The Queen hated frivolity and excess. And a change of status came to the women, as it is said that before the Victorian era, it was men who sin during an indiscretion and women are usually abdicated all the blame as they are weak and easily swayed and overpowered. But this changed to the mentality that women are loose canons waiting to go off. It is said that men were only fulfilling their God-given urges while women, if caught in an indiscretion, is said to be loose and passionate. Thus this lays the groundwork for Victorian women to be schooled in rigid self-control. The self-denial, the docility and the patience. The three poems mentioned above deals a lot with women of the age. Although rivalry seems to be the theme of all three of them. Rossetti herself may give the inclination that in her opinion, there is no place for sorority in an age full of constraints maintained by the patriarch.
The females in these three poems; Kate and the mistress; Maude Clare and Nell; Maude and the sister have one thing in common between them. The desire of attaining the state of marriage. The desire most women of the age want to achieve. This state of marriage elevates a woman in a position of power as it did Kate in the poem ‘Cousin Kate’, where she was “ lifted [you] from mean estate/ to sit with him on high”. Even mousy Nell from ‘Maude Clare’ was elevated from “Queen”-like Maude Claire even though it seemed like Maude Clare was visibly more superior than Nell.
It also seems more proper for Victorian women to be fair, probably because it is ‘le mode’. Fair in skin and preferably fair in hair, that means gentlemen ‘do’ prefer blondes, as Ms Monroe would say. The cousin of Kate in the poem was fair but naïve, so she caught the eye of the gentleman residing as the lord of the estate. But once he saw Kate, the fairer cousin, he changed allegiance in a hurry. But Kate was more clever. She personifies to the outside world the ideal woman, physically beautiful, docile, “good and pure”. If those discription actually true, we will never know.
Parents in the era are very strict. They give the examples to their children to be always in control and be patient, its no wonder French people call the British excessively prude. In ‘Sister Maude’ we could see what happens in a circumstances of a forbidden love. Although overly dramatic we could still get the idea that parents have the say on who their children, specially daughters, marry. Maybe even the case of ‘Maude Clare’. The groom maybe forced to enter an arranged marriage to save the family’s honor or finances. He may still love Maude as hinted in the lines “My lord gazed long on pale Maude Clare/Or ever he kissed the bride” and the way he stutters while confronting Maude in front of Nell. I do not know what happened to the parents of the cousin in ‘Cousin Kate’ but they should have been there to take care of her interests, and they surely wouldn’t have agreed to her being a mistress and living a “shameful life”.
The life of a mistress then is very hard. Women face condemnation unless of course she makes a living out of it, as dancers and actresses tend to do since the beginning of civilization. “The Neighbors call you good and pure/Call me an outcast thing.” Kate’s cousin was faced with more condemnation because she was compared to the good Kate whom the lord married. Her treatment would probably be harsh and she may never marry anyone again specially since she had his child, except maybe a farmer or a shopkeeper.
Confrontations here are the same as everything else. Controlled and quietly accusing. This of course excludes the behind the back scenes namely the curse brought by Maude’s sister to her and the smug self-satisfaction of Kate’s cousin. Maude Clare and Nell’s confrontation was done with dignity and control. No screaming, no thrashing about, no broken glass, just hurt and determination. This maybe because of all the self-control schooling they’ve had since growing up.
Rivalry is also evident in all the poems. Probably because of the great desire for marriage. Rivalry between females are not uncommon but in this era, one has to subtle to be effective. And one has to know what she is doing, like Kate does.
I think that Rossetti got most of her inspiration from the society outside, namely the colourful Ton, who produced such interesting characters as Beau Brummell, Lady Caroline and Lord Byron, and even Disraeli himself had a very colourful romantic life. Her poems have an echo to it that suggests it may have happened in real life, or is even happening to this age. But women indicated by Rossetti from this era have the sense of hidden passion, like Kate’s cousin and Maude’s sister, and strenght like most women of today has.
