Do you want to know the meaning of the Rose in this iconic Disney film? Are you interested in learning more about this story? Do you want to find out where to get such a flower?
You are in the right place.
Beautiful stories make us all dream… and as a florist, the tale of Beauty and the Beast, with its legendary rose, resonates with me especially! Today, I’m excited to share my professional insights on the language of flowers and everlasting roses, so you can better understand the significance of the immortal flower in this film.
In Beauty and the Beast, the withering rose symbolizes the Beast’s hope of someday finding a woman he can love, who will love him back, thereby freeing him from the curse that affects his appearance. When the rose appears fresh, it represents passionate love. However, its progression throughout the story also provides a moral about the fleeting beauty of life and its fragility. This metaphor encourages us to cherish every moment with our loved ones. Therefore, giving an eternally blooming rose as a reference to this tale is a romantic gift that carries a message of hope and happiness.
Want to learn more? Keep reading to discover:
- The history and significance of the rose in Beauty and the Beast
- The true symbolism of this flower, deeper than we might think
- What it means to give such a rose as a gift
- How to get a rose that never wilts
What is the story of the Rose in the movie?
Often rewritten and adapted, Beauty and the Beast is originally a tale that traces its roots back to the ancient work of Ovid, titled Metamorphoses, published in the 2nd century AD. The most famous adaptation of this story is the Disney animated film, released in 1991.
This animated film is notably inspired by the tale by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, published in 1757, which already told a similar story at that time.
Another movie was released in 2017, featuring Emma Watson as Belle, which brought this story back into the spotlight.
What is the story of Beauty and the Beast about?
This is the love story between Belle, a smart and beautiful young woman, and the Beast, a prince transformed into a monster by a witch, who lives in isolation in his castle.
The Beast’s situation is even more dramatic because his curse is tied to the fact that he will remain a monster forever if he does not find true love before the last petal of a magical rose falls.
The story takes place in France. Belle’s father gets lost in the forest near the castle and ends up imprisoned there. When Belle sees the horse return home without her father, she decides to go rescue him.
It is here that she will meet the Beast and the castle staff, who have been turned into furniture by the same curse that afflicts the prince. Their relationship, initially strained, will gradually improve until they fall in love, breaking the curse and restoring the rose to its original beauty.
A True Story?
The character of the Beast may be inspired by Pedro Gonzales, a man who lived in the 16th century and suffered from a condition that caused him to be extremely hairy all over his body.
He reportedly married a French woman and was placed under the protection of King Henry II of France after his story became known to him.
What Does the Rose Represent in Beauty and the Beast?
Like most fairy tales, Beauty and the Beast carries a strong symbolic meaning. It aims to highlight, through a simple story that everyone can understand, the feelings and emotions that define the lives of men and women.
One of these symbols, if not the most important, is the red rose under a glass dome, which gradually wilts as the hopes of finding the Beast’s love fade away.
What does it mean?
As I discussed in detail in a dedicated article, the red rose symbolizes true love, both tender and passionate, that unites two lovers. However, in this story, that is not what it means.
Indeed, the image of the wilting rose resonates with other floral representations in art, particularly within what are known as vanitas paintings.
The Vanitas is a genre of painting that gained significant popularity in Northern Europe between the 16th and 18th centuries. If you have ever visited a museum or taken art history classes, you have likely come across this type of artwork. These paintings typically feature a wide array of intricately detailed objects, each symbolizing the fleeting nature of existence and the futility of material pleasures. In Latin, the term vanitas actually means “emptiness.”
In Beauty and the Beast, the Rose symbolizes the delicate nature of existence. The moral is that we should cherish the life and love we give and receive every day, rather than holding on to impossible hopes.
Self-Portrait with Symbols of Vanity, David Bailly, 1651
Why Give This Flower?
Giving a rose inspired by Beauty and the Beast is a beautiful expression of love. The red rose symbolizes the mutual love shared between partners, while the glass bell jar serves to protect this precious sentiment.
Furthermore, if you want to draw inspiration, like Disney did, from vanitas, you can also view this gift as a symbol that life is fleeting and precious, and that we should cherish every moment. It makes for a wonderful gift to give:
- During a special event in your relationship (engagement, wedding, anniversary), as a way to show your love for your partner, to let them know that every day spent together makes you happy and alive
- For no particular reason, to surprise your partner and express the depth of your feelings
👉 If you give a floral gift to someone you love, don’t hesitate to share what it symbolizes. Not everyone is familiar with the language of flowers. However, I’m sure he or she will appreciate your heartfelt message of love!
How to Get Such a Rose?
Are you looking for a rose similar to the one from Beauty and the Beast to give as a beautiful gift, but you don’t want to give an artificial flower? I totally understand. Since it is a symbolic and romantic gift, the natural appearance of the flower is crucial to express your feelings. That’s why I suggest you explore eternal roses under a glass dome, which perfectly resemble the rose from the movie.
What is an Eternal Rose?
In recent years, preserved roses have become very trendy. They are called preserved because they do not wilt and retain their vibrant colors without any maintenance for years. So how do they differ from artificial flowers?
Preserved flowers are actual natural plants, harvested fresh and treated by replacing their sap with a natural preservative, glycerin. This product is safe for humans and is commonly found in cosmetics.
Where to Find a True Forever Rose Under Glass?
There are certainly some DIY methods to create everlasting roses, but those will not last for years. To truly make a long-lasting eternal rose, a process is required that replaces the sap with glycerin using a laboratory machine that creates a vacuum.
If you’re looking to buy an exceptional rose for yourself or as a gift, such as the one from Beauty and the Beast, I encourage you to explore our products on our specialized online store dedicated to selling these items. You will find models similar to the rose under glass from the movie, as well as other unique and romantic gift ideas, such as rose bears.
If you have any questions about our everlasting roses, feel free to reach out to our dedicated customer service team, who will be happy to assist you.
Thanks to this article, you now know all the secrets of the famous rose from Beauty and the Beast… If you have any other questions about the mythical flowers from movies and cartoons, feel free to leave them in the comments! I’d be happy to answer them. 😄