The Tragedy of Barnabas Collins

[Barnabas]

The status thing . . . I think what people forget is that it's not like he could have had a real relationship with Angelique.  She was a maid.  In someone else's house.  With probably a huge array of duties that would not have brought her into contact with him.  And when they did get together, I think the only logical things that could have happened were sex and a lot of sweet nothings, which while fun is really not a lot on which to build much of a relationship.

The perennial problem that both Angelique and Barnabas face is that they invest others and incidents with qualities that they don't possess or that weren't there.  They see things as they think they ought to be.  Or as they want them to be.

Don't you think it's possible that Angelique had grander designs on Barnabas right from the beginning? Despite her being a maid, she was able to marry Barnabas, albeit after getting Josette out of the way. In Angelique's way of thinking, all the sacrifices that Barnabas ultimately had to make to marry Angelique were not an unreasonable price to pay for love. The irony of Angelique's curse is that the price others would have to pay to love Barnabas would be greater: death.

[Luciaphile]

Don't you think it's possible that Angelique had grander designs on Barnabas right from the beginning? Despite her being a maid, she was able to marry Barnabas, albeit after getting Josette out of the way. In Angelique's way of thinking, all the sacrifices that Barnabas ultimately had to make to marry Angelique were not an unreasonable price to pay for love. The irony of Angelique's curse is that the price others would have to pay to love Barnabas would be greater: death.

From what they wrote, I'm inclined to see Angelique's character as someone who bought everything that Barnabas told her (i.e. the sweet nothings) and invested them with meaning that they did not have.  

That's her problem, basically, she can't believe that he didn't mean them.  That it was just sex.  Part of that is an unwillingness to accept that she was fooled, I'm thinking.  A domestic's life in those days was not a happy one.  And I'm also thinking that happy people don't turn to witchcraft (in the Hawthorne tradition of it).  Barnabas=Barnabas+lady of the manor package (or at least kept mistress).  He's her fairy-tale prince, the one who's going to deliver her from a life of drudgery.  

Problem is that he's got a bad case of the Sondheim version of Prince Charming (anyone every here "Agony"?)

Luciaphil

[Cassandra]

This was mentioned a while back, and I have to say I'm confused by this point of view. There was a knock on the door of the Collins home, they were vaguely expecting the du Pres retinue's arrival from Martinique, Barnabas went to the door, and the servant Angelique was there.  Barnabas was surprised, but I didn't see any indication that he was so completely shocked that we are to interpret his reaction as meaning that he had no idea that Angelique worked for the du Pres family.  He would have had to have been a heck of a lot more shocked if that was the case, IMO.

I agree Vlad. I think Barnabas knew perfectly well that Angelique was the Dupres maid and the only reason he was suprised to see her at the door that night was because she arrived unanounced & unexpectedly. After Barnabas' initial suprise, he even asked Angelique why her & The Countess didn't first send notice upon their arrival date so he could have had one of the servants meet them at the gate. Joshua was also suprised at this because as I remember nothing was prepared in the house as of yet.   As I recall, Barnabas also said that he thought Angelique & the Countess would be arriving at a later date along with Josette & her father.

[MrsJ]

 Barnabas was obsessed with Josette like Angelique was obsessed with him.  Living in the past can only hurt you in the end.   Julia's devotion to him without him not even noticing the truth.  

Love is blind....and a woman's scorn is deadly.

Obsession is what DS is all about...and while I agree that Julia is devoted to Barnabas, I have to also say that she is obsessed with him as well.  

She's a doctor, sworn to do no harm, but that old hippocratic oath just goes out the window wherever Barnabas' interests are concerned.  Not a healthy relationship by any stretch of the imagination.  While I would loved to have seen B and J together, I also feel that Julia deserved better.  Barnabas may have begun as a tragic figure, but sorry, I just don't see him as one at this point.  He's just too self serving, very much like Angelique.  Maybe that is the bond between them?

MrsJ.