Some might argue that fairytales are not the best blueprint when it comes to romance. That’s not to say that love isn’t present or true in these stories, but that some of the patterns the characters follow might be considered at best outdated, and at worst unhealthy. But that’s not strictly true. As you’ll see, these tales can teach us a great deal about matters of the heart, and by applying the narratives to our own situations, we can break painful patterns and find a way forward.
Some day my prince will come
A common theme in fairytales is the helpless princess waiting for her prince to come along and save her. Without him, she cannot move forward; she is incomplete. She finds herself in peril, either by falling under a curse like Sleeping Beauty, or being poisoned like Snow White. The only way she can remedy the situation is for her prince. She has to prove her worth to the prince by spending a night of agony sleeping on the pea. It is only once she’s proved herself that the prince deigns to marry her and make her dreams come true.
