Queen Victoria or Ena Sharples ?

Is Death to be embraced or should you spend your life in mourning?

For those less grey haired than me, Ena Sharples was an early stalwart and busy body on Coronation Street in the 1960’s.  Think Dot Cotton from Eastenders.  Queen Victoria - who was never on Coronation Street but coincidentally plays a pub in Eastenders - was as the name implies Queen of England during Victorian times.  You can’t beat having an age named after yourself!

Ena and Vicky had sharply different views on death.

An early 1960’s episode of Coronation Street involves a conversation between Ena Sharples and her then sidekick Martha Longhurst.  Ena says she feels ready to go to the cemetery and would like to go the way her mother did.  Martha responds that Ena’s mother had a beautiful ending, to which Ena replies; “Lovely, she sat up, broke wind and died”.

To talk about death in such an open manner in 1960 seems a little advanced for its time.  Having said that, people born at the beginning of the 20^th Century had far more experience of death, particularly during infancy, than we ever have now.  Life expectancy in 1900 was 51.  It’s now 79. 

Queen Victoria became a widow at the age of 42.  She spent the next 40 years of her life mourning her 'dear' Albert’s death.

Albert was an extraordinary character. He reformed and modernised university curricula, staged the Great Exhibition, had 9 children with Victoria (clearly no slouch between the sheets) and gave us the Christmas tree.

He led a short but rich life.  How different it would have been if she'd spent those years celebrating his legacy and not mourning his death. Yes death is sad and we should mourn. But I'm sure Albert would have wanted her to live her life as well.

So which camp are you in?  Ena Sharples or Queen Victoria?

Want to discuss this and other issues more? Do you like cake? Then come to the Death Cafe on the 24th October. See blog entries below for more information