Vicious Circle

Disclaimer: The musical Elisabeth belongs to Michael Kunze and Sylvester Levay. This musical as well as this fiction are based on the historical figure Elisabeth, empress of Austria. This fic does not wish to offend or upset anyone.


He couldn´t deny it. They were much alike. Too much and that was the doom of them both.

Of course was he thinking of Elisabeth, and of her son. Because Elisabeth was all he thought about.

She was a young woman, strong, proud and so misplaced in this time.

A time of shallowness, when everyone was seeing the end coming closer and didn´t care, just watched. A time when a marriage was not an act of love but a way to make politics.

That just didn´t agree with her, not with his Elisabeth.

And not with her son..they were alike

And caught in a vicious circle, like the snake that was devouring itself.

His Sissi had ever been headstrong and stubborn; that reached the peak when she abandoned her son for her own needs.

Ironically was her way exactly that what made Rudolf act like her; revolution, fight against the old system, heading for the future.

What made them so similar. What was their doom.

Because she made Rudolf flee in his arms...which made Elisabeth run to him, too.

If Elisabeth hadn´t been who she was, then Rudolf wouldn´t have become like her, then she wouldn´t not have abandoned him, then the incident Mayerling wouldn´t have happened and she would have never come this way.

But because she was exactly who she was, her attitude made Rudolf so alike.

But because he was so alike ..that was his doom. Their doom.

In the end she was responsible for creating her personal downfall.

Her behaviour made Rudolf develop the same behaviour.

His behaviour caused his death.

His death caused her death.

The ever self-devouring snake.


author´s notice: The term "vicious circle" exists in german as well, it can be translated as "Devil´s Circle"; I personally prefer that term