Francis And Elizabeth: Reformed Gracious Husband, Content Wife

“Elizabeth blooms like a painting; she has had a better year... She doesn't love Francis, but she's more content.”

Demezla’s observation and thoughts on Elizabeth in ’Jeremy Poldark’ (internal book 2 Chapter 14)

Whilst posts such as ‘A Charming and Generous Heart' indicate that at his core Francis was a man with a good heart, he did have his vices which went against him. The last two blogs on his marriage depict him as a husband filled with promise since it was early on that Winston Graham first narrated his credentials of being handsome, charming and wealthy. Added to that he was besotted with Elizabeth as a fiancé and presented as a good and loving husband in the first year of marriage. However the middle period of the marriage draws Francis criticism as a husband until, as covered in this post, and despite the lack of love from Elizabeth, he seemed to turn this around and present as quite the reformed and gracious husband to her in the end. In this re-emergence of Francis as a decent husband he should be recognised for at least bringing Elizabeth back to a place of 'contentment' in those last years of the marriage, just as Demelza observed (and is quoted above). This post confirms and explores how Francis managed to do this. 

A Kinder Husband And Wife Relationship

 'The relationship between them had been kinder these last two years,...'

Narrative in 'Warleggan' (internal book 1 Chapter 2)

If there is any question about a genuine and positive change in the marriage of Francis and Elizabeth in those last couple of years before Francis passed away, then Winston Graham confirmed this in the narration. Quite significantly, after Francis’s suicide attempt, Graham reported that although never warm 'The relationship between them had been kinder these last two years,...' ('Warleggan' Book 1  Chapter 2)  That serves as confirmation that things had moved on with improvement from earlier in the story when things went wrong from a year into the marriage. On that day of Geoffrey Charles's Christening they had had a marriage altering argument which saw their marriage disintegrate and after the two year time jump in that first book readers learnt through Elizabeth's visit to Nampara and Verity's account to Ross, that they had not got on well since Geoffrey Charles was born. However, the key to the kinder relationship between Francis and Elizabeth points to a change and a reformation with Francis and not Elizabeth.

The Good Husband In The Beginning Pt4 (The Real Francis Poldark)

To know the real Francis requires an understanding of both the good and bad aspects of his character and therefore this includes recognising the side of him that was a good husband as well as the times where he seemed to fail as a husband. Indeed Francis may often be wrongly given the sole blame for his and Elizabeth's unhappy years of marriage. The second post in 'The Real Francis Poldark' series called 'A bad and Unfaithful Husband' did document Francis's bad husbandry of Elizabeth during the middle period of this marriage where he wallowed in disappointment of it. Because of this disappointment he leant more excessively into his vices and into unfaithfulness too. No doubt for a period this established a kind of catch 22 scenario of ensuring a stalemate and no positive progress in the marriage for a while. However the blame is not necessarily one sided and therefore not solely resting on Francis's shoulders. In fact it is arguable that outside of the period of disillusionment Francis was probably more invested and put in more effort than Elizabeth did for the chance of an amicable married life. 

In the original story of the books not only is there narrative of Francis as set out in the last post in this series, whereby he was 'The Loving And Besotted Fiancé', but as was even recognised by Elizabeth there is also narrative of Francis as a good and loving husband in the first year of his marriage and a good and amiable one in the last couple years of it too. 

This post looks at the initial period at the start of Francis and Elizabeth's marriage. And so this is before that dark middle period where it deteriorated. Whilst it was in this first year where Francis showed promise as a 'good husband' and that because of this he was appealing to Elizabeth, a follow up post called 'The Good Husband In The End' will explore how after the deterioration and the unhappy times that came with that middle period of their marriage, Francis did remerge once again in the final years of the marriage to fulfil his initial promise. 

The Loving And Besotted Fiancé Pt3 (The Real Francis Poldark)

The second post (being the last one in this series) that addressed 'The Real Francis Poldark' explored Francis's position in the story as a bad and unfaithful husband but essentially how this was for a time and was rooted in his disappointment of expectation in his marriage with Elizabeth. In a sense it was this disappointment that fed most of Francis's vices which surfaced in the middle of his story arc. However, it would be wrong to completely write off Francis as a bad romantic partner and husband for Elizabeth throughout his courtship and marriage with her. Whilst the saga narrative of Francis seems to lull the reader to give him this general unfavourable label, as shown in that last post, below the surface there is more to this and there were certainly periods where he had the makings of a good husband for Elizabeth and did actually demonstrate this. Since the previous posts have focused on his failings, this post focuses on the positive indications of Francis before his marriage and as a fiancé. The next will focus on the same, but during the marriage. Therefore this would be in the early period of  the marriage and some years before his death brought the marriage to an end. 

It Started With Infatuation And Love 

There is no doubt that to begin with Winston Graham wrote Francis as a character that was initially in love with Elizabeth both before and after he was engaged to her. Readers can assume that despite the more functional attitude toward marriage of that day, that it is more than likely that Francis entered into marriage with Elizabeth in good faith and with the intent to be a 'good husband'. That intention therefore included to be faithful and devoted to her, and naturally he wished to have a happy married life where she would equally be loving and faithful to him too. That would include being faithful and loving to him in spirit as well as in deed. Readers eventually find that in respect of Elizabeth she failed to do this in spirit just as much as he had failed as a consequence to do this in deed. However before Elizabeth became 'the loved but the unloving, the Galatea who never woke..' (as Dwight had deduced from a suicidal Francis in the third book

A Bad And Unfaithful Husband? (Pt 2 The Real Francis Poldark).

The first suggestion of Francis's cheating was in December 1787 when Elizabeth expressed her concern to Ross that Francis was going with another woman. This was some significant time after their marriage seemed to hit the rocks in late 1784. Graham did not provide the detail in between. Although the storyline of Francis cheating is not fully fleshed out by Graham in the books, it is however a story line which many define and judge his character by. Francis's infidelity can overshadow his whole story arc in the saga or at least the perception of him as a husband. Therefore he is often labelled a 'bad husband' as well as an 'unfaithful' one. This is irrespective of anything else, the changes he later made, how his story ended and whether Elizabeth herself was a good and faithful wife to him. The question here is whether that is entirely fair and whether the many factors to be considered when labelling Francis as a 'bad husband' make this a black and white matter.

Francis's infidelity was with the harlot that Ross had also slept with one night early on in the first book. This was Margaret, also known as Margaret Cartland and then Margaret Vosper. Whilst most readers will automatically (and rightly so) write this behaviour of Francis off as 'unforgivable', often the judgement on him lies simply in the fact that he did cheat but without also exploring much of the reason why he did this and what this says about 'the real Francis Poldark'. So in exploring this concept of the real Francis over a series of posts, that idea and Francis's general persona as a 'bad husband' is the focus for this post. The next post on this series 'Francis: A Good Husband in the Beginning' and 'Francis and Elizabeth: Reformed Gracious Husband, Content Wife'  will explore the other side and perhaps highlight the choice to define him as a 'bad husband' might be rooted in the hanging on to the middle part of his story, rather than the end of it which could be thought of as redeeming.

Poldark: Elizabeth -Changeable And Fickle in Love (Part 1)

"Not a changeable-minded woman! Was that what George thought her? ........, all that had happened was a result of it."

Thoughts of Elizabeth ('Warleggan' Book 3 Chapter 10)

Throughout the Poldark story Winston Graham continually developed the concept of Elizabeth as a woman who was more than susceptible to changing her mind. Though this concept is often identified as a feature of her relationship with Ross Poldark, when considering Elizabeth's changeableness in love, the astute reader will notice that in fact the concept of her 'changeableness' runs through all her love stories with the three men, Francis, George and Ross. Through them Elizabeth was presented as a character who on the particular matter of love and relationships was not particularly resolute and steadfast, but instead could change her mind according to her circumstances. In all this it appeared to be that there was a flighty and fickle nature to her love and loyalties.

This first post of two parts will explore Elizabeth's changeableness and fickleness in love with Ross and Francis, whilst the second will explore the same in regards to her relationship with George. However, whilst this post will touch on Ross, this will be quite lightly so as her change of mind with him will be dealt with in a more detailed step by step manner in the follow up post 'Elizabeth: Three Changes Of Mind Loving Ross Poldark'. 

Story of a Changeable Love From A Changeable Woman

 

Three Men- Three Changes Of Mind- Ross First

The story begins with the reader being informed that Elizabeth having loved Ross before he went to war, in his absence and before his return did change her mind about him for Francis instead. Elizabeth would herself explain to Ross that she did not 'keep the faith' with him, did not love him and that she found she fell in love with Francis while he was away. Many more years later in the fourth book 'Warleggan' Elizabeth would confirm this first change of mind against him had indeed been the case but also express that she had later changed her mind back to thinking she loved him again. So she claimed that she felt she had made a 'mistake’ that first time round. 

Elizabeth was not at all consistent in her position and feelings for Ross. She changed her mind and her feelings for him a third time as she eventually seemed to move from what she may have thought was love (or at least fondness and affection), to feelings of hatred and antipathy. This was before seeming at peace with him from a distance but not necessarily in love with him. 

Ross :The Fall Out Of Love- A Reason of Substance Or Fickleness?

In briefly addressing Elizabeth's first change of mind against loving Ross, there is a strong sense that this was due to his absence at war not making her heart grow fonder but instead more distant. She went astray with a better offer from the charming, present and wealthy (at the time) Francis. The impression is that she had a lack of true commitment and a flightiness in her love that some of the other female characters in the story did not have. 

The Untold Story of Francis Poldark (A Disappointed And Lonely Man)

'They were all sentimentalists at heart, the Poldarks, Verity thought.....Francis Too. Half his ailments came from the same source. He expected too much of life, of Elizabeth. Especially of Elizabeth. When they failed him he resorted to gambling and to drink.'

'Demelza' (Book2 chapter 6)

The plight of Elizabeth Poldark as the woman Francis married, who then fell out of love with him and was also disappointed by him, is often fully embraced. However, is it truly and fully embraced that it was Francis who was first disappointed in her and then lost his way with disappointment? 

It is quite possible that of the key characters in Poldark that Francis Poldark is the most easily misunderstood one and one whose struggles as well as successes could be too readily dismissed. Essentially this post seeks to explore how this is the case. In short, at the root of this issue is that there is not only an untold story of Francis Poldark but there is also a rewritten one that readers and watchers of the story, as told originally in the books and also in a revised manner through adaptions, are presented with. Naturally these strike at the heart of understanding Francis Poldark, or rather the misunderstanding of him. This post will look at Francis's untold story from the books and the follow up post 'The Rewritten Story of Francis Poldark' will look at how it was subtly rewritten in both adaptions for television in order to build a much more pathetic character profile than the Francis Poldark of the original story.

Collateral Damage for Ross and Elizabeth's Unfinished Business  

Francis’s short tenure in the story lasting just three and half books out of twelve is a factor with regards to his untold story. However the main reason for any overlooking of his story is most likely because whilst he was a key character he was essentially a supporting one to aid the central and more overshadowing plot concerning another character. Francis served the main plot by being the obstacle that put Elizabeth out of Ross's reach to begin the story and to provide the initial plot tension.

This plot obstacle was so that Ross in this first instance would be deprived of the woman he then loved, find a truer and more real love elsewhere with Demelza and then once Francis was removed by death, this plot development would see Ross drawn into infidelity with the then widowed Elizabeth. It was a plot that Winston Graham's son said his father had commented could be written on the back of a postcard. Indeed Winston Graham did explain during a print interview for Daily World from Opelousas in 1978 that "once he (Ross) had her (Elizabeth) he (Ross) discovered it was his wife he really loved."  So this only reinforces that after all that, Francis had just been collateral damage for a frustrated unfulfilled love story between Ross and Elizabeth that still never materialised and prospered to a real and viable one, even after Francis's removal. Also in respect of Francis, this plot was one that was not necessarily concerned with telling his story. Francis's story. Therefore there really was no explicit breaking down and emphasising of 'his journey' and because of this it often means it remains one that lies in the shadows. 

Elizabeth: A Competitive Spirit Against Demelza Poldark (A Love for Ross? Pt10)

Elizabeth wearing her special red dress for Ross in 'Demelza' and in 'Jeremy Poldark' was one of her early methods to entice and 'rebuild her ascendancy' over Ross. In the journey questioning her love or lack of love for him this post now covers her motives in this and if this was born out of love. A previous blog post 'Elizabeth: A Green-eyed Jealousy of Demelza Poldark' may relate closely as reference there is made to Elizabeth's confirmed feelings of jealousy towards Demelza. Graham narrated this was due to Demelza's 'success' and her 'blossoming'. However, jealousy and love do not necesarily go hand in hand so that jealousy does not necessarily prove the existence of a real love. This blog will consider another factor that might have been at play. A spirit of competition in Elizabeth. After so many years had passed did Elizabeth make her subtle moves to entice Ross because she was driven by an ardent and enduring love of him or instead because of a desire to beat Demelza and be the superior, most wanted and most admired one? 

Love On Hold?

Turning up at Nampara four years after rejecting Ross and seeming to want something romantic from him might suggest Elizabeth was genuine as she had sought this before she even knew about Ross and Demelza. However on the other hand, as explored in the previous post 'Reaching out for Ross', if she was always and only ever motivated by a true love for Ross why did it take four years? And why coincidentally only when her marriage to Francis was crumbling or maybe over by then?

Here it is feasible to consider that Elizabeth falling out of love and happiness with Francis enhanced the appeal of Ross. Before then in the full edition of 'Ross Poldark' Graham narrated Elizabeth feeling 'life is good' with Francis and that her quarrel with Ross had 'healed'. Narrating her pity for Ross in his loneliness there was no feeling expressed of her self pity due to her loving Ross back and being denied of him. Instead Graham wrote in the full edition of 'Demelza' that this night had been the 'peak of her happiness'. Where her happiness with Francis went downhill her interest in Ross renewed itself and went up hill so that where for years she had not sought him out, then she suddenly did. Perhaps if this was not for love of him, it was for her to feel loved by someone else, if not her husband. 

The Real Love Triangle, The Powerful Rival (Elizabeth: A Love for Ross Poldark -Pt6)

'There was no one to tell him that he was wrong in being jealous of Ross.' 
Book one- Ross Poldark 

In the journey through the saga looking at Elizabeth's love for Ross this blog looks at a time when she was up to a year into her marriage with Francis and in particularly the circumstances around Geoffrey Charles's birth and Christening day. If she was in love with his cousin, Ross, this situation would essentially be a love triangle with Elizabeth in the centre and the burning issue being who of Francis and Ross did she love and who of the two did she really want to be with. In this blog, and in continuing the assessment of Elizabeth's love for Ross, her marriage to Francis and her state of mind about this is explored. This includes the reasons for the cracks that eventually surfaced in the marriage after Geoffrey's Charles's birth and her thoughts and actions to Ross all alongside this. In this it becomes evident that the question of who held Elizabeth's heart might not be found in the 'Francis-Elizabeth-Ross' love triangle after all.  

Francis and Elizabeth Poldark -The newly and happy married couple 

As supporting characters there are only occasional and fleeting glimpses into the Francis and Elizabeth marriage. Still updates are given here and there on the progress and hints on the reason for the cracks that occurred. At six months in to their marriage their attendance at the Truro Charity ball which was also separately attended by Ross as Verity's escort, is the first glimpse that Graham gives of them as newly weds. Elizabeth was described as smiling and waving to Verity as she entered the refreshment room with Francis and George Warleggan. Graham also referred to her being in good spirits and stated that she was 'excited and therefore radiantly beautiful'. She confirmed this herself when Francis explained their short notice decision to attend the party was because of all the fun to come. He expressed that even if all of England depended on it he could not be sedate that night. In agreement with him Elizabeth smiled at Captain Blamey saying "Nor I, I hope our boisterous spirits do not jar upon you, sir," As quite a reserved character this may well have been the most animated and lively that Elizabeth ever presented in the saga. The scene does seem to depict a happily and newly married couple enjoying their social life together. Verity offered another and therefore third party perspective of them looking like this too when in book two (Demelza), she attended the same event years later and was reminiscing back. On this occasion she was saddened that Captain Blamey was not with her due to family objections. With him in mind; 'She thought: this is just like five years ago, we sat here like this and listened to some people flirting in the next alcove, and we looked at a drawing of a ship, and Elizabeth and Francis came in suddenly, quite newly married and flushed and happy....' (*)

Did Elizabeth ever love Francis Poldark?

Elizabeth, the loved but unloving? 

The woman who could not make up her mind is often a phase used to describe Elizabeth Warleggan, (formerly Elizabeth Poldark and nee' Chynoweth). The premise of the main story line for at least the first four books in the Poldark Saga stems from her decision not to wait for her teenage sweetheart Ross Poldark to return from the war and therefore not to honour her promise to marry him. The initial love triangle created is through her decision to instead marry his cousin Francis Poldark. Then after she later becomes a widow she marries Ross Poldark's worst enemy, George Warleggan. 

Whilst Winston Graham narrates that Elizabeth married George without loving him and we are not told that she ever came to do so, Graham is not at all clear in giving independent verification on whether she ever loved Francis. Although it has often been presumed that she did love Ross Poldark, curiously the narrator also never at any point confirms this either. The question of whether Elizabeth ever really loved Ross is explored in a series of blogs which starts with a first one called 'Keeping the Faith'. However if one is to say that Ross was the only man Elizabeth ever loved that would be saying that she never ever loved Francis.  Could that really be true?

A forced arrangement or a true love connection?

Indeed it is easy to get swept up in the rhetoric that Elizabeth only ever loved Ross and in doing so it is assumed that her 'mistake' was marrying Francis because she did not love him. It can then be assumed that this is the very reason her marriage to Francis was unsuccessful. The 2015-2019 BBC television adaption of Poldark may well have been primarily responsible for perpetuating the notion that Elizabeth was forced or at least heavily pressured by her parents into marrying Francis. Again this idea is explored in the blog 'Her own mind or her parent's mind?' However when considering whether Elizabeth did love Francis or was pushed to be with him, it is crucial to look at how they got together in the first place before next considering parental pressure.