THE WOMEN OF THE BORGIAS

By Amanda Leigh 

Judging from the current political climate of the US, the main female characters on Showtime's The Borgias are women whom mainstream American society (and the Catholic Church for that matter) would look down on: whores, unwed mothers, adulterers, temptresses, women who've had abortions, and nuns. They conspire to have people killed or harmed, and they improve their lives through generous application of their feminine wiles. While I'm not claiming that any of these activities make or unmake a “strong” female character, I would like to talk about why I love the women in The Borgias and discuss what we could learn from their example.

If you have not seen the show and would not like to know what happens in season one, venture no further. There will be spoilers.

Vanozza Cattaneo is the matriarch of the Borgia family. She is Rodrigo Borgia's mistress before he becomes Pope Alexander VI, and although she is jealous when Pope Alexander falls for a younger woman, she never lets her jealousy overtake her. The phrase “Spanish whore” is gleefully bandied about and her daughter's fiancé tries to ban Vanozza from their wedding. What I love about Vanozza is that she is a graceful older woman. She never apologizes for who she is or for her feelings. While Rodrigo is overwhelmed in his quest for papal power, Vanozza makes certain that she is not forgotten.

Joanne Whalley as Vanozza Cattaneo

Vanozza’s shining moment is when she forces her son, Juan, to leave after he insults and is violent against her husband because of his low birth. She is a woman who will not suffer fools gladly, even if they are her blood. Vanozza isn't given much airtime, so I hope we come to see more of her in the next season.

Giulia Farnese comes to the pope with a sin only he can forgive: she has had an abortion because she hates her husband and does not want his child. After much overt flirtation, she becomes Pope Alexander's mistress, much to the chagrin of Vanozza and many of the cardinals. Although one might argue that Giulia befriended the pope's daughter, Lucrezia, to gain more power, she eventually proves herself to be a true and loyal friend.

Lotte Verbeek as Giulia Farnese

First, she tries to teach Lucrezia about life, love, and most importantly, how to use the tools nature and upbringing have given her to get what she wants. When the pope bans Vanozza from Lucrezia’s wedding Cesare brings her to the after party. Giulia convinces Pope Alexander to let Vanozza stay. "Think of Lucrezia,” she tells him, “her happiness."

When Giulia travels to the home of Giovanni Sforza, Lucrezia’s husband, to verify his allegiance to the pope, she discovers that not only is Lucrezia very unhappy, she is also sick and pregnant by a man who is not her husband. Giulia takes care of Lucrezia and devises a scheme to sneak her away from her abusive spouse.

Lucrezia Borgia, the only daughter of Vanozza del Cattanei and Rodrigo Borgia, is instrumental in securing Borgia power through her marriages. Showtimes' The Borgias flirts with some of the more enduring and scandalous rumors about Lucrezia. We see her have a child of a man other than her first husband. To protect herself, she gets her father, the Pope, to annul the marriage (while at the same time humiliating the husband). Lucrezia has a very intimate relationship with her brother Cesare who makes his affections uncomfortably apparent. Historically, Lucrezia is rumored to have been evil, power-hungry, and incestuous. In reality, she was an accomplished woman and a competent leader who eventually gained the respect of the people she ruled. She may have also been evil, power-hungry, and incestuous... I wasn't there so I don't know.

Holliday Grainger as Lucrezia Borgia

In the first season, Lucrezia starts off a young, naive woman, eager to please her father and make her family proud, including wed a brutish, much older man who treats her appallingly. Rather than letting Cesare handle her problems, she schemes with the stable boy to incapacitate her husband. Through careful observation, Lucrezia learns quickly and does not stay innocent long, although she can feign innocence very well to get what she wants.

Near the end of the season, when she and Giulia Farnese are taken captive by the enormous French army marching to Rome to wreak havoc on the city and dispose the pope, Lucrezia succeeds in charming the king with her beauty and wit. When he shows her how his cannons will decimate the Papal Army, Lucrezia asks him to hold fire. Riding out into the battlefield alone in between the two armies, Lucrezia meets her brother Juan and through a fair bit of deception, convinces him to lead the Papal Army in a tactical retreat. “That was my brother,” she tells the French king, words dripping with honey. “He thought you meant to sack Rome, like the Goths. I told him you're a gentleman. You had no such idea. You had no such idea, had you? Your goal is Naples...” With these words she convinces the French king not to pursue a fight. Juan Borgia is left with less shame than if his troops had been massacred, the French army enters Rome peacefully, and thousands of lives and all of Rome are spared thanks to one Lucrezia Borgia. No big deal.

[Insert spontaneous applause for Lucrezia here]

Throughout history, women have been maligned and discredited for having the audacity to pursue and possess power. Maybe these three women were prostitutes, adulterers, or incestuous women. Maybe they weren't. Their sexual activity is irrelevant. Whatever the case is, these women are amazing because they lived in a time and a place dominated by men, where they were supposed to be seen and not heard. Instead, they used whatever resources they had to exert their influence, to stand up for themselves and to, if not alter the course of history, then at the very least alter the plot of hit cable show. 

Today in America, when a woman can be called a slut for giving a speech during an unofficial congressional event, it may help to keep the women of The Borgias in mind. As harsh and disturbing as such labels are, we cannot let the use of such words silence our voices. In an age when an all male panel can testify about birth control, it's good to remember women in male-dominated societies who stand up for their own interests.

Season Two of The Borgias airs Sunday April 8 at 10pm ET/PT. Watch the season two trailer below.