Even Men with Blue Beards Have Feelings...

Almost all of the classic Bluebeard stories that we have read, with the notable exceptions of stories by Anatole France and William Thackeray, have focused on the actions of Bluebeard and their result: Bluebeard has 7 wives, the first six are killed and the seventh discovers him and leads to his death. However, two versions have similarities despite their vast difference in time period and media; "Bluebeard's Egg", by Margaret Atwood, is a modern written rendition of the fairy tale, and "Bluebeard's Castle" the opera written by Bela Bartok in 1911. These two interpretations of the life of Bluebeard focus on an almost entirely internal conflict; they seek to see within the soul of Bluebeard to make his inner sanctum the forbidden door.

In "Bluebeard's Egg", the story is told through the perspective of Ed Bear's (the Bluebeard character) wife. She seeks to understand her husband more fully, and although she believes that he is very simple, in the end her metaphor of an egg alludes to the fact that there may be much more under the surface of Ed Bear. At the end of the story, she is left lying in bed contemplating the egg, which can be seen as a symbol of Ed's mind and soul. The egg is "pulsing", "glowing softly", and "alive", and Sally's final thoughts are about what could possibly be further inside this egg.

In the opera "Bluebeard's Castle", Bluebeard's newest wife meets her downfall by exploring too far inside the metaphorical egg. This opera is set in a series of rooms in the castle, each representing another part of Bluebeard's soul. Although after 5 rooms (of the total 7), Bluebeard feels as though he is completely understood, Judith longs for more. Sally, from "Bluebeard's Egg", is at this point in her understanding of Ed: she is contemplating what lies further inside the egg, but hasn't yet ventured that far. Judith makes the mistake of going into Bluebeard's unwanted memories and destroying their relationship.

I find these two stories most interesting because they delve into the psychological aspect of the story simply by taking it from another point of view and another tactic of understanding. These tales provide the most opportunity for in depth analysis because they are, themselves, analysis of previous Bluebeard fairy tales.