Lesson 10: Beauty and the Beast

Once upon a time there lived a wealthy merchant and his three daughters.

One day, the father had to go to on a long trip for his job. He asked his daughters what gifts they wanted. The first and the second daughter asked for beautiful dresses. But the third daughter, whose name was Belle, said, “Father, I only want a rose.”

The merchant had to go through a deep forest during his trip. It was dark and the merchant got lost. In the forest, he found a mysterious palace and went inside, but nobody was there. Inside the palace, the merchant found a table with delicious food on it. He was very hungry, so he ate all the food. Then, the merchant found a bedroom with a soft bed in it. He was very tired, so he slept in the bed. The next day the merchant still could not find anyone in the palace. As he was leaving, he saw a beautiful rose bush growing outside. The roses were as beautiful as gems. He remembered that Belle wanted a rose, so he picked a delicate rose from the bush.

Suddenly, a ferocious and ugly beast appeared. “I gave you food and a bed to sleep in! And now, you are stealing my roses!” The Beast was angry and he threw the merchant in his dungeon.

After several days, when her father hadn’t returned home, Belle set out to try and find him. She followed the path he would have taken and came upon the castle. She walked in and after wandering for a while, Belle heard her father calling out. She tried to rescue him, but the Beast found her. Belle bravely bargained with the Beast. He agreed to let her father go home in exchange for Belle staying in the castle.

At first the Beast was very rude to Belle. He ordered her around and confined her to a small part of the castle. However, over time, Belle’s kindness softened the Beast’s heart and he began to be kind in return. He shared his library and his gardens with Belle. They became good friends.

Belle missed her father, so the Beast gave her a magic mirror. He said, “Look at the mirror and you will see your family. Now you won’t feel lonely.” Belle loved the gift.

One day, Belle looked in the mirror and saw that her father was dying. She went to the Beast and cried, “Please let me go home! I want to see my father before he dies!”

Lovingly, the Beast granted her wish. He said, “You may go stay with your father for seven days. But only for seven days. You must return after that.” Belle was very happy and agreed.

She went to see her father, who was happy to see Belle. Belle took care of him, and after eight days, he was healed. Belle realized that it had been more than seven days, so she ran back to the mysterious palace. When she entered, she discovered that the Beast was sick in bed. He was sick because she had broken her promise and stayed with her family for eight days. Belle cried and said, “Please don’t die, Beast! I love you!”

Immediately, the Beast changed into a charming prince. He said, “I was under a magical curse. It could only be broken when someone fell in love with me.” Belle and the Beast were married and they lived happily ever after.

Vocabulary:

 

Wealthy: Rich, to have a lot of money. お金持ち.
Example sentence: He’s a very wealthy man.

Merchant: A person who buys and sells things for their job. 商人、業者.
Example sentence: The merchant traveled all over the world.

Pick: To take something and leave others. 
When you pick flowers or fruit, you take them off a plant. 折る.
Example sentence: She was picked to play for the team.

Ferocious: Very scary or frightening.猛々しい.
Example sentence: The lion was ferocious.

Rude: Not polite or kind. Acting in a way that hurts people’s feelings. 失礼な.
Example sentence: I thought it was rude of him to ignore me. 

Confine: To keep in a small space. 閉じ込める.
Example sentence: Claustrophobia is a fear of being confined in small spaces. 

 

Grammar:

During + noun
The merchant had to go through a deep forest during his trip.
During the day, I was tired.
During class, I accidentally fell asleep.

Also + verb
He also let her walk in his beautiful garden.
She also ate pizza after dinner.
I am also surprised.

Still cannot + verb
The next day the merchant still could not find anyone in the palace.
I have practiced and practiced, but I still cannot do it.
He still cannot cook very well.