Poldark: Elizabeth - George And The Money Marriage Pt2 (Changeable And Fickle In Love)

 

In the previous post, which is the part one of this topic on the changeable and fickle nature of Elizabeth's love, her changes of mind regarding her love interests Ross and Francis were highlighted as a strong theme in Elizabeth's story and character. To recap a little, rather than blow up like a burning fire greater and stronger than ever before, Elizabeth's love for Ross Poldark diminished in his absence. Then, after his return she claimed by her words that her feelings for him changed again on another two separate occasions. These will be explored more fully in the post 'Three Changes Of Mind Loving Ross Poldark'. 

As for Francis, Elizabeth's change of heart came about with the birth of their first child who Elizabeth directed all her love to instead. Describing Geoffrey Charles (and not Ross) as Francis's 'more powerful rival' Graham narrated that for Elizabeth motherhood was an 'all absorbing task' where '...ordinary duties became void.' Also, as their financial situation became dire Elizabeth lacked motivation to work on her marriage even after Francis had changed his more reckless ways, was more positively focused and also when Graham narrated that their relationship had become kinder. As Elizabeth explained to Morwenna, by that time she was just 'tolerating' him.  

In this post Elizabeth's change of mind concerning George is the focus. In this there is the idea that contrary to her lack of motivation to save her marriage with Francis, her willingness to do this with George in many ways only highlights a fickleness in terms of love not being the driving force to this. Indeed the fickleness that underpinned her relationship with George and the reasons she formed a relationship with him in the first place will also be in focus.

George: The One Who Didn't Stand a Chance Until She Needed Him 

Although Elizabeth had not loved George, there was still an element of a change in her mind that she had regarding her relationship with him too. When Ross in the sixth book 'The Four Swans', met Elizabeth at the church graveyard and told her that "He (George) has wanted you since he first saw you....But I never dreamed he had a chance." Elizabeth who was then married to George answered "Neither did I." 

The Defection And Possession Of Elizabeth (Ross Poldark Vs George Warleggan Pt3)

This is the third post in the series covering the feud between Ross and George and in the main it covers and takes us up to the end of the fourth book 'Warleggan'. The main theme here is George successfully tempting the disloyalty of Francis and Elizabeth towards Ross in favour of him, and Ross's violent reaction to this. Indeed the theme establishes that disloyalty was somewhat of an Achilles heel to Ross and that whilst disloyalty by his friends could evoke violence from Ross, on the other hand his own loyalty towards his friends could equally bring Ross to violence against George in defence of them. As will be addressed below it did for Francis and Demelza. Also just like with the last post in the Ross vs George series, ('Encroachment And Plans to Kill A Cat') there is still a theme of encroachment in this post too as George makes the ultimate move with this with Ross's 'greatest friend' Elizabeth and through this also an encroachment of the Poldark ancestral home. However it is also the case that in some significant way, and to Elizabeth's dishonour (and very much his own!) Ross returned the favour by quite literally taking by force George's new 'possession' of Elizabeth before later then making a significant turnaround in this feud and trying to reach out to George in peace.

Spotlight on Elizabeth 

Along with George, Elizabeth particularly gets a spotlight in this post because she is regarded as some sort of a 'prize' to be gained in the feud. She would be the potential prize wife to George and as the idealised 'ideal woman' who was Ross's first love, in some way her friendship was important to him and something he wrongfully expected came with some loyalty towards him if faced with a choice between him and George. The defection of Elizabeth's loyalty from Ross to George cannot be ignored as it is the trigger to the climax of the love triangles and ultimately paved the way for resolution in the all important Ross and Demelza love story. Although it did however continue the misery in the stories of George and Elizabeth.

Encroachments And Plans To Kill A Cat (Ross Poldark Vs George Warleggan Pt2)

This is the second post that covers the enmity between Ross Poldark and George Warleggan. The previous part one post 'Seed of Enmity, Fruit of War' went right up to the end of the second book 'Demelza'  and covered the tame beginning to their relationship from distant friends or perhaps just acquantances, to full blown hostilty between them. From George's attempts to sabotage Ross's business ventures, thiers was a hostility which had eventually resulted in Ross unleashing absolute warfare on George's ship (the 'Queen Charlotte'). After discovering it shipwrecked on the coast of Hendrawna beach Ross had effectively stage managed a full scale theft of it. Where he and George had not even had any dialogue with each other, or any particularly hostile encounters at all in the first book (and even towards the middle of the second), by the end of this second book ('Demelza') Ross and George had undoubtedly become each other's greatest enemies. Moving on this post looks at how their enmity continued to pick up pace from the third book 'Jeremy Poldark' through to just before the climax of it in the fourth 'Warleggan'. 

Fighting Encroachments With Encroachment

On George's part Ross's attack on his ship was a crude encroachment on his property and business. So to begin with if there was to be any recompense for this, then it could have been through the trial where charges against Ross included for his misadventure against George's ship (plundering). The trial actually dominated much of this third book ('Jeremy Poldark'). It was quite key in the next stage of their feud and also key in escalating it further. However at this stage, going forward, for some time it really did seem like the malicious activity in the feud was to be all on George's side. Whilst he even organised a smear campaign against Ross by spreading printed gossip, Ross had no time for the feud and was mainly consumed with grief from his daughter's death, together with the stress of his financial and legal issues. 

Seeds of Enmity, Fruit of War ( Ross Poldark Vs George Warleggan Pt1)

 

'Seeds of enmity had been sown time and again but never reached fruit. It seemed that the whole weight of years was coming to bear at once.'

Demelza (Book four/Chapter three)

George Warleggan is a major and vital character in Poldark. In this he played an antagonist role to Ross Poldark. He did so in antagonising Ross's business ventures, brushes with the law, and also in his friendships and love interests. When examining the relationship between Ross and George and how things escalated it seems clear that at the heart of it rested George's inferiority complex and his frustrations that Ross seemed to show no real respect or fear of him and was stubbornly unwilling to patronise him in any way. George's inability to forget an insult in particular drove his bitterness and hostility towards Ross to no end. As Ross somehow managed in the long game to rise above adversity and be well regarded and popular, George who might have thought him unfairly privileged seemed to at times feel a kind of resentment for him akin to jealousy. But for Ross, his growing contempt for George seemed rooted in his disdain for George's character and principles but also (and mainly) due to George's determination to impose an 'oppressive influence' not just over worthy and poorer men but over him too. It is in their clashes together that Graham showed that aside from insults made against his wife Demelza, the thing that Ross took as the next greatest offence was dealing with disloyalty from his friends in favour of George whom he eventually regarded as his greatest enemy. Except for with Demelza where Ross's love for her always seemed to overpower any anger directed to her regarding her errors of judgment, it would be raging anger that would eventually push Ross to violent reactions in the saga and in relation to disloyalty from Francis and Elizabeth Poldark. 

What is also evident in the Ross and George story is that George would forever be consigned to bitterness against Ross but Ross did ultimately seek and reach out for peace with George or a 'live and let live' cease fire. Against his better wishes he would nevertheless find himself in an eternal battle with George that would last the full duration of the saga. Covering to the end of the second book this first blog journeys through this and sees how from a seed of enmity their hostile relationship built up gradually and grew into fruit of war.

Unfriendly School Days (Oil & Water)

It would be a misconception to think that George and Ross regarded themselves as clear enemies from the start of the Poldark story. The latest television adaption (2015-2019) inserted new story content that Ross bullied George in childhood and that at a point he even cruelly taunted him with frogs. This is not from the original and true Poldark story of the books. Instead it is still clear from the early school days that George and Ross were not close within a friendship circle. Agatha alluded to this when George visited Trenwith in the fourth book 'Warleggan'. Taking him down memory lane as he was on his way out of the Trenwith Estate from visiting Elizabeth, she told him "You were always Francis's friend. I remember, never Ross's."  

As well as this Graham reflectively narrated in 'The Angry Tide'  how Agatha had come to have a resentment for George but had suffered him only 'because he was a schoolfriend of Francis and '..she had witnessed his insignificance and gradual growth to significance.'  Indeed Graham seemed to draw out George's insecurities and the wound that this period of 'insignificance' had instilled in George when in their 'Warleggan' conversation Agatha had gone on to mention that he had been nervous on his first visit to Trenwith as a child and did not have the wealth then that he had since acquired. Evidently hitting his sore spot George told her "You remind me of forgotten things, old Woman. Die soon,..."  A couple of George's comments here and there give a better idea of his relationship with Ross in school. He once told Elizabeth in 'Jeremy Poldark'  that it was something fundamental that he and Ross never saw "eye to eye" when they were at school and to his second wife Harriett Warleggan in the ninth book 'The Miller's Dance' he said "Ross and I...since the days we were at school together we have never found pleasure in each other's company...We are oil and water. There are few things he and I agree on..." But whilst it is clear they were far from best friends in the second book 'Demelza' Graham reported that 'These two had been inimical since their school days but had never come to an outright clash.'