It should be noted that the story is a dramatic irony as the audience knew that the beast is a prince but but Belle wasn't aware.
A dramatic irony simply means a plot that's used to highlight the difference between the understanding of a given situation and that of the audience.
In the story, audience knew that the beast is a prince but but Belle wasn't aware. This was vital for the plot in the story.
Learn more about irony on:
https://brainly.com/question/11821145