History Main / WidowWoman

Widow Woman may refer to:

If a link on the site lead you here, please replace it with the more appropriate trope or remove it.

!This trope is [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=16701350890.10728400 under discussion]] in the Administrivia/TropeRepairShop.

There are many different Widow tropes, and although they're used especially commonly in a few particular genres (TheWestern and Romance), they can pop up just about anywhere.

Widows can be depicted positively, yet are just as often depicted negatively. It seems that society can not decide if Widows are wonderful or wicked. This could be because they are single women with socially-legitimate sexual experience. This places them in a category all their own, without set rules -- not the pure innocent girl, not the established wife, not {{the vamp}}, not the {{old maid}}. She could be good or bad, and writers appreciate the flexibility this offers.

During the mid- to late-1960s TV sitcoms centering on female characters frequently depicted them as widowed (this being when divorce was still considered objectionable to depict), including ''Series/TheLucyShow'', ''Series/TheDorisDayShow'',
''Film/TheGhostAndMrsMuir'', ''{{Series/Julia}}'', etc. ''Series/TheMaryTylerMooreShow'' was going to have Mary divorced but changed it to a broken engagement since the actress hadn't entirely shed her old persona of Mrs. Petrie in ''Series/TheDickVanDykeShow''.

Of special note: in Japan, traditionally, the widow has a very specific cultural reference. She was required to maintain his specific spot in the family hierarchy, especially if she and her husband failed to produce an heir. If she should then re-marry, she would then take on the mantle of her new husband's family, and the prior husband's family would view that as her betrayal (at worst), or abandonment (at best). Often, the widow would get "affection" from her suitors in casual, non-committal ways. While the majority of Japan has moved away from this custom due to increasing equality between the genders, in the eyes of the law at least, there are pockets where the tradition continues, and overall, the "sexually loose" stigma associated with knowingly courting a widow remains.

Subtropes of the '''Wicked Widow''' variety:

* CollegeWidow
* ComfortingTheWidow
* BlackWidow
* WidowWitch: A discredited trope of widows being witches.

The WickedStepmother is often, though not always, a Wicked Widow.

Subtropes of the '''Wonderful Widow''' variety:

* CollegeWidow: Depending on the nature of the story, it's the Wickedness that makes her Wonderful.
* DeterminedWidow:
* RomancingTheWidow
* TakeUpMySword: TheHero dies and his wife or LoveInterest becomes an ActionGirl and goes on to continue his fight. Also referred to in TheWestern as "a woman to ride the river with." (The river being the Missouri-Mississippi fur trade route). Does not necessarily have to be a widow, but usually is. Can be connected to BarrierMaiden.
* FalseWidow: Can also be depicted as a Wicked Widow.

CrusadingWidow is somewhere in-between, being often an antiheroic character. See also WidowsWeeds which is the usual attire meant to signify widowhood.

* VengefulWidow

CrusadingWidower is somewhere in-between, being often an antiheroic character. See also WidowsWeeds which is the usual attire meant to signify widowhood.

%%Once each Widow subtrope is launched we can move the short descriptions to those pages.

CrusadingWidower is somewhere in-between, being often an antiheroic character.

''Film/TheGhostAndMrsMuir'', ''Julia'', etc. ''Series/TheMaryTylerMooreShow'' was going to have Mary divorced but changed it to a broken engagement since the actress hadn't entirely shed her old persona of Mrs. Petrie in ''Series/TheDickVanDykeShow''.

CrusadingWidower and VengefulWidow are somewhere in-between, being often an antiheroic character.

CrusadingWidow is somewhere in-between, being often an antiheroic character.

During the mid- to late-1960s TV sitcoms centering on female characters frequently depicted them as widowed (this being when divorce was still considered objectionable to depict), including TheLucyShow, TheDorisDayShow,
''Film/TheGhostAndMrsMuir'', Julia, etc. ''Series/TheMaryTylerMooreShow'' was going to have Mary divorced but changed it to a broken engagement since the actress hadn't entirely shed her old persona of Mrs. Petrie in ''Series/TheDickVanDykeShow''.

Once each Widow subtrope is launched we can move the short descriptions to those pages.

Widows can be depicted positively, yet are just as often depicted negatively. It seems that society can not decide if Widows are Wonderful or Wicked. This could be because they are single women who have experienced sexual relations, but quite legitimately. This places them in a moral gray area, by old-fashioned standards; they are either viewed as a potential threat to virtue, or they might instead be used as a way to write in an "experienced woman" character who is also virtuous.

''Film/TheGhostAndMrsMuir'', Julia, etc.

During the mid- to late-1960s TV sitcoms centering on female characters frequently depicted them as widowed (this being when divorce was still considered objectionable to depict), including TheLucyShow, TheDorisDayShow, [=TheGhostandMrsMuir=], Julia, etc.

During the mid- to late-1960s TV sitcoms centering on female characters frequently depicted them as widowed (this being when divorce was still considered objectionable to depict), including TheLucyShow, TheDorisDayShow, TheGhostandMrsMuir, Julia, etc.

* TakeUpMySword: TheHero dies and his wife or LoveInterest becomes an ActionGirl and goes on to continue his fight. The way I've often heard it put is the Hero will say: "Take up my sword if I fall". Also referred to in TheWestern as "a woman to ride the river with." (The river being the Missouri-Mississippi fur trade route). Does not necessarily have to be a widow, but usually is. Can be connected to BarrierMaiden.

* TakeUpMySword: TheHero dies and his wife or LoveInterest becomes an ActionGirl and goes on to continue his fight. The way I've often heard it put is the Hero will say: "Take up my sword if I fall". Also referred to in TheWestern as "a woman to ride the river with." (The river being the Missouri-Mississippi fur trade route). Does not necessarily have to be a widow, but usually is. Can be connected to ShieldMaiden.

Widows can be depicted positively, yet are just as often depicted negatively. It seems that society can not decide if Widows are Wonderful or Wicked. This could be because they are single women who have experienced sexual relations, but quite legitimately. This places them in a moral gray area, by old-fashioned standards; they are either viewed as a potential threat to virtue, or they might instead be used as a way to write in an "experienced woman" character who is also virtuous.