prison. Although this was disobeying him, it wasn't for disobedience sake 또는 from a purely self-centered place. This came from a place of concern and 사랑 for her father. Also, later in the film after she has started to fall in 사랑 with the Beast, she still cannot get her father off her mind. She is so worried about her father dying in the cold that she leaves to rescue him, giving up on this relationship that had been developing.



13. Belle says what she means and means what she says. Knowing her father could die in the cell, she begs to the Beast "Please, I'll do anything." Then she offers to take her father's place as prisoner. She made sure that if the Beast took the deal, he would let her father go. This was another impulsive 옮기기 on her part as her father was already old and had lived his life as he said, too late.

14. Belle is a very curious person. Even though the Beast forbids her from going into the West Wing and Lumiere and Cogsworth bribe her with the library, her curiosity wins out. This would be another impulsive 옮기기 on her part, as well as running away when the Beast caught her. She's also clearly a curious (and impulsive) person through her actions of removing the glass case that protected the 마법에 걸린 사랑 rose just before she tries to touch it.



15. Belle is willing to stand up for herself and others when she needs to. After the Beast sent away her father without letting her say goodbye, Belle refuses to have 공식 만찬, 저녁 식사 with him. Also later when she takes care of the Beast after he saves her from the wolves, she stands up to him again. When he says "That hurts!" she responds "If you'd hold still, it wouldn't hurt as much!" He then counters with "If 당신 hadn't run away this wouldn't have happened." to which she stands her ground and responds "Well if 당신 hadn't frightened me then I wouldn't have ran away!" He reminds her "Well 당신 shouldn't have been in the West Wing!" and she responds "Well, 당신 should learn to control your temper!" Whenever anyone calls her father crazy, Belle sticks up for him. Also later when she is talking to Gaston and Gaston tells her that he thinks she has feelings for the "monster", she stands up for him 의해 saying "He's no monster, Gaston. 당신 are!" She also tries to stop him from going after the Beast but he locks her up first.



16. Belle is a very nurturing, warm, kind and grateful person. After the Beast saves her from a pack of wolves, nearly dying in the process, Belle chooses to save the Beast in return instead of leaving him to die. Not only does she return him to the castle, but she also actually takes care of him. When he gets aggressive and lashes at her, she stands her ground. After an exchange, [see #14] Belle changes her tone and says 더 많이 softly to the Beast "Now, hold still. This might sting a little... 의해 the way, thank 당신 for saving my life." and this allows him to let her dress his wounds. It was this gratitude and attitude that helped completely change the dynamic between these two characters. She even defends the Beast to her father later after she rescues him. She tells him that he's different and that "he changed somehow". She also goes on to defend the Beast against Gaston and all of the townspeople. She describes the Beast as "kind and gentle. He's my friend." Gaston immediately recognizes the 사랑 in her voice and eyes even before she does.



17. Belle is a very accommodating, respectful and balanced person; Willing to meet others halfway who deserve it. This is shown when she sees that the Beast is making an effort 의해 trying to use a spoon that he hasn't used in many years. She sees this and then tries to make the Beast comfortable 의해 ditching her spoon and drinking her 수프 instead. She shows him a kindness and makes him a better person 의해 trying to meet him in the middle and help him along his process of becoming 더 많이 civilized. She even teaches him to feed the birds which helps him to be 더 많이 gentle.



18. Belle is the kind of woman that a man would transform for because she brings out the best in him. This is evident throughout her entire relationship with the Beast.