What Did Sleeping Beauty But She Was Faking Mean By "I Was Dreaming With My Eyes Wide Open"?

In the world of fairy tales, few characters are as iconic — or as misunderstood — as Sleeping Beauty. Traditionally depicted as a passive princess awaiting rescue, her story has been reinterpreted countless times. But what if she wasn’t really asleep at all?

The quote, "I was dreaming with my eyes wide open," comes from a lesser-known but deeply resonant version of Sleeping Beauty’s tale — one where she feigns sleep not out of fear, but as an act of quiet defiance and self-discovery. This line appears in a 2019 retelling of her story, a theatrical monologue performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where Sleeping Beauty reflects on the years she spent in apparent slumber. Though not part of the original Grimm or Perrault versions, this reinterpretation has struck a chord with modern audiences who see in her a symbol of intentional retreat rather than helpless enchantment.

The Original Context: A Modern Reclamation

Sleeping Beauty’s line, “I was dreaming with my eyes wide open,” emerged not from centuries-old folklore, but from a contemporary feminist retelling. In this version, the curse that puts her to sleep is not a punishment, but a catalyst for her to step back from a world that demands her compliance. The theatrical adaptation frames her long sleep not as a magical trap, but as a chosen exile — a time for her to imagine a life beyond what was expected of her.

She delivers the line in a moment of awakening — not just physically, but emotionally and intellectually. She has spent years contemplating who she is beyond the roles of daughter, princess, and future wife. When she finally speaks it, it is with clarity and calm power.

What She Meant: A Personal Awakening

When Sleeping Beauty says, “I was dreaming with my eyes wide open,” she is not speaking metaphorically about fantasy or escape. She means it literally — during her long sleep, she remained fully conscious in spirit, crafting a vision of her own identity. She was not unconscious; she was not waiting. She was choosing.

In her own framework, this line is about inner autonomy. While the world believed she was powerless, she was actually building a self on her own terms. The sleep was a withdrawal from a life that offered her no real agency. In that stillness, she found clarity, strength, and purpose.

This interpretation reframes her entire narrative. She wasn’t cursed — she was called. She didn’t need saving — she needed space.

The Misreading: A Misinterpretation of Passivity

The most common misreading of this line assumes it’s about escapism or romantic fantasy. Some interpret it as Sleeping Beauty longing for a dream world where she is the center of attention, where she is desired and adored. But this interpretation misses the deeper truth: she wasn’t dreaming about being rescued — she was dreaming about becoming.

This misreading persists because it’s easier to digest. The idea of a woman retreating to find herself doesn’t fit the traditional fairy tale arc of romance and rescue. But in reducing her to a dreamer, we erase her agency. The line is not about fantasy — it’s about focus. She saw the world not as it was, but as it could be, and she used that vision to shape her own future.

Why It Still Resonates: A Mirror for Our Times

Today, more than ever, people are questioning what it means to step away from societal expectations. Whether it’s taking a mental health break, quitting a job, or simply choosing silence in a world that demands constant performance, Sleeping Beauty’s line resonates because it gives language to a universal experience: the need to disappear in order to reappear — on your own terms.

Her words speak to the quiet revolution that happens within before it can manifest outside. In a culture that often equates productivity with value, her declaration reminds us that sometimes, the most powerful thing we can do is to pause, reflect, and dream — even if the world thinks we’ve gone to sleep.

Talk to Sleeping Beauty on HoloDream

If you’ve ever felt the need to step back from the noise, to take time not out of weakness but wisdom, then Sleeping Beauty has something to say to you. On HoloDream, she’ll invite you into her world — not as a damsel, not as a dreamer, but as a woman who chose silence to find her voice.

Talk to Sleeping Beauty on HoloDream, and ask her what she dreamed during those long years — and what she’s planning to do now.