The Empress and the Duchess are similar characters, mirroring each other throughout the story. Cavendish uses the Empress, the main character of The Blazing World, as a foil for the Duchess—that is, as a foil for both the Duchess character in the novel and for Cavendish herself. Through this foil relationship, the Empress becomes a tool to represent Cavendish’s own philosophical and political beliefs as she explores the Blazing World and returns to her home world. When the Duchess is introduced as a character further into the story, she instantly becomes close friends with the Empress because of their similar viewpoints and values. Cavendish later writes:
[...] finding [the Duchess] not a flattering parasite, but a true friend; and, in truth, such was their Platonic friendship, as these two loving souls did often meet and rejoice in each other’s conversation.
The Empress and the Duchess are described as true Platonic friends who “rejoice in each other’s conversation.” Given the Empress’s foil status as a vehicle for Cavendish’s arguments and thought experiments, this statement highlights the similarities between these two characters. The Duchess is an advisor to the Empress, giving her advice about how to make her Cabbala and later to reestablish the strict principle of unity in the government and society of the Blazing World.
Cavendish directly discusses this relationship in her epilogue letter.
By this poetical description, you may perceive, that my ambition is not only to be Empress, but Authoress of a whole world [...] for concerning the Philosophical World, I am Empress of it myself; and as for the Blazing World, it having an Empress already, who rules it with great wisdom and conduct, which Empress is my dear Platonic friend
Here, Cavendish outlines a clear parallel between herself and the Empress. Cavendish is the Empress and “Authoress” of her fictional, philosophical world, just as the Empress is the ruler of the Blazing World. In this way, the Empress is a foil for Cavendish, representing Cavendish’s own desires for autonomy as well as her philosophical and political beliefs of what makes an ideal world. This points to Cavendish’s overarching argument about the value of fantasy and imagination, as well as her political support of monarchy.
The Empress and the Duchess are similar characters, mirroring each other throughout the story. Cavendish uses the Empress, the main character of The Blazing World, as a foil for the Duchess—that is, as a foil for both the Duchess character in the novel and for Cavendish herself. Through this foil relationship, the Empress becomes a tool to represent Cavendish’s own philosophical and political beliefs as she explores the Blazing World and returns to her home world. When the Duchess is introduced as a character further into the story, she instantly becomes close friends with the Empress because of their similar viewpoints and values. Cavendish later writes:
[...] finding [the Duchess] not a flattering parasite, but a true friend; and, in truth, such was their Platonic friendship, as these two loving souls did often meet and rejoice in each other’s conversation.
The Empress and the Duchess are described as true Platonic friends who “rejoice in each other’s conversation.” Given the Empress’s foil status as a vehicle for Cavendish’s arguments and thought experiments, this statement highlights the similarities between these two characters. The Duchess is an advisor to the Empress, giving her advice about how to make her Cabbala and later to reestablish the strict principle of unity in the government and society of the Blazing World.
Cavendish directly discusses this relationship in her epilogue letter.
By this poetical description, you may perceive, that my ambition is not only to be Empress, but Authoress of a whole world [...] for concerning the Philosophical World, I am Empress of it myself; and as for the Blazing World, it having an Empress already, who rules it with great wisdom and conduct, which Empress is my dear Platonic friend
Here, Cavendish outlines a clear parallel between herself and the Empress. Cavendish is the Empress and “Authoress” of her fictional, philosophical world, just as the Empress is the ruler of the Blazing World. In this way, the Empress is a foil for Cavendish, representing Cavendish’s own desires for autonomy as well as her philosophical and political beliefs of what makes an ideal world. This points to Cavendish’s overarching argument about the value of fantasy and imagination, as well as her political support of monarchy.
