BRIDGERTON CHARACTER ANALYSIS: THE DUKE OF HASTINGS, BLACK BYRONIC HERO (ESSAY)
WRITTEN BY
C HUES
FEBRUARY 27, 2021
Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings, is the male lead and deuteragonist of Bridgerton (Season 1).[1] Hastings is a character of color (black British); he represents an updated version of the Byronic hero, a character archetype which was typically reserved for white male characters.[2] Hastings exhibits traits of charisma and extreme intelligence. Daphne Bridgerton, a young woman who agrees to a ruse of a relationship with the Duke, eventually falls in love with him. Her love eventually transcends and overpowers the contempt and indignation the Duke has for his father and gradually helps the Duke come to value himself on his own merits. Through his relationship with Daphne, Hastings overcomes years of abuse from his father and frees himself from the shame of his past and his desire for vengeance.
The Duke exhibits myriad characteristics of the classic literary archetype, the Byronic hero. Dictionary.com describes the Byronic hero with the following qualities:
“Byronic heroes are characterized by having several particular traits. They may be angry, rebellious, seductive, and struggling with vices. They usually have high intelligence and emotional awareness—which tends to make them brood and be outsiders from society. And the Byronic hero is often tortured by guilt or a secret from his past. Shakespeare’s Hamlet is sometimes considered a Byronic hero, as are some of the heroes of the Gothic literature of the late 1700s. Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights has Heathcliff, and Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre has Rochester, both often-cited examples of classic Byronic heroes. But Byronic heroes aren’t confined to novels of the 1800s. Modern stories are full of examples. Take Batman, for example, who’s always wearing all black, brooding away in the Batcave, haunted by the murder of his parents, and acting outside the rules of society.”[3]
The Duke has a mercurial, volatile temperament in which he constantly struggles with feelings of detestation for his father, coupled with a cynical view of society. He is rebellious to his own detriment; Hastings’ feelings of aversion for his father cause him to react either angrily or violently towards those who compare him to the late Duke (regardless of whether the comparison is meant as a compliment or an insult). For example, when The Duke and Daphne are relaxing at the season’s first dance, Cressida Cowper’s mother tells Hastings that he looks just like his father; this intended compliment causes the latter’s smile to vanish and transform into a resentful scowl.[4] When the Duke’s best friend, Anthony, notices that his sister (Daphne) has become sullen and withdrawn (a few weeks after the Duke’s marriage to Daphne), he realizes immediately that Hastings is the source of it and has somehow emotionally disappointed her.[5] Although Anthony starts the argument, The Duke purposely provokes his brother-in-law just so that he can unleash his emotional frustration, “
Anthony: [Sitting with a drink] It is a fine color. And the bubbles…[satisfied exhale] Just right. Don’t get me wrong. I love a good brandy. But sometimes, nothing’ll do but a beer.
Hastings: Would you just get to the point?
Anthony: I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about.
Hastings: Yes, you do.
Anthony: You’re correct. I do. Just like I know that you’ve obviously made a considerable error with my sister.
Hastings: How, may I ask, could you infer that I was the one to make the error?
Anthony: Well, I know my sister quite well. And while she is an unusually capable woman, she is not capable of fucking up this severely.
Hastings: Do you lot ever get tired of pretending to be so perfect? It’s exhausting just watching you.
Anthony: We may not be perfect, but at least we keep our promises.
Hastings: You know nothing of my commitments. I am trying to be a man of my word. I am trying to keep—I would not expect you to understand.
Anthony: What do you mean by that?
Hastings: I mean that you leave a litany of broken promises behind you everywhere you go. Your duty to protect Daphne from Nigel Berbrooke? What about your own reckless affairs? Are you still seeing that opera singer you believe no one knows about?
Anthony: You judge me, yet you cannot possibly understand the responsibility of heading a family, because you’ve never had one.
Hastings: Ah, but Daphne is my family now, and there is no changing that. Though it is most unfortunate that I shall never quite reach the lofty ideal you have demonstrated.
Anthony: What is most unfortunate is the fact that your father was so absent, he never gave you a proper example of how to lead a household.
Hastings: [Pauses angrily] Well, you certainly make it look difficult.
Anthony: I beg your pardon.
Hastings: What with your constant struggles. You cannot manage it can you?
Anthony: Hastings—
Hastings: Your responsibility. You, fulfilling the promise that every firstborn son makes to his father before he dies. Do you think he is looking down on you now, ashamed—mortified at what you have done? I wonder, what would the former viscount say?”
The two then erupt into a brawl, which is broken up.[6]
Even after the fight, the Duke antagonizes Anthony with a wry smile and a caustic laugh.[7] Here we see the Duke sometimes escalates arguments into physical fights and reacts viciously towards other men in his life; he uses them as a substitute for the father he still wishes were alive only so that he could torment him further in revenge. When the Duke confronts Nigel Berbrooke (Berbrooke attempted to rape Daphne when she refused his advances, but she was able to knock him out and protect herself), he warns him to stay away from Daphne. By the end of their argument, the Duke goes into a rage and relentlessly beats Berbrooke nearly to death.[8] The Duke’s action was justified in that Berbooke was a predator who refused to stop his coercive and forceful pursuit of an uninterested woman. Berbrooke was sexually violent and devious, and he also disregarded any concept of consent by comparing Daphne to an animal that could be bought or sold. However, a substantial amount of the Duke’s anger towards Berbrooke was also channeled by feelings of hatred towards his father. Notice that the Duke does not immediately hit Berbrooke when they are discussing Daphne. He is angry at the latter’s treatment toward the eldest Bridgerton daughter and warns Nigel off, but he does not become truly wrathful and attack Berbrooke until his father is mentioned, “
Berbrooke: [follows the Duke down a pathway at night] Only me, Your Grace.
Hastings: Are you following me, Berbrooke? I thought this matter settled.
Berbrooke: It was settled until you had to go and spoil it. I implore you to speak again with the viscount. Last night was a mistake, I admit. A temporary lack of judgment. You understand that, do you not?
Hastings: There is not and never will be any kind of understanding between the two of us. Go home, Berbrooke.
Berbrooke: But you do not need her. You’re a duke. You already have the money, and the connections, and the standing. I need her. Why can you not just let me have this one?
Hastings: I think it really ought to be up to Miss Bridgerton.
Berbrooke: When I am buying a horse, I do not negotiate with the horse.
Hastings: Should you continue to follow me—
Berbrooke: Why then, have you not asked for her hand if you are so fond of her, and she is so smitten with you? Why have you not already proposed? Unless you have already had her. Well if you have, you must tell me. For if I had already known she was loose and damaged, not intact, I never would have—
Hastings: Stop talking [The Duke towers over Nigel and glares at him]. I shall not have you question the lady’s unimpeachable honor again.
Berbrooke: Yes. Yes, very well. That is all I had hoped to hear.
Hastings: You do not deserve to breathe the same air as her. Now, go home.
Berbrooke: And you do? I’ve heard the stories of your father, Hastings. I know how badly he wanted a son, an heir, and I know how badly he tried to get one when it seemed your poor mother could not deliver. If anyone were to ever turn a blind eye to a man’s temporary lack of judgment, it would be you. The apple should not fall very far, should it?
Hastings headbutts Berbrooke, and then viciously and repeatedly punches him until his face is almost unrecognizable.[9]
The Duke warns Berbrooke thrice about leaving Daphne alone, but he gives no warning upon hearing Berbrooke’s insults regarding the relationship between himself and his father. The timing of the Duke’s reaction seems to show that his love for Daphne is initially outweighed by feelings of hate for his father. This is further substantiated because immediately after the Duke finishes beating Berbrooke, a flashback of the Duke’s father is shown. Hastings’ father antagonized and treated him inhumanely through constant verbal and emotional abuse, simply because as a child he suffered with stuttering. The Duke’s interaction with his father seems to have left him with a disdain for talking extensively (although he hides the problem well and has mostly corrected it),[10] and he resorts to physical confrontation to solve his problems (where men are involved). An interesting theme is that the physical altercation that the Duke has between Nigel and Anthony are both a result of the comparison of the Duke to his father. Both altercations start as arguments centered on Daphne; they only get physical when a character mentions the Duke’s father. Although Daphne expresses her love for Hastings and tells him, “I burn for you”[11] and that she wishes for a family and life with him, his resentment for his dad is initially too great for him to supersede those feelings with what little love he can return for Daphne. For example, when the Duke realizes that his friend, Will, has thrown a boxing match so that Will’s family (his wife Alice and their children) can reap the benefits of the monetary bet that Lord Featherington has placed against him,[12] Hasting’s immediate reaction is anger instead of empathy. Hastings has just had an argument with his wife over his lie that he cannot father children (he simply chooses not to have kids, whereas she believed he was physically incapable of biologically fathering a child),[13] and instead of facing Daphne to work their problems out, he takes his frustration out on his friend:
Will: It appears I could have used that luck of yours today, Your Grace.
Hastings: Indeed. Though you still managed to put on quite a performance. If you needed another investor or more money, Will, you could have come to me.
Will: I appreciate the offer, friend, but I do not need your charity.
Hastings: What happened to your honor?
Will: My honor? Tell me, Your Grace, whatever could be more honorable besides taking care of one’s family? Besides doing what needs to be done?
Hastings: Is that what you hope to tell Alice? You truly believe she will come to understand your deceit?
Will: Perhaps you should stop worrying about my marriage, and instead put your mind to your own.
Hastings: That is not what this is about.
Will: Is it not? Because I’d be willing to wager your wife says differently.
Hastings: Watch yourself [closes in on Will in frustration]
Will: You’re angry, but not with me. So take it somewhere else, and finally do something about it.”
Will leaves the boxing tent, bumping into the Duke on the way out.[14]
Whenever the Duke becomes angry or enraged, his initial reaction is to get into a physical fight with another man. In the first episode, when Anthony confronts the Duke about the latter’s courtship with Daphne (he believes the Duke is a womanizer who has no intentions to marry his sister and is simply stringing her along), the Duke is seen boxing his friend Will. Anthony trades places with Will and he and the Duke exchange blows as they converse, with the Duke having the upper hand.[15] While boxing Anthony, the Duke has a flashback of his father.[16] Hasting’s father discovers that the Duke has difficulty speaking and insults his son by calling him “an imbecile.”[17] Virtually each time Hastings gets into a physical fight, he has recollections of his father’s mistreatment and verbal abuse towards him. When he cannot get into a fight, such as near the end of his honeymoon, he begins shooting game[18] (typically considered a masculine activity during the time in that English society). The Duke exhibits the traits common to Byronic heroes such as a quick temper, an inclination towards physical fighting, and an overall taciturn nature. He disdains qualities that are (wrongly) seen as feminine by society such as gossip and even talking in general, but his more masculine traits are largely exhibited and practiced to protect himself from experiencing the pain from his childhood.
Despite the Duke’s considerable intelligence (even from a young age he mentioned that he had been “receiving high marks in all of [his] studies” and was skilled at riding, fencing, and shooting),[19] his father was more concerned at the social implications of a son who had trouble speaking. However, his father’s intimidating presence and the pressure he put on the Duke to be flawless further led to the Duke’s difficulty with speech.[20] Will mentions to the Duke, “You always were a fast learner”,[21] and unfortunately this meant that Hastings sometimes learned quickly from the wrong person or learned the wrong lesson. The Duke’s father mentions that they “have been granted this line. The monarchy itself has declared it. But it will only remain ours so long as we remain extraordinary.”[22] Since the Queen, a black woman, married the King, a white man, black people in English society (in this fictionalized, alternate version of history) have been elevated to being on the same social status as whites.[23][24] The Duke’s father implies that although blacks have risen in English society, that their status can be snatched away from them once they show any signs of imperfection. The Duke seems to carry this lesson into adulthood when he dismisses Lady Danbury(his mother figure, who raised him after his father abandoned him)’s assessment that the King married a black woman which gave them the same protection and rights as whites. They discuss, “
Lady Danbury: I understand that you believe such subjects as love and devotion, affection and attachment, you find it all trite and frivolous. But have you any idea those very things are precisely what have allowed a new day to begin to dawn in this society? Look at our Queen, look at our King. Look at their marriage. Look at everything it is doing for us, allowing us to become. We were two separate societies, divided by color, until a King fell in love with one of us. Love, your Grace, conquers all.
Hastings: I believe that remains to be seen. The King may have chosen his Queen. He may have elevated us from novelties in their eyes to now dukes and royalty, and at that same whim, he may just as easily change his mind, a mind as we all know, that is hanging on by one very loose and tenuous thread. So no, I am sorry, Lady Danbury, we are in disagreement here. Love changes nothing.”[25]
The Duke’s cynicism about class and society is learned from his father, along with his initial inability to love. The Duke’s status as a black man, although only briefly mentioned, is one of the ways in which he represents a more diverse and updated version of the Byronic hero. Most Byronic heroes were traditionally white male characters and remain so to this day,[26] and although the show does not delve deep into the issues of the racial caste system that English society invented and thrust upon its people, Bridgerton still represents a start of progress for the Byronic hero archetype as representative of people of color as well as white people.
When the Duke is first seen in episode 2, he is shown sleeping with an unnamed woman;[27] Daphne implies before their marriage that Hastings had casual sex with multiple women.[28] The Duke also slyly brags about his womanizing to Daphne during the early stages of their ruse.[29] Further, Anthony criticizes Hastings’ copious one-night stands by saying that he is constantly “going in and out of brothels.”[30] The Duke has the Byronic hero trait of being charming or “seductive” in the eyes of women. His popularity has risen outside of the fictional world of Bridgerton; Hastings has become a character that has gained fandom and appreciation among female viewers of the show (also leading to appreciation of the Duke’s actor, Regé-Jean Page).[31][32][33] Daphne initially has fun with Hastings on her honeymoon, and even brags to one of her maids (who listens in with the other maids from a closed door when the two have intercourse) that her husband is a skilled lover.[34] What Daphne does not realize, is that although the two share a deep physical attraction and chemistry, her husband is more concerned with passion and feelings, whereas she genuinely loves him. The Duke’s womanizing ways, along with his secrets about his past (the vow he made to spite his father on the latter’s deathbed) lead Daphne to later question the Duke’s fidelity. When he comes home late after boxing with his friend, Will, they have the following exchange, “
Daphne: Where have you been all night?
Hastings: I did not think you concerned about my whereabouts.
Daphne: Is this truly what our marriage will be for the future? You out all night, doing God knows what with God knows whom?
Hastings: With whom? You wound me. Not three weeks since we were wed, yet you already imagine me disloyal.
Daphne: Is it such a wild imagining? We both know your reputation, Your Grace.”[35]
Before his marriage to Daphne, the Duke was a heavily desired potential suitor for many unmarried women. He complains about his predicament in episode 1, and thus he hatches a ruse for his benefit and Daphne’s (she agrees to the ruse, and benefits because she believes it will bring her potential suitors).[36] The Duke’s plan reveals his cunning and intelligence, but also substantiates his skills as a convincing liar. This scheme foreshadows his betrayal of Daphne, where he refuses to give her children but makes it appear as though he has a physical predicament preventing him from doing so.[37] Hastings and Daphne begin to experience genuine feelings for one another and marry; the Duke’s secret vow to his father that he will never father children[38] becomes even more damaging. The vow that he makes to a dead man remains more important to the marriage vows he made to his wife.[39] After Daphne discovers that the Duke has been lying to her and pulling out at the end of sex to prevent her pregnancy, she tricks her husband into a situation in which he cannot pull out. The following exchange occurs afterwards, “
Hastings: I told you I cannot give you children.
Daphne: “Cannot” and “will not” are two entirely different things. You chose this for yourself. You chose to lie to me.
Hastings: I did not lie. I thought you were prepared. I thought you understood how a child came to be.
Daphne: You took my future from me, the one thing I wanted more than anything. You knew, you knew that becoming a mother one day, to have a family of my own one day, you knew that was all I ever wanted.
Hastings: I was prepared to die on that dueling field rather than marry you and take your dream away. I would have died for you. You were the one who insisted on this union.”[40]
Although the Duke is correct that Daphne insisted on the marriage and he did not initially want to go through with it (although he reluctantly agreed),[41] he is incorrect in that he would have died on the dueling field for her. Certainly, Hastings would have died on the field because he refused to shoot Anthony and he accepted what he thought was his fate,[42] but the truth is that he would have died for his hatred for his father as opposed to his love for Daphne. Hastings has become so blinded by rage and revenge that when given the choice to marry a woman that he claims to love or dueling to the death to fulfill a vow of hate that he made to spite his father, he chooses the latter. Also, the Duke’s death on the dueling field would have ensured that he did not father children, which is exactly what Hastings wanted. Therefore, Hastings’ proclamation that he would have died for Daphne is a further continuation of a series of lies; Hastings would have died for only himself and his feelings of contempt for a dead man.
The Duke’s arrogance leads him to boast about his natural intelligence and charisma with women,[43] but his haughtiness also acts as a shield to disguise his inferiority complex and the sense that he can never measure up to his father’s ideals. The Duke mentions to Anthony during an argument about Daphne that the Bridgertons think themselves above everyone else. He castigates Anthony, snidely remarking, “Do you lot ever get tired of pretending to be so perfect?”[44] The Duke’s criticism of his wife and her entire family is more reflective of the Duke himself, as he is the one who comes up with the ruse with Daphne during the beginning of their relationship (which requires them to be nearly perfect in their deception). When Daphne expresses her anger toward her husband by saying that his “duplicity comes so naturally” to him, he returns her (critical, but accurate) remark with a sarcastic reply.[45] The Duke’s frequent use of sarcasm are rooted in the same defense mechanisms that allow him to frequently boast and brag about himself. When Daphne reads the letters that her husband sent to his father begging for his approval,[46] she realizes that the Duke’s feelings of hatred for his father can only be conquered with tenacity on her part. Just as the Duke stubbornly holds on to his wrath, Daphne convinces herself that she must stubbornly hold onto love. She sees that although her husband is wrong in his treatment towards her (by lying to her and subsequently ignoring her, and essentially giving up on their marriage), underneath all the Duke’s hate, he is simply still trying to win his father’s approval and become perfect in his eyes. When the Duke and Daphne plan what they believe to be their last ball, they extensively plot on how many dances they should have and meticulously comb through every detail to ensure that the event is perfect. However, as the dances for the ball take place outside, rain begins to unceremoniously pour down and ruin the evening for all the guests.[47] Once the guests leave, Daphne understands the lesson that the universe seems to be signaling to her: that regardless of how much anyone tries to achieve perfection, no one will be perfect, and that true love is to accept someone’s flaws in addition to their attributes. Daphne and the Duke engage in a conversation which finally makes the Duke realize that he loves his wife more than he hates his father, and that he cannot measure himself by anyone else’s ideals. Whereas his father could not accept the Duke because he struggled with speech (a condition which should not have been blamed on the Duke, and Hastings succeeded in nearly every other endeavor he took up), Daphne loves Hastings even after discovering his secret of shame. They discuss the futility of living up to anyone else’s ideals, “
Hastings: Daphne, I am so sorry.
Daphne: For what? Even a Duke cannot control the weather.
Hastings: I know that this is not what you had envisioned for the evening.
Daphne: Certainly not.
Hastings: And for that, I-
Daphne: It is better. I know why you made that vow to your father. I found the letters you wrote as a child, and I read them.
Hastings: Daphne—
Daphne: Just because something is not perfect—does not make it any less worthy of love. He made you believe that you needed to be without fault in order to be loved, but he was wrong. Should you need any proof of the matter, then—then look just here. I am tired of pretending. And I cannot continue acting as if I—as if I do not love you. Because I do. I love all of you. Even the parts that you believe are too dark and too shameful. Every scar. Every flaw. Every imperfection. I love you. You may think you are too damaged and too broken to ever allow yourself to be happy, but you can choose differently, Simon. You can choose to love me as much as I love you. That should not be up to anyone else. That cannot be up to anyone else. It can only be up to you.[48]
During the exchange, as the Duke blames himself for the rain that put an early end to their ball, Daphne corrects him and tells him that he cannot blame himself for things beyond his control. Similarly, the Duke spent years blaming himself for being born with a speech impediment (and struggling with stuttering and muteness), both of which were not things that he brought upon himself or could control. Daphne’s words of love and her refusal to give up on understanding her husband cause him to change and finally reciprocate her love, and they soon have a son.[49] Daphne gets the family she always wanted, but the Duke also gets the family he needs to finally overcome his past.
The Duke is a new, revamped version of the Byronic hero archetype. Hastings exhibits traits of charm and deep intelligence. He has substantial wealth and land, a brooding temperament, womanizing ways, and a shameful secret which he keeps hidden from everyone around him. However, the Duke, as a character of color, represents a change in the perception of what a Byronic hero should and could look like. The Duke is initially blinded by rage and revenge, but the love that Daphne Bridgerton gives him helps him to become a better man, husband, and eventually father who lives life on his own values and standards.
[1] Van Dusen, Chris; Rhimes, Shonda; Beers, Betsy; Quinn Julia. Bridgerton, Season 1. Episodes 1-8. 2020.
[2] “Byronic Hero.” Dictionary.com, Dictionary.com, www.dictionary.com/browse/byronic-hero. Accessed February 27, 2021.
[3] Ibid. “Byronic Hero.” Dictionary.com.
[4] Van Dusen, Chris; Rhimes, Shonda; Beers, Betsy; Quinn Julia. Bridgerton, Season 1. Episode 1. 2020.
[5] Van Dusen, Chris; Rhimes, Shonda; Beers, Betsy; Quinn Julia. Bridgerton, Season 1. Episode 7. 2020.
[6] Ibid. Episode 7.
[7] Ibid. Episode 7.
[8] Van Dusen, Chris; Rhimes, Shonda; Beers, Betsy; Quinn Julia. Bridgerton, Season 1. Episode 2. 2020.
[9] Ibid. Episode 2, 5, 8.
[10] Van Dusen, Chris; Rhimes, Shonda; Beers, Betsy; Quinn Julia. Bridgerton, Season 1. Episode 5, 8. 2020.
[11] Van Dusen, Chris; Rhimes, Shonda; Beers, Betsy; Quinn Julia. Bridgerton, Season 1. Episode 5. 2020.
[12] Van Dusen, Chris; Rhimes, Shonda; Beers, Betsy; Quinn Julia. Bridgerton, Season 1. Episode 8. 2020.
[13] Van Dusen, Chris; Rhimes, Shonda; Beers, Betsy; Quinn Julia. Bridgerton, Season 1. Episode 6. 2020.
[14] Van Dusen, Chris; Rhimes, Shonda; Beers, Betsy; Quinn Julia. Bridgerton, Season 1. Episode 8.
[15] Van Dusen, Chris; Rhimes, Shonda; Beers, Betsy; Quinn Julia. Bridgerton, Season 1. Episode 2. 2020.
[16] Ibid. Episode 2.
[17] Ibid. Episode 2.
[18] Van Dusen, Chris; Rhimes, Shonda; Beers, Betsy; Quinn Julia. Bridgerton, Season 1. Episode 7. 2020.
[19] Van Dusen, Chris; Rhimes, Shonda; Beers, Betsy; Quinn Julia. Bridgerton, Season 1. Episode 2. 2020.
[20] Ibid. Episode 2.
[21] Ibid. Episode 2.
[22] Ibid. Episode 2.
[23] Stuever, Hank. “Review | In ‘Bridgerton,’ Shonda Rhimes Stakes a Sumptuous, Provocative Claim on Netflix – and the Traditional Period Drama.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 23 Dec. 2020, www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/bridgerton-netflix-shonda-rhimes-review/2020/12/22/74503aa0-43c6-11eb-975c-d17b8815a66d_story.html. Accessed February 27, 2021.
[24] VanArendonk, Kathryn. “Bridgerton Is a Heady, Inviting Fantasy of Pleasure and True Love.” Vulture, Vulture, 21 Dec. 2020, www.vulture.com/article/bridgerton-review-netflix-series-shondaland.html. Accessed February 27, 2021.
[25] Van Dusen, Chris; Rhimes, Shonda; Beers, Betsy; Quinn Julia. Bridgerton, Season 1. Episode 4. 2020.
[26] “Byronic Hero.” Dictionary.com, Dictionary.com, www.dictionary.com/browse/byronic-hero.
[27] Van Dusen, Chris; Rhimes, Shonda; Beers, Betsy; Quinn Julia. Bridgerton, Season 1. Episode 2. 2020.
[28] Van Dusen, Chris; Rhimes, Shonda; Beers, Betsy; Quinn Julia. Bridgerton, Season 1. Episode 4. 2020.
[29] Van Dusen, Chris; Rhimes, Shonda; Beers, Betsy; Quinn Julia. Bridgerton, Season 1. Episode 2. 2020.
[30] Ibid. Episode 2.
[31] Fallon, Claire, et al. “’Bridgerton’ Is An Intoxicating Romantic Fantasy Dressed Up Like A Period Piece.” HuffPost, HuffPost, 22 Dec. 2020, www.huffpost.com/entry/netflix-bridgerton-review_n_5fe0c2e8c5b60f82885877f2.
[32] Gilcrease, Grayson. 24 Photos of Regé-Jean Page That Even Lady Whistledown Would Swoon Over, www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/entertainment-celebrity/move-over-mr-darcy-reg-c3-a9-jean-page-is-the-regency-era-man-of-our-dreams/ss-BB1c9tqX. Accessed February 27, 2021.
[33] Spade, David. The Netflix Afterparty, E2: Bridgerton. January 23, 2021.
[34] Van Dusen, Chris; Rhimes, Shonda; Beers, Betsy; Quinn Julia. Bridgerton, Season 1. Episode 6. 2020.
[35] Van Dusen, Chris; Rhimes, Shonda; Beers, Betsy; Quinn Julia. Bridgerton, Season 1. Episode 7. 2020.
[36] Van Dusen, Chris; Rhimes, Shonda; Beers, Betsy; Quinn Julia. Bridgerton, Season 1. Episode 1. 2020.
[37] Van Dusen, Chris; Rhimes, Shonda; Beers, Betsy; Quinn Julia. Bridgerton, Season 1. Episode 4,6. 2020.
[38] Van Dusen, Chris; Rhimes, Shonda; Beers, Betsy; Quinn Julia. Bridgerton, Season 1. Episode 2. 2020.
[39] Van Dusen, Chris; Rhimes, Shonda; Beers, Betsy; Quinn Julia. Bridgerton, Season 1. Episode 6. 2020.
[40] Van Dusen, Chris; Rhimes, Shonda; Beers, Betsy; Quinn Julia. Bridgerton, Season 1. Episode 6. 2020.
[41] Van Dusen, Chris; Rhimes, Shonda; Beers, Betsy; Quinn Julia. Bridgerton, Season 1. Episode 4. 2020.
[42] Ibid. Episode 4.
[43] Van Dusen, Chris; Rhimes, Shonda; Beers, Betsy; Quinn Julia. Bridgerton, Season 1. Episode 2. 2020.
[44] Van Dusen, Chris; Rhimes, Shonda; Beers, Betsy; Quinn Julia. Bridgerton, Season 1. Episode 7. 2020.
[45] Ibid. Episode 7.
[46] Van Dusen, Chris; Rhimes, Shonda; Beers, Betsy; Quinn Julia. Bridgerton, Season 1. Episode 8. 2020.
[47] Ibid. Episode 8.
[48] Ibid. Episode 8.
[49] Ibid. Episode 8.