History Main / BrokenBird

In fact, she can sometimes fill a mentor role for less experienced and more idealistic characters, all the while loudly expressing her irritation with said arrangement, so no one gets the impression she's softening up. Sometimes, this is to {{Jerkass}} levels; however, she is often a sympathetic JerkWithAHeartOfGold, [[{{Tsundere}} giving an impression of independent toughness to hide a sincere affection for the other characters]]. In the latter case she'll almost certainly be a MentorInSourArmor.

-->-- '''Estella''', ''Literature/GreatExpectations'' [[http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Great_Expectations/Chapter_XXIX chapter XXIX]]

* Depending on the interpretation, Joanne from ''Theatre/CompanySondheim'' could be a cynical example: She is an alcoholic who has been twice divorced and is currently on her third husband. She is rather different from Bobby's other friends, spends most of the scenes making occasional snarky remarks, and is shown being extremely critical of both her husband, who clearly loves her with all his heart and of Bobby. However, Bobby describes her as "warm", and her husband says that her behaviour comes from her being "wildly conceited" with "no self-esteem", and in the end, she also plays something of a mentor role to Bobby, as she is the one who makes him question what he wants from a relationship.

* The titular Theatre/{{Elisabeth}}, Empress of Austria (nicknamed Sisi by her family). Her life was a TraumaCongaLine: having a hands-off father (whom she nonetheless loved and admired because she envied his freedom); married off to Franz Joseph, Emperor of Austria [[KissingCousins her first cousin]] as a child bride (they did love each other initially, but Sisi's love faded); winding up with a demanding, KnightTemplarParent of a mother-in-law; accidentally causing the death of her eldest daughter Sophie due to insisting that she and her younger sister Gisela come along on a trip to Hungary; getting cheated on by her husband and infected with syphilis; having to fight for control to have a say in her own children's upbringing (thanks to Franz Joseph being a MamasBoy); realizing that trying to model her life after her father's damaged her relationships with other people and resolving to be "made of stone"; then accidentally [[spoiler:[[DrivenToSuicide driving]] her only son and heir Rudolf -- ''for whom she had fought earlier'' -- to take his life by refusing to intercede in the political scandal in which he was embroiled.]] She winds up a heartbroken, cynical DeathSeeker who constantly traveled to get away from the Viennese court. Her journey ends when she is [[spoiler:stabbed to death.]] The kicker? Elisabeth was a real person. All of the aforementioned trauma [[note]]minus, perhaps, the STD. It was never confirmed. However, her son Rudolf ''did'' also wind up in an unhappy marriage, constantly cheated on his wife Stéphanie, and made her infertile via gonorrhea. Sisi deeply disliked her daughter-in-law.[[/note]] was real.
* Rienne Boilou in ''Theatre/TheHammerTrinity''. Loses the love of her life to an arranged marriage, loses her husband to war, [[spoiler: gets keelhauled by pirates]], loses all faith in the cause she gave her life for and finally [[spoiler: loses the love of her life, again, to war, after an AnguishedDeclarationOfLove.]]

[[quoteright:350:[[Comicbook/StrangersInParadise https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/katchoo.png]]]]

A number of {{Romance Novel}}s lean on this trope when the love interest of the heroine is an AntiHero with a [[DarkAndTroubledPast scar]] from the past for her to [[LoveRedeems heal]]. Sometimes involves a bit of [[IntimateHealing that one]] as well. Women want to Heal the Cutie instead of BreakTheCutie.

* Depending on the interpretation, Joanne from ''Theatre/{{CompanySondheim}}'' could be a cynical example: She is an alcoholic who has been twice divorced and is currently on her third husband. She is rather different from Bobby's other friends, spends most of the scenes making occasional snarky remarks, and is shown being extremely critical of both her husband, who clearly loves her with all his heart and of Bobby. However, Bobby describes her as "warm", and her husband says that her behaviour comes from her being "wildly conceited" with "no self-esteem", and in the end, she also plays something of a mentor role to Bobby, as she is the one who makes him question what he wants from a relationship.

* Aldonza in ''Theatre/ManOfLaMancha''. "Aldonza" (the song) is a great portrayal of anger and cynicism overlaying a very unhappy backstory.
* The Witch in ''Theatre/IntoTheWoods'' consistently embodies the cynical and badass qualities, warning Rapunzel, "the world is dark and wild." It never becomes entirely clear where the Witch's brokenness stems from, but she is persuasive enough in pointing out the failings of others to make us suspect that her ruthless and misanthropic ways came from somewhere.
* [[spoiler:Meg Giry]] in the sequel to ''Theatre/ThePhantomOfTheOpera'', ''Love Never Dies'', due to [[spoiler: a combination of her falling for the Phantom, who still pines for Christine, and too much time on the CastingCouch over the ten years separating the two shows. She ultimately tries to kill Christine's son; she winds up ''actually'' killing Christine.]]
* Niobe from ''The Love of the Nightingale''. Procne and Philomele become birds after their BreakTheCutie.
* In ''Theatre/TheLittleFoxes'', Birdie married twenty years ago into a BigScrewedUpFamily, who took her cotton plantation and sired on her an unlikable twit of a son. She spends a lot of time [[DrowningMySorrows drowning her sorrows]] in her own room, which they try to hide by lying and saying she has a headache.

* Rienne Boilou in ''Theatre/TheHammerTrinity''. Loses the love of her life to an arranged marriage, loses her husband to war, [[spoiler: gets keelhauled by pirates]], loses all faith in the cause she gave her life for and finally [[spoiler: loses the love of her life, again, to war, after an AnguishedDeclarationOfLove.]]

* The titular Theatre/{{Elisabeth}}, Empress of Austria (nicknamed Sisi by her family). Her life was a TraumaCongaLine: having a hands-off father (whom she nonetheless loved and admired because she envied his freedom); married off to Franz Joseph, Emperor of Austria [[KissingCousins her first cousin]] as a child bride (they did love each other initially, but Sisi's love faded); winding up with a demanding, KnightTemplarParent of a mother-in-law; accidentally causing the death of her eldest daughter Sophie due to insisting that she and her younger sister Gisela come along on a trip to Hungary; getting cheated on by her husband and infected with syphilis; having to fight for control to have a say in her own children's upbringing (thanks to Franz Joseph being a MamasBoy); realizing that trying to model her life after her father's damaged her relationships with other people and resolving to be "made of stone"; then accidentally [[spoiler:[[DrivenToSuicide driving]] her only son and heir Rudolf - ''for whom she had fought earlier'' - to take his life by refusing to intercede in the political scandal in which he was embroiled.]] She winds up a heartbroken, cynical DeathSeeker who constantly traveled to get away from the Viennese court. Her journey ends when she is [[spoiler:stabbed to death.]] The kicker? Elisabeth was a real person. All of the aforementioned trauma [[note]]minus, perhaps, the STD. It was never confirmed. However, her son Rudolf ''did'' also wind up in an unhappy marriage, constantly cheated on his wife Stéphanie, and made her infertile via gonorrhea. Sisi deeply disliked her daughter-in-law.[[/note]] was real.

%%* Blanche Dubois of ''Theatre/AStreetcarNamedDesire'' is strictly the badass type. She is definitely not emotionless, but she does tend to put herself in charge.

%%* The titular Lizzie Borden in ''Theatre/{{Lizzie}}''.

!!Examples:

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In fact, she can sometimes fill a mentor role for less experienced and more idealistic characters, all the while loudly expressing her irritation with said arrangement, so no one gets the impression she's softening up. Sometimes, this is to {{Jerkass}} levels; however, she is often a sympathetic JerkWithAHeartOfGold, [[{{Tsundere}} giving an impression of independent toughness to hide a sincere affection for the other characters]].

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