March 14, 2025
Thanks to Alissa Simon, HMU Tutor, for today’s post.
“You should see me in a crown/ Your silence is my favorite sound.” – Billie Eilish
In Act II, Scene 3 of the First Part of Shakespeare’s Henry VI, the French Countess of Auvergne attempts to trick Talbot, the leader of the English army. She invites the soldier to her castle in order to trap him. A strong believer in chivalry, Talbot acquiesces. He knows it’s a possible trap and plans accordingly.
When the Countess sees Talbot, she exclaims, “What! Is this the man?” She continues to belittle his size and ego. Perhaps he is small or unimpressive. Perhaps she’s playing a card. Perhaps she is impressed but doesn’t want to show it. The decision is left entirely to the actors and director because there is no real indication of Talbot’s actual appearance. We do know that he is a valuable warrior and a good tactician who has had many successful campaigns, often referred to as the scourge of the French. The reader does know that the Countess is hoping for a prize. If she could only catch this Talbot, she will gain power, prestige, honor, perhaps even money. Of course, Talbot’s army quickly surrounds her and she relents.
We then meet young princess Margaret near the end of the play. In Act V, Scene 2, Suffolk stumbles upon Margaret during the siege of Angiers where he claims her as a prisoner. Throughout this brilliant scene, Margaret and Suffolk dance with language, often speaking to the audience instead of each other. The flirtatious behavior suits the scene in which Suffolk is immediately in love. In terms of beauty alone, Margaret compares well with Snow White. Suffolk calls her beautiful, like a swan. Unlike Snow White, however, she speaks with wit. Unafraid, we see Margaret’s spirits rise with her ambition. In this wonderful rendition from 1963, Suffolk (played by William Squire) finds himself entranced. The banter mixes scenes 3 and 5 to demonstrate Suffolk’s ambition, but only hints at Margaret’s resourcefulness. Much of this resource, however, stems from her beauty. Like Neil Gaiman’s darker version of Snow White in Snow, Glass, Apples, Margaret also turns out to be a bit more lethal than first imagined.
The Countess opens the play and Margaret closes it. For me, these characters merge into fairy tale-esque roles probably because I have spent the past few months tucked inside of various fairy tales. I find the difference between the Countess and Margaret to be something like the difference between Snow White and the Queen. The Countess, we understand, is old enough to have some fortune and independence. She has a porter and messenger. She has riches. She resides in her own castle. She has time to devise the trap of Talbot. Is she a patriot in service of her king? Or is she seeking something personal, something ambitious? When played by Joanna McCallum (1983 BBC production), the Countess has an air of superiority and pride. She doesn’t even flinch when Talbot breaks the trap with the forced entrance of his troops. Instead, she merely bows to the greater strength. Talbot, enchanted with notions of chivalry, asks for a bit of food and wine. Trevor Peacock as Talbot fawns and admires the Countess, even kissing her hand and then walking together down the hall as if to a ball. Perhaps the soldier in him is attracted by her ambition. Whatever the truth, the Countess quickly acquiesces to the flattery. This temperament fits Snow White’s Queen as well, always ambitious, always adventurous, but also always seeking flattery.
On the other hand, Margaret appears to be the opposite of the Queen. She finds herself in the trap but plays the game better than Suffolk. Though placed in a precarious spot, she gains in the end. Margaret is beautiful and youthful, much like Snow White. Unlike the popular fairy princess, however, Margaret is not naive. She goes toe to toe with Suffolk, bartering and bantering. This youthful beauty has ambition and bends everything to her desire.
The Countess and Margaret depict the reality of age against beauty. And the beautiful virgin wields untold power in nearly every version of the tale.
Photo credit: Shutterstock/ Ironika
