LADY VIOLET BRIDGERTON
ANTHONY BRIDGERTON
LADY VIOLET’S SON
LADY VIOLET BRIDGERTON AND HER COMPLEX RELATIONSHIP WITH HER
ELDEST SON ANTHONY OR A MOTHER’S FAILED DEEP LOVE
REGENCY ERA
BRiDGERTON NETFLIX TV SERIES IS A MUST SEE!
Series is about a British aristocratic Family in the Regency Era [1813-1820, broadly
1795-1830] and refers to universal human life themes like strong family bonds, forbidden
love, rivalry within a family, strong ties of friendship,political developments, social issues,the position of women and ”light stuff”, like gossip and sensation.
There is a ”color blind” casting, that’s most refreshing
The central persons are the eight children of the aristocratic family Bridgerton and
their mother, Lady Violet, the widow and matriarch, a loving mother at heart, but who
can be stern, harsh, cruel, demanding and sometimes merciless, as we shall see,
although not out of malice, of course,
Anthony, the eldest brother, is [after the death of their father Edmund] the legal
head of the family, which means ,that he is the ”legal guardian” of his brothers, sisters and also his mother Violet.
Although Violet loves Anthony very deeply, this new position leads to
a deep tension between Violet and her son.
Because however deep her motherly love, Violet who is strong willed, can’t entirely
accept that her own child is her legal ”head” now.
And although she loves Anthony as deeply as her other seven children, she often is
unreasonably strict with him and even cruel [consistently sharply pointing
him on his duty and cruelly comparing him to his dead father in the sense of ”Oh my dear son, your father would have so disappointed]
By doing so, she hurts him deeply, although that certainly is not her intention at all.
But her harshness stems from the fact that Anthony, now he is the eldest son, is responsible
for the whole family and the family Estate in a merciless time, that wrong decisions could
lead to family ruin and social death within the Ton [The British aristocracy in Regency Era]
And as a responsible mother, she must defend the marriage prospects of her daughters.
Besides this, she thinks, that treating him severely, will help him to grow into his role as head of the family.
Therefore she shows him much harshness and little tenderness, while she does show
tenderness to her other children, especially her daughters, which hurts him deeply, which Violet doesn”t notice in her business to keep the family reputation in the complicated Regency Time.
Violet not only doesn’t see, that young Anthony needs some space too [continually demanding that he must work for his sister’s marriage chances], she herself
is still in deep mourning over her late husband and doesn’t seem to notice that Anthony is
mourning too and needs the warmth of his mother,
Only much later Violet realizes this and she is extremely devastated about the way she
unintentionally hurt him.
ABOUT OPERA SINGERS
Anthony has a long standing love affair with opera singer Siena Rosso and Lady Violet fiercely resists this, after having confronted Anthony about this, sharply and coldly demanding that he
breaks that relationship.
She doesn’t do this out of cruelty, but for the following reasons:
In the Regency Era, opera singers were considered ”evil” and ”immoral” and
although men had the ”right” to have an affair with them, a marriage between an aristocrat
and an opera singer was considered as ;;impossible” leading to the social death, not
only of Anthony, but of the whole family.
And Lady Violet feared a marriage [because of their long standing relationship].
meaning zero chances for her daughters to marry within the aristocracy.
Therefore, albet her deep love for Anthony, she had no choice but being hard on him,despite his heartache.
SEE ALSO
SEE THE EXCERPT!
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EXCERPT OF THE ASTRID ESSED COMMENT
BRIDGERTON/LADY VIOLET AND HER COMPLEX RELATIONSHIP WITH HER ELDEST SON ANTHONY
Based on her insights, here is the summary of the relationship between Lady Violet and Anthony Bridgerton in English:
- Unintentional Cruelty Born of Grief: Essed highlights that Lady Violet’s overwhelming grief after her husband’s death blinded her to the fact that Anthony, at only eighteen, was also mourning. While she was tender with her other children, she was often “merciless” toward Anthony, expecting him to be instantly strong.
- The Burden of Responsibility: As the new head of the family, Anthony faced immense pressure. Essed notes that Violet’s harshness was fueled by the fear that a single mistake in the Regency era could be socially fatal for the entire estate and the marriage prospects of his sisters.
- The Social Reality of Siena Rosso: Regarding Anthony’s long-term relationship with the opera singer Siena Rosso, Essed explains that Violet’s fierce opposition was a matter of social survival. Because opera singers were viewed as “immoral” at the time, a marriage would have ruined the family’s reputation.
- Reconciliation and Healing: A crucial point in Essed’s analysis is the eventual reconciliation. The relationship only began to heal when Violet realized her lack of warmth and constant comparisons to his late father had deeply wounded Anthony, leading to a tearful apology and a restored bond.
For the full perspective on this “refreshing” take on the series and the “colorblind” casting, you can read her extensive articles on the official website of Astrid Essed.