Integritus Prime

In two previous posts about Bridgerton, I analyzed trauma patterns in the male protagonists, and looked at the feisty feminist characters. In this post, I focus on Kate Sharma, the female protagonist in season two. Yes, spoiler alert here too.

Kate’s character depicts a woman who is initially overbalanced in her masculine energy. She shoots and hunts, rides and behaves just like a man of nobility: discerning, confident, and quick to voice her opinion in a decisive manner.

The loss of her parents and her desire to protect and provide for Lady Mary and her half-sister Edwina propel Kate into overdrive when it comes to masculine energy. Indeed, she behaves just like Anthony Bridgerton in some ways. In season 1, Anthony watches his sister Daphne’s suitors like a hawk, turning almost all of them away. In season 2, Kate displays a similar tendency to overprotect her sister Edwina, wanting to steer her away from Anthony and anyone else who seems less than genuine. The main similarity is that both Anthony and Kate are acting out of a sense of duty, due to each of them losing their father. This leads them to act in rigid, controlling ways, a sign of the toxic masculine.

Kate also displays anger, frustration, and a tendency to block her emotions, due to the post-traumatic stress of losing her parents. Again, this is similar to Anthony’s journey as a character. This is also probably why they are so attracted to each other – they are both living in ways that are disconnected from their own hearts. They are both also grieving and afraid to be hurt deeply again.

As they fall in love, Kate fights her emotions. However, with time, after her accident, and after many reassurances from Edwina, Lady Mary, and Lady Danbury, Kate is able to open her heart and tap into her feminine qualities. She finds her flow as a feminine person by accepting Anthony’s love. This begins when she agrees to dance with him, and they share a few playful and romantic moments on the dance floor.

Kate’s journey from masculine to feminine is chronicled symbolically through the color of her costumes: she is wearing dark shades of blue, teal, and purple while hunting, riding, and chaperoning Edwina. Later in the series, as she fights her growing feelings, she wears lilac, lavender, orange, silver, and cream; these warmer and lighter colors signal the softening of her heart.

When a woman has an overbalance of masculine energy, it is difficult for her to open up to a man romantically. She tends to repel masculine men, and attract feminine men who need saving. A truly masculine man can take charge, be supportive, respect boundaries, and provide consistent love. This is the type of man Anthony realizes he must become in order to honor Kate. In his second proposal, Anthony expresses his love and intention to humble himself, which provides the safety and reliability Kate needs to release her masculine coping tendencies, open up her heart, and accept him.

We each need to cultivate balance between our inner masculine and feminine energies. This balance helps us attract a partner who is similarly balanced. Share your thoughts in your inner feminine and masculine energy and how you’ve evolved – and let’s learn together.