LADY VIOLET BRIDGERTON
ANTHONY BRIDGERTON
LADY VIOLET’S SON
SIENA ROSSO
ANTHONY AND SIENNA
BRIDGERTON/VIOLET’S DEHUMANIZATION OF SIENA ROSSO/”A CERTAIN SOPRANO”
”YOUR NAME IS YOUR PASSPORT TO THE WORLD”
”BUT YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW….
To the outside World [and to her Fans] Violet may appear as a
”succesful wife and mother” and it might have seemed as if she
got away with everything, but Violet herself knows better.
She may have ”created” a dutiful eldest son, but by her
sabotage of his Love Affair with the woman who once was his whole World
she lost what she cherishes most in the world:
The Warm Love and Trust of her child
All that remains is what she hammered in him….his ”Duty….”
For a mother that is unbearable…”
HALLO FOLKS
Here she is again, with an important Post about a theme in the Bridgerton series, that is often overlooked, namely the dehumanization of opera singer Siena Rosso by Lady Violet, the mother of Siena”s lover Anthony Bridgerton. [1]
Now I wrote a lot about Violet [2], especially about her strained and complicated
relationship with her eldest son Anthony from the moment he became Head of the Family at the age of eighteen, watching his father Edmund die by a bee sting, which was a traumatic experience [3]
Violet too, watched her husband die, leading to a yearlong period of mourning grief [4]
I wrote about her unjustified harshness against Anthony, which manifested itself in
emotional neglect and coldness, emotional blackmail and unrealistic expectations [expecting that he managed the lands and the Estates as well as his deceased father, who had a lot experience, unlike his son] [5]
And what made it even worse for son Anthony was that she never showed any appreciation for all his efforts, only criticism, when things got wrong. [6]
Now on the one hand I understand her strictness, due to pressure of Regency Society [the Ton], where you could be socially excluded for a lesser mistake [7], but that’s no excuse for lack of motherly warmth and emotional neglect [8]
Mostly since Violet actually loved her son dearly [9]
But if he notices little to nothing of that love, it is of little use to him.
And of course there were a lot of issues, leading to Violet’s cold treatment
of her son [10], but that doesn’t exonerate her, especially since she DID show warmth towards her other children. [11]
The issues, leading to her coldness, were explanations, not excuses for her behavior.
SIENA ROSSO
So we’ve noticed that the relationship was already toxic and strained. [12]
HOWEVER:
The relationship reached the lowest point ever [and would never fully recover, even when, too late, Violet offered selective excuses, but not for her sabotage of Anthony’s Love Affair] [12A], when Violet discovered about the relationship between son Anthony and the opera singer Siena Rosso.
For her this was a big threat to the Family [13], for Anthony Siena was his whole world,
since he was deeply in love with her [14]
DISCOVERY
Now on a certain moment [I don’t know how, perhaps by incriminating papers in Anthony’s desk or
a portrait of Siena he cherished or perhaps Violet hired spies to follow him, she is toxic ”protective” enough for that…..] Violet discovered about the relationship of son
Anthony and the opera singer Siena Rosso.
And YES, she had a point about fearing social exclusion and death for the Family, esecially since Anthony was the Head of the Family [15] and was looked up to.
One ”misstep” of him could affect the whole family and a possible marriage between an aristocrat and an opera singer was a no go area inRegency Era, since opera singers were considered as ”immoral women” [16] and would directly have ruined the marriage prospects of his sisters [17]
[Not that such marriages NEVER took place, but only ”in the dark” [they kept it
secret] and when it came ”into the light” it caused a great scandal [18]]
So YES, she had some point to utter objections, but it was the WAY she did it……
VIOLET’S TOXIC WAY
CONFRONTATION AND DEHUMANIZATION
THIS IS WHAT VIOLET LITERALLY SAID TO HER SON ANTHONY
Violet: “Are you actually returning to your bachelor lodgings in the city, or is there a certain soprano you intend to visit?”
[19]
AGAIN
How she found out is her secret.
But fact is, that she confronted Anthony in hIs office and she did that on a most painful way!
With a honey sweet voice she opens her attack on Anthony:by reminding him of his responsibilities as the Head of the Household, [a recurring theme in her eternal tirades, while Anthony is doing the job as best as he can] [20], calling him ”Dear son” in a false tone.
But that’s only the beginning, because she saves the” best” for last, by suddenly asking him, whether he, upon leaving, will be returning to his ”bachelor lodgings” ”or[I quote Violet] ” or is there a certain soprano you intend to visit” [21]
But Violet wouldn’t be Violet if it stopped there….
After to have stated, that he was neglecting his duties, she noted, that he was relying on
his younger brothers to do the work he ”cannot” and she ends her tirade by asking him the devastating question of whether he is merely an older brother or ”the man in this house [22]
WHY THIS IS SO HURTFUL
Not only the dehumanization is hurtful, stripping someone of her individuality and identity [I will come to this later], but also the CONTEXT in which it happened.
WHOM VIOLET IS HURTING THE MOST?
”CERTAIN SOPRANO” AND SILENCING SIENA
.
For it is not Siena Rosso to whom Violet is speaking here, but to her own son. [23]
And whether she then knew that he loved her or not doesn’t matter:
Her son was involved with a woman, so there must be an emotional connection
[otherwise he doesn’t pay for her apartment] [24] and then it’s hurtful for him to hear his mother talking like that.
That that is less important to her-and I am putting it mildly, just show not
only how strained their relationship already was [25], but above all, that she apparently didn’t see
Siena Rosso [for of course Violet knows her name!] as a human being, a living woman with feelings, hopes and dreams [26], but merely as a scandal, as a danger to the Family.
Something her son should be ashamed of [27]
And what she didn’t seem to realize at all was that she was playing with fire, since her behaviour
caused not only deep emotional damage to her son, but also to their relationship! [28]
Because after the ”A Certain soprano” remark, Violet started a more subtle sabotage of Siena by not mentioning her name openly, but shaming and incriminating her son on a mean, subtle way [29], which caused great damage to their relationship, because how can you fight someone, who isn’t openly hostile against your loved one [30]
ANTHONY’S REACTION TO ” A CERTAIN SOPRANO”
The most painful part is perhaps Anthony’s reaction to his mother’s ”A Certain Soprano” tirade.
Well, does he yell, act defensively, or else….
The truth is, that he doesn’t react at all, no matter how painful it must
be for him.
Instead, his reaction is a mixture of wounded pride and a failed attempt at
indifference.
He tightens physically to swallow the blow of her words [31]
And maybe she thinks she has won, but in reality, she takes a crucial step that leads to a
growing estrangement between her and her son, since she doesn’t seem to realize the pain she inflicts on him by uttering such disparaging words [32]
And that estrangement is permament.
Even her selective excuses in Season 2 will not solve this [33]
”THE CERTAIN SOPRANO” EFFECT/STRIPPING PEOPLE OF THEIR NAMES IS INHUMANITY ITSELF”
Calling Siena ”A Certain Soprano” is not just a mean remark of a mean woman, who
is deliberately hateful, but [that’s the other side] is also worried about her son’s and Family’s Future [34], lashing out, completely overlooking [and that remains her ”crime”]
her son’s needs and emotions [35], because there are thousands of not offensive ways to say ”I don’t want her as my daughter in law….”, without completely humiliating a human being….
If it was only some hateful, stupid remark of a dominant, possessive mother, I wouldn’t dedicate a complete article to it, especially since I’ve already given ”Lady Violent”
a piece of my mind about this [36]
NO, THIS GOES FAR DEEPER THAN SOME NARROW MINDED TON MOTHER…..[37]
HUMANITY, IDENTITY, NAMES
Your name is your identity.
That’s who you are, where you come from, who you want to be in life, by which you
can be recognized.
Your name is your passport to the World.
And stripping someone from that one thing, that guarantees your humanity and
individuality, not only gives a great feeling of insecurity, but can lead to a deep trauma [38].
It’s often used in a Powerposition about others.
In the case of Violet it is clear.
She is a powerful Matriarch from noble descent and Siena is an opera singer from a lower class position.
Than it is easy to look down on someone and giving names.
SYSTEMS OF OPPRESSION AND DEHUMANIZATION
In systems of oppression—such as colonization, extreme class societies, or totalitarian regimes—the very first step is always stripping away a person’s name. Individuals are reduced to a number, a category, an ethnicity, or—as seen with Siena—a professional function (“soprano”). [39]
Although I try to keep it light in the context of Bridgerton, I cannot escape delving deeper
into dehumanization
BLAME LADY VIOLENT, NOT ME:
SHE DID THE DEHUMANIZATION OF SIENA! [40]
And although Lady Violet did on a small scale what systems do on a
large scale [and Lady Violet is not a wicked villain, although destructive and manipulating , laced with a layer of deep love, yet doing her children, for example Anthony and later Francesca [Season 3] a lot of harm anyway] [41],
dehumanizing mechanisms work largely the same way.
De Dehumanizing Victims are denied their names, their dreams, their hopes, reduced to a ”number”, told that they are ”nothing”, their feelings are erased, they are treated like
”things”, not human beings or often ”subhumans” [[42]
You see that in slavery, colonialism, totalitarian regimes etc [43]
Dehumanizing does not always have to involve hard methods:
Far more dangerous is the so called ”Civilized Oppressor”, because that is much harder to recognize as an oppressor, because the appearance is often friendly and polite [44]
AI says about those tactics:
”
- The Real-World Connection: The most dangerous form of dehumanization rarely comes from overt monsters. Instead, it originates from the established elite who genuinely believe they are protecting “civilization, culture, or family legacy” (exactly like Lady Violet).” [45]
Indeed, Lady Violet uses the same tactics:
Under the guise of ”maternal concern” or ”good intentions” and seldom screaming [talking with a soft, polite voice and using words like ”My darling” or ”Dear son” to soften the blow] she manipulates and blackmails. [46]
DENYING THE RIGHT TO BE SEEN AS A HUMAN BEING
The Siena dehumanization of Lady Violet was therefore so painful,
because Violet probably didn’t realize that what she did to Siena was
the worst one human being can do to another.
The very denial for the right to be seen as a human being, with feelings, hopes, dreams, right to love and to be loved.
Right to live as a human being.
For Violet, she was just a ”phase”, a threat, a ”disease” her son had to recover from. [47]
While all Siena did was to love her son [48]
And even if Violet didn’t care about that, did she ever realize what her
hurting of Siena did with her son’s feelings?
His very soul
It was Siena of whom he thought when he cried out in
that dining room [Season 2]
”Do not lecture me on my responsibilities! I have spent every waking hour of every day since my father died fulfilling those responsibilities. I have sacrificed EVERYTHING for this family! My youth, my desires, my… my very soul has been dedicated to ensuring the survival of the Bridgerton name!” [49]
BUT YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW….
To the outside World [and to her Fans] Violet may appear as a
”succesfulL wife and mother” and it might have seemed as if she
got away with everything, but Violet herself knows better.
She may have ”created” a dutiful eldest son, but by her
sabotage of his Love Affair with the woman who once was his whole World
she lost what she cherishes most in the world:
The Warm Love and Trust of her child [50]
All that remains is what she hammered in him….his ”Duty….” [51]
For a mother that is unbearable….
FINAL WORDS ABOUT DEHUMANIZATION
SLAVERY AND THE JACQUERIE, THE UPRISING BECAUSE THEIR NAME WAS DENIED…….
The very dehumanization and inhumanity of slavery, beginning with
the ”stripping of the names” [52] is widely known
But another Oppression, of the Medieval poverty stricken peasants in Europe, was a form of dehumanization too.
And you know, Readers:
Of course in the French peasants revolt, the ”Jacquerie” [53] the bad social and economic position of the peasants in feudal France played a major role in the uprising [54]
But you know what?
There was more
What triggered and hurt the peasants deeply was not only their desperately poor state and the way they were cruelly exploited, reduced to subhumans [55], but also the fact, THAT THEY WERE DENIED A NAME.
All peasants were called the same by the nobility, namely ”Jaques” as if they were no human individuals [56]
VIOLET’S LOSS
And so we come back to Violet again and her dehumanization of Siena, the woman her son loved so deeply for long, long time, when she was
his ”hearthfire” while his mother’s house [and his mother] was cold as ice…..[57]
And we don’t compare
Slavery, feudalism and colonialism were major systems of oppression.
But by each oppression, great or small, you see the same patterns of disrespect, cruelty, inhumanity, whether it is a peasant being whipped or a ”high class” Lady, who wants an ”inferior” opera singer out of the life of her son [58]
But by forcing Siena out of the life of her son Anthony, leaving him
heartbroken without any comfort [59] and refusing excuses for her destructive role [60], she lost the Warmth and the Trust of her son.
By driving out Siena out of his life, she lost the loving son for good.
What remained was the ”dutiful” son she demanded in Season 1 [61]
And that was Violet’s real big loss.
YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW, LADY VIOLENT
ASTRID ESSED
NOTES
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