Chateau de Versailles

Walking through the palace of Versailles I imagined well dressed nobles traversing through the hallways. Interestingly enough, as I imagines these nobles the only thing I could think of was how unhappy they must have been. Throughout the palace were ornate decorations which included art, sculptures and gold. The palace was built with the sole purpose of intimidation. King Louis felt that the crown was weak. Instead of the crown being run by nobles, he pictured the crown as an all powerful entity. In order to achieve this he moved the palace outside of the city, and centralized focus on the crown.

In contrast to the palace, there was Marie Antoinette's estate. Only close friends of the crown were invited to the estate. The estate was a mini village built for getaways from palace life, partly because royalty seldom had any privacy at the palace. Marie Antoinette loved to act like she was a "peasant girl" in this village. This may sound weird as most little girls like act like they are princess. The village was amazingly beautiful with cute, small cottages. There was nature all around.

The palace felt more cold and unfeeling than the estate. The jealousy for power could be felt and seen just in the building itself. It felt as if man were making a shrine to themselves. The nobles living during that time were so caught up with pride and greed, that they were bound by the chains of society. On the other hand, in the village, one can see nature and beauty. There are beautiful gardens that complement the villages simplicity. It decorated more by nature than by men. While both places were morally corrupted, the simplicity made the village atmosphere feel significantly more free than the palace atmosphere.

Learning about palace society made me glad that I was not born a noble during that time period. Women especially had no freedom. Nobility ruled their whole lives. There were so many rules and social norms which needed to be followed. Major life decisions were typically not their own. Women were married off to improve social and financial positions and could be seen as bargaining chips in that respect. A woman's purpose in nobility was to get married and produce heirs. Most of these nobles never experienced true freedom. Nobility is not is not the glamorous lifestyle one would have thought it to be. These nobles were trapped by their own greed, fear, and pride.