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Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, and literary devices that can help to develop and inform the text’s major themes.
Revenge
Acts of vengeance mark the lives of many characters in the novel, including members of Rhysand’s Inner Circle. When reflecting upon Azriel’s past, for example, Rhysand recalls that Azriel mercilessly murdered his brothers, who tortured him during his youth, leaving scars on his hands that cannot even be undone by magic. Rhysand himself once joined his father in murdering Tamlin’s father and brothers as revenge for their murder of Rhysand’s mother and younger sister, reflecting the cyclical nature of revenge. Rhysand’s decision not to fight Tamlin puts an end to the cycle of violence, though the two continue to despise one another, and Rhysand acknowledges that he would like to murder Tamlin if not for the risk of political instability. Cassian, too, returned to the village where he was born in order to kill those whom he holds responsible for his mother’s mistreatment. In the present, he does not regret his acts of vengeance, which ultimately destroy the entire village, leaving it nothing but ashes and rubble.
Rhysand notes that he is surprised that Mor has not yet taken revenge against her family, which treated her with cruelty and brutality after she slept with Cassian, putting an end to her strategic marriage to Eris. He feels that she must have her own reasons for delaying her revenge for centuries. In the final chapters of A Court of Frost and Starlight, Mor indeed begins putting together a plan involving her family, though she does not tell the others about it. Her secrecy here suggests that her plan might be dangerous and that the others might not approve, despite understanding her desire for vengeance. In the novel, then, acts of cruelty or injustice often spark later acts of revenge.
Leadership
Following the war with Hybern, Rysand returns to his regular duties as High Lord of the Night Court, and Feyre assumes new responsibilities as High Lady. Though they would prefer to spend more time together, they find themselves occupied with their duties, highlighting the responsibilities that come with power and authority. Feyre throws herself into volunteer work, hoping to better understand and address the issues facing her people, many of whom were injured our lost their homes during the attack on Velaris by Hybern.
Rhysand, in comparison, focuses on ensuring the future safety of his people, a duty that often takes him out of Velaris and the Night Court altogether. Though the border between the human and faerie realms lies far to the south of the Night Court, in the Spring Court ruled by Tamlin, he nevertheless understands that he must ensure the stability of all of Prythina in order to protect his people. When he hears from Eris that Tamlin has done nothing to secure the border, he visits the Spring Court despite his hatred of Tamlin. However, he at first simply berates his longstanding rival instead of working alongside him to reach a solution to the problem, suggesting that personal desires and the responsibilities of leadership are often in conflict.
Later, however, he puts his strong feelings aside in order to help Tamlin break out of his fugue-like state, showing that he takes his responsibilities seriously. Through its depiction of Rhysand and Feyre’s actions as High Lord and High Lady, the novel underscores the weight of leadership and the necessity of putting aside personal needs for the collective good.
Cultural Identity
Throughout the novel, various characters reflect upon the complex nature of cultural identity. Cassian and Azriel are full-blooded Illyrians, and Rhysand is half-Illyrian. Nevertheless, they have very different relationships to their Illyrian identity and Illyrian culture in general. Azriel, who was kept as a virtual prisoner throughout his upbringing due to his status as an illegitimate child, openly condemns Illyrian culture as backwards and repressive, though he continues to wear his Illyrian leathers. Rhysand largely agrees with Azriel and looks upon Illyrian society with little sympathy.
Cassian, however, continues to hold feelings of loyalty to Illyria despite disagreeing with many of its core values. Like Azriel, he suffered greatly during his upbringing due to the emphasis placed upon lineage in Illyrian culture. Born outside of marriage, he and his mother were both cast out by their village and treated cruelly. Nevertheless, he bears his Illyrian tattoos proudly and, despite his grievances, considers himself an Illyrian. His strong sense of cultural identity emerges at various points in the novel. When Rhysand suggests that they infiltrate the Blood Rite to neutralize or kill a rebellious young Illyrian named Kallon who has been spreading seditious messages, Cassian insists that he would never tamper with a rite that he considers to be, in some sense, culturally sacred. These characters’ different attitudes towards their background reflect the novel’s understanding of cultural identity as complex and personal.
