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"Proserpine" 1874 - Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-88)

She was Goddess of the Underworld, kept there by a husband who forced her into marriage and she was only allowed to return to Earth for six months of the year; spring and summer. Watching The Forsyte Saga re-run on TV during my free days reminds me of the romance of Victorian art, and also the inescapable sadness and misery often reflected in it. There will always be a man determined to take what he desires, and a woman who suffers because of that. I think women must have done a lot of languishing and sojourning, then more languishing after luncheon followed by a long sojourn in a darkened room until supper. Being beautiful, intelligent and coveted means nothing. Irene Forsyte is one such female. She is cold and unlikeable, but it is difficult not to understand why when she lives in an unhappy marriage and wants nothing more than to be free. I will be tuning in tomorrow for the next installment, but things aren't looking good. Her husband has already tried to break down the door of her bedroom, and I suspect things are set to kick off big time. Tears, tantrums and turmoil. And all before elevenses.