‘The Dangling Man’

Last night, before going to bed, I was watching a drama series on Netflix called CROWN. It deals primarily with the life of Queen Elizabeth the Second, of England along with a mesmerising portrayal of the British monarchy and it’s ways of conduct. I was on episode 8 of Season 3 which was titled ‘The Dangling Man,’ and it culminated displaying the death of the Duke of Windsor, Edward the Eighth. For those of you who do not know, he was a former King of England who abdicated upon his decision to marry Wallis Simpson, against the will of his family and the Parliamentary establishment.

From the start, his character is depicted as a man caught between his obligations as a former King, being a member of the Royal Family and his love for Wallis Simpson. He had to live in exile for the rest of his life following the abdication, as he was asked not to return to England. He was always greeted with a great deal of hostility, be it from his family or his subjects. He was blamed for the untimely ailment and death of King George the Sixth, his younger brother, who was forced to accept the throne because he was the next in line to be the heir.

I groomed this blog with some background details so as to effectively describe the thoughts that kept haunting me all through the night. From the beginning, I had a mixed emotion when I looked at this character. He is portrayed as a self- centred person who is often seen partying with his wife and friends without a care in the world, when in England, there was a young Queen, recently crowned, who was apprehensive of her abilities and was struggling with her liabilities. But, the series did not fail to showcase the gloomy thoughts of repentance and regret that lurked in the corner of the Duke’s thoughts even amidst all these celebrations.

In this particular episode, he is seen in his last moments trying to guide Charles, the Prince of Wales who is to follow his mother to the throne. It explained how the British establishment branded a man who showed individualism as a rebel and a threat to the age old complying nature of the Crown. It had me wondering about how a Crown on your head doesn’t always mean independence or freedom of opinion. Many a time, the Queen is also shown to be experiencing a similar conundrum. The old and sick character of the Duke, who had his final meeting with the Queen, whom he jokingly called ‘Shirley Temple’, asked her for her forgiveness when the Queen reiterated how thankful she was for giving her an opportunity to realize her true potential and power.

I just wanted to say that whenever you think of skipping a dream or a goal or a little piece of your thought that contributes to the making of who you really are, just picture yourself old and wrinkled like the Duke, laying all tired, waiting for your peaceful passing. (P.S: I’m aware that it’s not a pleasant advice!) The Duke’s decisions might have had it’s positive and negative consequences of which I’m nobody to judge. But, the picturization of his death scene ignited this little thought in me. If you are not able to see yourself in such a scenario without even the slightest regret creeping up your mind, no fear of judgements or ‘abdications’ are worth stopping you from going for your desires. In the end, there’s only you and your thoughts. If you want to rest in peace, you ought to live and leave in peace!