I think Mary kind of projects both the pride and the resentments she has about her position as well as her fears about not suceeding onto Edith, who does not have to deal with the them. I think it might be part of why she lashes out against Edith in the early seasons even though Edith is basically already "on the ground" so to say while Mary is considered the golden child. Mary must’ve been jealous of Edith not having all these pressures on her. marrying her cousin even though she didn't care for him at all), and now Edith, who from Mary's POV never put in any effort towards this goal, gets a title and estate handed to her on a silver platter without having done anything to "deserve" it (again, from Mary's POV). Mary's lived and worked her whole life to have the (or at least a) title and estate, she was willing to make a lot of sacrifices for it (e.g. It's not just pettiness or random sibling jealousy imo. I think that's also part of why she's so upset when she learns in season six that Edith will outrank her. I think that's a big part of why she's so angry with Matthew in the beginning of the show. means that she will have to marry the male heir and have a male child herself) and I can definitely see her having some resentments about that, particularly because the things expected of her here are not really in her control. And on one hand I think this position and responsibility is very important to her and something she takes a lot of pride in, too, but at the same time it puts immense pressure on her (because it e. She's been groomed her whole life to become the next countess of Downton and keep the house/family line going. I think Mary's sentiments about her position as the first child and expected heiress of the estate and title are complex. I do wonder how much of Edith’s love for Patrick actually came from her wanting Mary’s position rather than wanting Patrick. The real life Earl of Chatsworth spent a good chunk of his life in Egypt exploring pyramids while his wife was at home. If they didn’t get on too well then they would have stayed married but basically lead separate lives. There is no way that she would ever have allowed Edith to take that place. Mary was raised for the job of Mistress of Downton. Her father wanted the prestige that came with a daughter being married to the gentry, Robert’s father was desperate for cash. Marriage was about securing legacies not about love. Mary grew up knowing that Patrick was to be her husband so I don’t think she ever considered anyone else. The two would have been unofficially engaged from as soon as Cora stopped having children. I mean this in as much as there was no expectation, they knew she would because there was already a plan for her to marry Patrick. Obviously he only wanted her money, but surely other dukes or nobility must’ve pursued her before). I just feel like if Mary wasn’t so pressured by marrying to secure the estate, she would’ve found someone she actually loved (not talking about Matthew here), and probably with a title as well (we see Duke of Crowborough or something wanting to propose to her. And I think Mary must’ve sensed Edith’s feelings for their cousin (we know she’s quite sensitive about these issues, eg: Tom and Sybil). Mary was set to marry her cousin who sank in the Titanic (cant remember his name now), but clearly she doesnt love him as much as Edith loves him. Edith, on the other hand, may not be pressured to do so. So Mary, as the first born, is naturally expected to marry good and hopefully secure the estate and Cora’s money. This might have been told by someone somewhere else, but this thought came to my mind and I decided to write it anyway.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |