Prompt #224: Mad
In opera, there are two distinct patterns to life. It can be a comedy, with the heroine triumphing gloriously against all odds, falling happily in love with the hero, and singing in a charming finale proclaiming the joys of good living. Comedies are fun, but can sometimes seem overly sweet, as if someone has poured a cup of sugar into a meringue and mixed in some treacle. Or it can be a tragedy...
Tragedies, however, are more ambiguous. Things usually start out well enough. The heroine is in love, and (to all appearances) has a good life ahead of her. Then, for various reasons, she is put up against forces that she cannot hope to withstand. Sometimes these forces are external--a lover leaving, a friend dying, an inheritance being stolen. More often, however, they are internal--a "tragic flaw" corrupting and twisting the heroine's personality into something darker and weaker. This path leads invariably to madness and death.
As a student, Bella always thought that she was more prepared than her mother and little Maria to deal with the "real world." Real tragedy is not like that in the opera or popular literature. Even at a young age, even in her seemingly idyllic life, Bella knew that much.
And then, real tragedy struck Bella's world. Maria Carlotta was struck the hardest, sent reeling into an internal world so similar to that she had performed years ago. Mrs. Moriarty did not commit hari-kari. She did not stab herself, or drink poison, or find herself chained in an attic. She lived. Pathetically, in Bella's point-of-view, but living nonetheless.
Bella did not go mad--not overtly, at least. She worked on her book, lectured her students, and got into near-screaming matches with one of the most respected members of the English aristocracy. She rode her bicycle and put up with Lestrade's unending suspicions. She also lived, and (in her own mind) was a stronger person than her mother.
That being said...
There were moments when Bella felt that her own breaking point was not far off. When the information she needed was seemingly out of reach. When her students refused to listen. When Mrs. Eldritch threatened to dismiss her. There were moments when she felt as if she was being backed into a corner, with no clear direction to turn.
She pushed these worries quickly from her mind. If anyone asked, she was perfectly fine. Everything was fine. To admit otherwise would be to admit weakness...
...And that would certainly cause her to go mad.
Muse: Bella Moriarty
Fandom: Sherlock Holmes: The Musical
Word Count: 420
Tragedies, however, are more ambiguous. Things usually start out well enough. The heroine is in love, and (to all appearances) has a good life ahead of her. Then, for various reasons, she is put up against forces that she cannot hope to withstand. Sometimes these forces are external--a lover leaving, a friend dying, an inheritance being stolen. More often, however, they are internal--a "tragic flaw" corrupting and twisting the heroine's personality into something darker and weaker. This path leads invariably to madness and death.
As a student, Bella always thought that she was more prepared than her mother and little Maria to deal with the "real world." Real tragedy is not like that in the opera or popular literature. Even at a young age, even in her seemingly idyllic life, Bella knew that much.
And then, real tragedy struck Bella's world. Maria Carlotta was struck the hardest, sent reeling into an internal world so similar to that she had performed years ago. Mrs. Moriarty did not commit hari-kari. She did not stab herself, or drink poison, or find herself chained in an attic. She lived. Pathetically, in Bella's point-of-view, but living nonetheless.
Bella did not go mad--not overtly, at least. She worked on her book, lectured her students, and got into near-screaming matches with one of the most respected members of the English aristocracy. She rode her bicycle and put up with Lestrade's unending suspicions. She also lived, and (in her own mind) was a stronger person than her mother.
That being said...
There were moments when Bella felt that her own breaking point was not far off. When the information she needed was seemingly out of reach. When her students refused to listen. When Mrs. Eldritch threatened to dismiss her. There were moments when she felt as if she was being backed into a corner, with no clear direction to turn.
She pushed these worries quickly from her mind. If anyone asked, she was perfectly fine. Everything was fine. To admit otherwise would be to admit weakness...
...And that would certainly cause her to go mad.
Muse: Bella Moriarty
Fandom: Sherlock Holmes: The Musical
Word Count: 420