Madness seems to be a very common theme for ME and JW to play with. I would love to know if he has some overarching theory he wishes to explore, or a reason for the frequency.
I try sometimes to understand Dru's madness so I can write her, but I fear I don't know anything like enough about the subject. I do feel though that acting from the outside you can't drive someone mad, so I tend to believe Angelus only claimed for himself something that was happening anyway. Could we see it as a result or side-effect of her visions? Again, for joss, the sight and madness seem to be linked, for example River, and Cordelia on those occasions when the visions were becoming too much for her. Even Buffy - who after all has the sight too in her Slayer dreams - is tinged with madness in Normal Again.
The sight comes to Dru very easily, without her being asleep or having headaches to tell her what she is seeing is a vision and not the present reality. This means Dru is confused over when and possibly where things have happened (Spike said she never had a clue what was going on). If you imagine what that must be like it doesn't bear thinking about - it would be enough to brew up anyone's mind into something bitter.
I think 'seeing' in the Jossverse, if it is a metaphor for anything, is a metaphor for insanity - it gives power but at a terrible price. And for Joss power is always something to be feared as much as welcomed - the insane are free from responsibility, the insane have the power of that freedom, the insane have the power of seeing the truth, the powerful have to accept responsibility as the price for their power, power can send you insane. There is a circularity to it that I admire and can get lost in.
no subject
I try sometimes to understand Dru's madness so I can write her, but I fear I don't know anything like enough about the subject. I do feel though that acting from the outside you can't drive someone mad, so I tend to believe Angelus only claimed for himself something that was happening anyway. Could we see it as a result or side-effect of her visions? Again, for joss, the sight and madness seem to be linked, for example River, and Cordelia on those occasions when the visions were becoming too much for her. Even Buffy - who after all has the sight too in her Slayer dreams - is tinged with madness in Normal Again.
The sight comes to Dru very easily, without her being asleep or having headaches to tell her what she is seeing is a vision and not the present reality. This means Dru is confused over when and possibly where things have happened (Spike said she never had a clue what was going on). If you imagine what that must be like it doesn't bear thinking about - it would be enough to brew up anyone's mind into something bitter.
I think 'seeing' in the Jossverse, if it is a metaphor for anything, is a metaphor for insanity - it gives power but at a terrible price. And for Joss power is always something to be feared as much as welcomed - the insane are free from responsibility, the insane have the power of that freedom, the insane have the power of seeing the truth, the powerful have to accept responsibility as the price for their power, power can send you insane. There is a circularity to it that I admire and can get lost in.