'A Week At Waterloo': A Literary Analysis

Relationships can last any where from 12 hours to 12 week or even several decades long. To have such commitment in a relationship for years on end is not only a great accomplishment but also a journey. Magdalene De Lancey’s narrative, A Week at Waterloo, takes us back to the early 19th century, a time where relationships were the basis of society. In the year of 1815, during the Battle of Waterloo, Magdalene De Lancey traveled with her husband, Sir William De Lancey to Waterloo, where they met Napoleon Bonapartes’ forces and battled in what would be a bloody and decisive victory for the English. During the battle, Sir William was stuck by a cannon ball, resulting in several broken ribs and other unseen injuries with the body. Sir William

Throughout Lady De Lanceys narrative, it is obvious that she cares deeply about her husband. One thing that can be noticed in parts of the narrative is how women such as Lady De Lancey and many of the other wives of Officers, would follow them from battle to battle during a time of war such as one portrayed in the narrative. Although the wives were not put directly in harm 's way of the battle, it is interesting that they would accompany their husbands during a war that could possibly, if captured by the enemy force, could use the Officers wife’s as bargaining chips. However, most women of surrounding villages or even those acting as camp followers, women and children that would follow the army, would mostly attend to the soldiers a nurses or caregivers, handing out water, food, or supplies such as socks.

By reading Lady De Lanceys narrative, we are able to get an insight to how war affected relationships such as the De Lanceys. By using the narrative to understand details about Sir Williams final days, it creates an idea of how committed and deep the De Lancey relationship was after such a short time