Volu m e II - Purdue University Calumet

themselves to the work which it entails‟” (Houston 176). This demonstrates that as a woman Victoria
thought that she may not be fit for such a masculine position; however, she never abdicated her throne, and
Parliament and Victoria never gave Albert the power of a king (Houston 172). Therefore, Victoria must
have had faith in her abilities to rule England, but like all human beings, she occasionally doubted herself. It
is significant that Parliament assigned Albert the title of Prince Consort instead of king, for it suggests that
they were confident enough in Victoria to allow her to have more power than her husband. To solve
Victoria‟s paradoxical role and to justify her superiority over Albert, she asserted that “„this cannot now be
helped, and it is the duty of every one to fulfill all that they are called upon to do, in whatever situation they
may be!‟” (Houston 176). Victoria suggests that her role as England‟s queen is her assigned role in life, and
she believes that it is her duty and her destiny to fulfill it. She recognizes the hardships that come with filling
a stereotypically male role, but she confidently overcomes these obstacles in order to do what she needs to
do. Her public image, however, contrasts sharply with her private image.
Victoria‟s public image exemplified the role of the ideal middle-class wife and mother, but in
private she never allowed her traditional role to interfere with her royal power. Victoria‟s marriage to
Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha demonstrates this contradiction, for she was subordinate as well as
superior to him. Before her marriage to Albert she wrote a letter to her uncle Leopold describing their
relationship. She said, “„the English are very jealous at the idea of Albert‟s having any political power, or
meddling with affairs here—which I know from himself he will not do‟” (Arnstein 67). This suggests that
Victoria and Albert have an understanding that Albert‟s role is to support and assist her, not to rise above
her. This untraditional marriage demonstrates Victoria‟s role as a progressive and independent woman. The
marriage between Victoria and Albert is a role reversal of Ruskin‟s traditional views of Victorian marriage.
For the first two years of their marriage, Victoria denied Albert any political power, and she also did not
allow him to control their home. In a letter to a friend, Albert lamented that “[i]n my home life I am very
happy and contented; but the difficulty in filling my place with the proper dignity is, that I am only the
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