Cocteau is the ruler of the Isle of the Beast, and is a noble and fair man.
Background[]
Nearly one hundred years before, he was (in his words) a 'pretty prince' caring for nothing but adventuring and rescuing fair maidens. Alas, he rankled one too many evil hags. One night he was transformed through magic, the work of the hag's terrible cruelty and cunning, into a ferocious beast; an obscene parody of his original form, and he found himself trapped on an enchanted isle, the former Isle of the Forest.[1]
She created a castle for him to live in, and set up three magical barriers to prevent him from leaving the island. In time his prison became his sanctuary, keeping people out as much as it kept him from leaving the island. The sorceress left him only one way out, as her final bitter joke, the spell could only be broken by the true love of a maiden, who would have to share his castle, and his life willingly.
Alexander finds Cocteau (a.k.a. Beast) a love named Beauty. Cocteau was returned to his human form, pleasing of face and gentle of demeanor. The two live in a great chateau, spending near all their time together, a reaction perhaps to their prior situation of pain and shame and loneliness.[2][3]
Titles and nicknames[]
- Prince Cocteau the Thrice Blessed
- Prince Cocteau
- The Beast
- Beast Prince
Personality and traits[]
He is a strong, slender man of middle years[4] (in his human form), while the curse made him long-lived without aging. Presumably he'll age normally now that the curse is gone.
It’s not known what three blessings lead to his title “the Thriced Blessed”. If anything he had been horribly cursed, and hidden behind three barriers.
Behind the scenes[]
The prince is not given a name in KQ6, the name Prince Cocteau is established in the King's Quest Companion.
Prince Cocteau did not originate from the Land of the Green Isles, but was magically transported to the enchanted isle by the evil hag. The island used to be the hunting grounds for the Crown, and was empty and uninhabited except for the animals that were hunted there.
The name Cocteau is a nod to Jean Cocteau who directed the 1946 version of Beauty and the Beast.
There is slightly different timings on when the beast appeared, Cocteau claims it was 'over a hundred years ago', other sources suggest it was 'nearly 100 years ago', still others claim it was one hundred years ago.