“He has also ruined my life, so I can’t help loving him — it is the only thing to do.”
— Excerpt from a letter to solicitor Leonard Smithers from Oscar Wilde about the love of his life, the poet Lord Alfred 'Bosie' Douglas, on October 1st 1897.
“My life is everything I ever wanted. I have fame. I have recognition. With two plays about to open in London, I may even have money. The world is at my command. Yet I can't command myself. I can't command my feelings for you.”
havin some feels about Bosie Douglas as portrayed by Colin Morgan in The Happy Prince (movie about Oscar Wilde)—
he’s messy— vain, entitled, silly— but also truly in love with Wilde. & they have this genuine connection— it can get tangled & spiky, but it can also just look like them on the exact same emotional wavelength, laughing & crying at the same time & making total sense to no one but each other.
& imagine— the guilt Bosie must have felt on some level when his family (who were against the relationship) got Oscar thrown in prison for gayness. the guilt should have been his family’s & society’s, but it was piled on Bosie instead— not just from himself but also from Wilde’s friends.
Oscar was just as much a part of their relationship though. yet Wilde’s friends keep telling Bosie that he owes Oscar so much, that he destroyed him. & Oscar says this too, in a fight, at least once in the movie.
but Bosie’s homophobic family is not his fault. society’s evil laws against gayness are also not on Bosie.
don’t get me wrong— I think if I ever met the guy I wouldn’t have liked him. entitled narcissists are not my cup of tea. but Colin Morgan is magical & brought some pathos to the role & made me feel from Bosie’s pov a bit. so anyway. feels! ❤️