Wednesday, February 08, 2012

Lord Grantham on the Roof

After I posted the last bit about Downton Abbey, I realized that I hadn't made my prediction about Lady Sybil. Will she marry Branson, the IRA-sympathizing chauffeur?

Well--who else is there for her? How many men can these women even meet? And then it hit me--Julian Fellowes is mining Fiddler on the Roof for his plot points! Think about it--a man who has no sons, but too many unruly daughters.

Daughters of Downton

Fiddler's Daughters


In Fiddler, Tevye arranges a very lucrative and socially desirable marriage to the somewhat unattractive butcher for his oldest daughter Tzeitl. However, Tzeitl is in love with another man, and so doesn't want to marry the butcher. Lady Mary isn't actually going to marry Sir Richard, not while she is really in love with Matthew. It's just not going to happen, and I'll put money down on it.

Tevye's second daughter falls in love with a revolutionary, and when he is captured and sent to Siberia, she goes to him, leaving behind the comforts of her family. Lady Sybil isn't the second daughter, but she is totally going to commit to Branson, and they will be work to create the modern world.

Poor Lady Edith--Tevye's third daughter elopes with a non-Jew, and Tevye cannot accept the marriage outside the faith. He loves her, but treats her as if she has died. I can't quite make this one fit the template, since the Granthams aren't the least little bit religious, and I can't see what Edith could rebel against that had similar impact on the family.  Maybe she'll fall for "Peter Gordon" and emigrate to Canada?

We'll meet back here at the end of the series--or even series 3--to check on how well my predictions turned out.

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