Edward and Bella. He's a brooding predator, who can't help but love his prey
THE BYRONIC HERO
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Damon is the ideal hero that women fantasize about. He, along with many many other males (Stefan included) epitomise the trope of the Byronic hero. A Byronic hero is a dark, tortured male character who is tormented por a tragic flaw of some kind, or a past traumatic event that haunts him even today. He is usually intelligent, passionate, a social outcast, ridiculously good looking, socially dominant/imposing, and cannot be put in the category of either good or bad. He most commonly has everything a man could want. Good looks, wealth and power, but he is always missing something, He is always in need of healing or fixing, and that is where the heroine comes in.
amor REDEEMS
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The heroine's function is usually to heal and redeem. She can amor the pain away and turn him into a better person. She fills the void in his heart, and for some reason that even the hero cannot decipher, she's his weakness. He would risk his life to save her (which happens ALL.THE.TIME) and although he is physically and sometimes socially dominant and possesses a danger to her, he would sooner die than harm her.
This is the trope that dominates our romance novels and popular blockbusters; the virtuous heroine who falls desperately in amor with the dark and tortured hero and his amor for her saves/heals/redeems him. Twilight, Jane Eyre, Fifty Shades of Grey, True Blood, The Vampire Diaries, to name a few all contain this trope. I am por no means immune to it. I have absolutely nothing against this trope, in fact I find it super romantic. Its catnip for girls. Perhaps it appeals to the feminine desire to heal? To feel needed? Ask a psychologist, I don't know. All I know is that I like it. It melts my bones and makes me sigh while clutch my travesseiro at night.
CHECK OUT THIS AWESOME ARTICLE!
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However. As romantic and as coração warming as this trope is, its not my ideal. I crave tales where the heroine is mais than just a symbol of the hero's redemption. Where a heroine is just as powerful, intelligent, and is in no way the hero's subordinate. Where she faces her own moral/social dilemmas and is just as capable of destroying those around her as much as the hero. Basically, I want a heroine who is the hero's equal. Its not impossible. I've seen a few. Gossip Girl's Chuck and Blair for example. (Please excuse me if I am in err. I only watched the first two seasons of the show) Or perhaps Gone With The Wind's Rhett and Scarlett. These pairings have an uncommon trait of both characters being unconventional. Neither one is looking to be healed as they are very happy with who they are and they don't want anybody to change them and make them better as they are perfectly satisfied with their own shortcomings. A couple that is not looking to be fixed, but loved. The problem though with the aforementioned couples for me, is that the hero is waaaaay mais virile at the beginning of relationship. For my ideal couple, the pair is absolutely equal. Even sexually.
The Seductress/The vamp
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Below is an excerpt from the website.
"Assertive, strong and clever. Calculating and savvy. Has power over others due to her charm and desirability. Often has emotional baggage, creating a distrustful and manipulative personality. All relationships must serve a purpose. Narcissistic, she takes far mais than she gives. She is valued for her surface charms and siren song. Examples include Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct, Lolita, Scarlett O’Hara, Rebecca Sharp in Vanity Fair, Eva Peron, Shakespeare’s Cleopatra, Jamie Lee Curtis in A peixe Called Wanda, many trophy wives, many celebrities. This woman is catnip to men, but should perhaps be viewed as poisonous erva-moura, nightshade, pretinha instead." Poor Katherine. Others get loved while she is viewed as a "poisonous nightshade". I don't even know what that means but it certainly does not sound very complimentary.
Katherine is por no means an original character. There's nothing unusual or unique about an antagonistic and seductive megera, vixen who brings death and destruction to everyone around her. However, on rare occasions are characters such as Katherine considered viable candidates for romantic interest, be it por the writers or the viewers. This is in direct contrast to Damon who is just as destructive, just as seductive, but is excused whatever he does and even considered eligible for the female lead. Here's an excerpt from a conversation I had on a forum. I changed the names of the participant.
PoohBear wrote:
Whether Katherine truly loves the brothers is not really all that clear. Katherine is a liar and can't be trusted. I don't think Katherine can selflessly amor anybody at this point in the series. She loves herself too much, which is why I say her loving Stefan and/or Damon is pointless because she would sacrifice them in a minuto to protect herself. She only helps them occasionally and when it meets her needs. She helped Damon with the lobo bite in season 2 but it kind of met her needs because Damon would stay alive and be with Elena. Katherine knew that Stefan would be away with Klaus and she would have a chance to get to him and maybe even win him over. She did the same thing when Stefan was released from Klaus's compulsion. She pushed him to get revenge which pushed Stefan further from Damon and Elena. Katherine is in constant competition with Elena for Stefan's affections. To her, it's mais of a game. But in the end, Katherine loves herself above all else.
My response;
Katherine gave up her freedom for the brothers. She's been on the run, plotting, scheming living in fear for 500 years. She had a chance to be free and she gave it all up for the brothers. There was nothing for her to gain from that. It is no longer arguable that Katherine does not amor the brothers. She does.
"Katherine has two true loves. If she’ll really admit it to herself and open herself up to it, she’ll find that she truly loves both Salvatore men. Damon and Stefan are part of her history, creation and the fabric of everything she is." - Kevin Williamson
PoohBear
I don't think Katherine is capable of being in a relationship. She is all about herself and relationships are all about the give and take and the compromise. Katherine isn't capable of that. Damon wasn't either in the beginning of the series, but he's getting better at it and is still evolving.
My response:
If Damon is capable of it, why can't Katherine? Why can't Katherine be forgiven? Why can't Katherine evolve? Katherine has not been fully explored at present as a character. We do however have an idea of who Katherine is, based on the tiny glimpses. Her history is a vicious, brutal and emotionally/psychologically traumatic one. She's unhinged por it. Her biggest motive is survival. Protecting herself from any and all weaknesses, amor being the biggest one.
"I didn't let amor get in the way"
If Katherine would have the courage to let herself love, and let go of the severely traumatic events of her past, they could actually make each other incredibly happy.
Katherine told Damon she never loved him. Damon's killed Elena's brother. If Damon can be forgiven for his crimes, so can Katherine. Everyone on the show seems to get a reprieve. Look at Klaroline. After that paring, anything goes.
PoohBear:
I don't agree. I think Katherine only cares about herself. Damon doesn't really care either way about Katherine. To him. Damon knows he can use Katherine to his advantage because they often have the same goals in mind. That's it. I am pretty positive that the only início Damon has is in Elena at this point. Damon will never amor Katherine again. Can't say that I blame him. To put Katherine and Damon together again after all that she has done to him is an injustice to Damon's character in my opinion. Kat ruined Damon's life. I honestly don't know how anybody could forgive something like that.
My pergunta was never actually answered. Why is Katherine not an eligible candidate for Damon on the show? "Because she hurt him" doesnt even qualify. This is TVD we're talking about. Mystic Falls is Forgiveness Central. Murder someone's baby brother and they'll be your BFF again after 3 episodes tops. Klaroline? I rest my case.
So what makes Katherine so unique to these relationships? Why is Katherine so unforgivable? (After I wrote the Why I amor DK article, a aleatório wrote on my mural that Katherine hurt Damon and for that, she deserves to be alone for eternity or death. True story. Its on my wall, you can go check it out). Perhaps the issue is that Katherine goes against the social convention of the virtuous heroine. I've been trying and trying to find an interview I read a while atrás from one of my favourite romance writers where she refused to have a recurring character of one of her novels, a madam of a brothel as a romantic lead. This author's stories tell tales of heroes that run gambling clubs, attend brothels, are crime lords, are generally immoral, yet a female with a questionable profession cannot have a amor story. Reason being, if I remember correctly, the madam's "past is too shady". What I wouldn't give that there be mais scenes in filmes or books where the hero is actually unattracted to the virtuous heroine's innocent allure. A hero who wants someone who gets him because she's just like him. A hero who would not only be uninterested in the virtuous heroine, but be BORED with them. One of my favourite lines in Gone With The Wind is when Rhett accuses Scarlett of not being a lady.
Scarlett O'Hara quote: Sir, you are no gentleman! Rhett Butler quote: And you, miss, are no lady. Don't think I hold that against you. Ladies have never held any charm for me.
I like making reference to GWtW because there are so many similarities between Damon and Katherine and Rhett and Scarlett. Two people who so obviously belong together, but only one of them knows/acknowledges it. Both pairings and characters are unconventional and unique, passionate, narcissistic, shrewd, intelligent, determined survivors. Like I said before though, GWtW doesn't go all the way. Scarlett is sexually subordinate and physically submissive to Rhett. How hot would it be to watch a hero who values the "Katherine's" because of their vast experience and shrewd nature. Katherine is not only Damon's equal, she's his superior. She doesn't just challenge him, she can outdo him. Katherine is fully capable of protecting herself, therefore nobody has to dedicate an entire season to saving her life. She's is Damon's intellectual, emotional, sexual and psychological superior, thus understands him better than most. They are much mais than former lovers. They are kindred spirits.
amor HURTS
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As opposed to the girl healing the guy and making him a better man through her powers of love, Damon and Katherine know first hand that amor is a destructive force that can ruin you if you let yourself be vulnerable to it. This is in direct contrast to Stefan and Elena's amor story where amor can heal and bring comfort to you. Their histories are of people who have been repeatedly hurt for caring so deeply about other people, which ultimately caused them an abominable amount of pain. Damon and Katherine's amor story is so tarnished and brutal that its a wonder that its even a amor story at all. Lies, secrecy, manipulation and fear ruined whatever future they could have had. Damon and Katherine are not perfect people. Its impossible for them to have a perfect amor story.
I amor YOU ANYWAY(I cant seem to find a website with this type of characteristics. Let me know if you know of one)
Remember those Backstreet Boys lyrics? "I don't care who you are, where you're from, don't care what you did. As long as you amor me." What I find so charming about Damon and Katherine is how accepting they are of everyone around them, including each other. Being as deviant as they both are, it would be painfully hypocritical if they'd hold others to any moral standard. Damon loved everything about Katherine. Her vicious nature, her brilliance, her dominance, her sexuality, her narcissism, all of it. Even Damon's present anger at her is not because she's evil and has hurt people. Damon's anger at Katherine is that she hurt HIM. Damon truly is not bothered at all por Katherine's transgressions, but is only hurt when she hurts HIM. "I hate you because I cant have you." Katherine is a bit tricky. Since she denied loving Damon, we can't be too sure what exactly she loved about him. What we do know about Katherine is that she never wanted him to change. She once claimed that he was a bore, but was obviously fascinated enough with 1864 Damon to spend so much time with him and turn him. She is all the mais intrigued when he's stronger and stands up to her, seeing as she can't seem to let the boy alone. Instead of trying to change each other as the status quo seems to be around romances. They always saw each other as who they were and would never ever try to make the other one different. [Side note: Come to think of it, Damon has always had a type. His women are usually very dynamic. Katherine, Bree, Isobel, Caroline, even Andie was very Type A. It really does puzzle me as to why Damon, who I'm sure has met many nice girls in his 160 years would find Elena so attractive. If he fell for Bonnie, I'd get it. Bonnie is one tough biatch. At least his type would be consistent.]
Due to the incredibly large DE fanbase, I doubt I'll ever get what I crave. Maybe the seguinte show that comes along will cater to some of us who desire the unconventional. In the meantime, enjoy this beautiful quote from Gone With The Wind:
Rhett Butler: But there's one thing I do know and that is that I amor you...I amor you because we're alike. Bad lots, both of us. Selfish and shrewd but able to look things in the eyes and call them por their right names....I amor you mais than I've ever loved any woman. And I've waited longer for you than I've ever waited for any woman."
Great balls of fire! That sounds like Damon and Katherine!
Below are imagens that illustrate the differences between DK and other popular couples:
Scarlett is helpless against Rhett's dominating masculinity and virilty.
Who's your daddy now?
Partners in crime
Badasses.
Aaaand back to the Byronic hero and the virtuous heroine. Achillies, the tortured warrior and Briseis the priestess who sees past his tarnished armour
