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| Sleeping Beauty (1959) (1) Film Poster |
The tale of Sleeping Beauty is one for the ages. A young girl pricks her finger on a spindle and falls asleep for 100 years only to be awakened by true love's kiss - a common theme in many fairy tales. This curse was placed upon Aurora as Maleficent's revenge for not getting invited into her royal christening. Sleeping Beauty (1) is just one of many fairy tales that have been adapted from the medieval world through the portrayal of the royal family and castles and their references to an iconic medieval trope - courtly love.
References of Courtly Love.
First and foremost, this fairy tale takes place in the 14th century - prime medieval times - spanning from the 5th to 14th century. Not only when it takes place, but the setting as well - France, makes this fairy tale medieval. Throughout the fairy tale, there is a reference to courtly love. According to Bell Shakespeare, courtly love was a concept that "followed strict rules, combined with code of chivalry, and allowed knights and ladies to show their admiration for another regardless of their marital state" (Bell Shakespeare). Also going on to detail how during medieval times, this was seen as an act of nobility - especially among royals like knights or princes, which explains a lot of the interactions between Aurora and Prince Phillip. When they meet in the forest is another encountering theme in this type of literature, and it is alluded again to when King Stefan is trying to find a worthy man for his daughter in order to awake Aurora from her slumber. Finally, the act of courtly love is displayed when Prince Phillip slays Maleficent when she turns into a dragon - in hopes of saving Aurora.
The Portrayal of the Royal Family and Castles.
Sleeping Beauty (1959) Castle Interior. (2).
Secondly, a medieval aspect within Sleeping Beauty are of course the castles and the royal family. The castle is very Gothic in its architecture, much to the dismay of royal habitats of this time period. The castle shown in the picture has Gothic architecture due to its pillars, spires, and arched top windows called Lancet windows (2). Grand and divine was practically a prerequisite for them. One thing that makes this castle different from the rest of the Disney castles is the different blend of eras - besides Gothic, you can see bits of the Renaissance and Scandinavian periods in the way of design choices with elaborate pops of color. This castle was inspired by the Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany. Neuschwanstein itself was modeled after the medieval times with its towers and grand halls, but it was not built until the 18th century. This portion also highlights the fashion worn by the royal family. For example, in the beginning of the fairy tale, we see people coming to bless the new princess. Grateful to have her after struggles of infertility, there are women that come in wearing a cone shaped hat called a hennin. (3). Also, in medieval times, colors were separated by status, and were extremely important.
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| Different color Hennins' worn in Sleeping Beauty (1959) (3). |
A breakdown of color status in Sleeping Beauty:
- Black - Worn by Maleficent - represents evil
- Royal Blue - worn by Aurora and other royals - represent royalty.
- Pink - also worn by Aurora - represents warmth.
Also, some of the fairies have different colors that symbolize their character and gifts christened to baby Aurora (4).
- Green - worn by Fauna - song.
- Red - worn by Flora - beauty.
- Blue - worn by Merryweather - happiness.
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| Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather (4) in Sleeping Beauty (1959). |
Through my findings, I have discovered the theme of courtly love in many fairy tales - I truly had no idea how many there were. Especially for me, since it has been so long since I looked into a topic like this, it was interesting to do it again with a much older perspective. I found out there is a Sleeping Beauty Ballet, which as a dancer, I found it incredible and would love to see it someday! Also, while looking into the architecture, I discovered that some of the art was based on The Book of Hours - which was a prayer book depicting artworks of Christ, Mother Mary and other biblical figures. As well as the one of the Unicorn tapestries located in the Metropolitan Museum of Art Cloisters, visited by layout artist John Hinges in 1950 - he loved the artwork so much he wanted to emulate it in a future film, which happened to be 1959's Sleeping Beauty we all know and love.
Works Cited
(4) "Art of Films: Waking Up Sleeping Beauty" Wordpress.com. 25 June 2012. https://filmgeekwatching.wordpress.com/2012/06/25/sleepingbeauty/
(3) Ingram, Anna. "How Disney's Sleeping Beauty Was Inspired by Late Medieval Tapestry" Daily Art Magazine. 2 December 2023. https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/sleeping-beauty-medieval-tapestry/
(1) "Courtly love" Bell Shakespeare https://www.bellshakespeare.com.au/courtly-love#:~:text=Courtly%20Love%20followed%20strict%20rules,worn%20during%20a%20medieval%20tournament.
(2) Jo, Sophie. "Once Upon a Dream: The History of Sleeping Beauty Castle" Walt Disney. 19 December 2018. https://www.waltdisney.org/sleeping-beauty-castle
This is very well done! I feel like after reading this I feel "dumb"' that I never really noticed this before. I think this was very interesting to read about and see how you went in depth to the different aspects of Sleeping Beauty.
ReplyDeleteThis blog was very fascinating to read, the more you know! It's so interesting to me how prominent Medieval times were and are. Aspects from this time period are constantly being rewritten into modern adaptations and used as inspiration for books, movie, games, and pop culture.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the color analysis you have in your blog, especially of the there fairy godmothers. I loved this movie as a kid, but I never made that connection. I like the visuals you added to showcase these different colors throughout the film. Greta job!
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