He considers Bluebeard's anger to be just since his wife betrays him, but the extreme nature of his anger is where Bluebeard's fault is found. This translation from Andrew Lang's The Blue Fairy Book reflects the Victorian attitude towards infidelity and the resulting anger. Return to place in story. In the past, mirrors were expensive and a luxury reserved for the wealthy. Return to place in story.
Curiosity is a common theme in fairy tales and literature.
Some critics consider the central theme of this story to be a caution against female curiosity. Finally, the classic story of Cupid and Psyche, with which many fairy tales share story elements and themes, contains a cautionary theme against curiosity, too. Your can read more about Cupid and Psyche on the Other Fairy Tales Similar to Bluebeard page. Return to place in story. In The Bloody Chamber, Angela Carter describes the different ways in which each wife was killed by torture.