![]() Of course, these threats only reinforced Sybil’s decision to leave her privileged life. When she announced that she was going to Dublin to marry Branson and wanted to continue her work as a nurse, she went up against her family - especially her father who threatened to cut off her finances and refused to attend her wedding. After what she had witnessed at the hospital during the war, Sybil could not imagine going back to a life of goods, luxury, and small talk. The end of the conflict represented a possibility to erase the caste and conventions. After the war, Sybil had a chance of leading the life she had once dreamed of. Sybil was afraid of falling out with her parents, which led to her pursuing any true relationship with him. Although it was not so much about her class and her feelings for the chauffeur, but rather because she knew the impact it would have on her family. The only time Sybil had a hard time forgetting about her social status was when she fell in love with Branson. Sybil defending Branson in this way proved that she was the mistress of her own actions as well as her critical thinking and that she could not be dictated by her social status. This moment was probably one of her most defining scenes in the show. Sybil fully stood up for Branson, threatening her father to run away if he fired the chauffeur. When her father found out, he immediately blamed Branson. During the assembly, the crowd got rough and Sybil was hurt. Even though she was forbidden to attend another rally, her rebellious spirit took over, and she lied to her father and to Branson ( Allan Leech), her chauffeur and soon-to-be husband, in order to go back to the counting of the votes. ![]() They didn't think that Sybil's behavior was appropriate, and they feared these meetings were too dangerous for her. Her progressist views on the matter were particularly repressed by her father, Lord Grantham ( Hugh Bonneville), and Lady Violet (Maggie Smith), her grandmother. She even expressed her desire to start canvassing. Not only did Sybil make her opinions on women’s rights known, but she also attended meetings and rallies. The youngest Crawley sister also spoke up against women’s obligation to wear corsets, even going as far as being the first woman at Downton Abbey to wear pants for dinner, which left everyone in the house completely flabbergasted. She never hesitated to bring up the subject of women’s rights during family dinners. Sybil was also a very vocal fighter for equal rights between women and men. They were equals, to the point where Sybil even hugged and congratulated Gwen during a social gathering after the girl landed her dream job. ![]() Through their friendship, Sybil rejected any sort of restraint there must be between their social classes. In Episode 2 of Season 1, she even applied on Gwen's behalf for a secretary job, because she didn’t want her to miss out on the opportunity. Yet, Sybil always pushed her to follow her dream and never let her give up on it. Being inexperienced at that time, Gwen faced many setbacks. The latter wanted to become a secretary, and she achieved her goal thanks to Lady Sybil’s help and support. It became clear that Sybil was a free and independent spirit from the beginning, as she began a friendship with Gwen ( Rose Leslie), a maid at Downton. She was the youngest of the family and not even out in society when the series started, so Sybil had plenty of room for character development. From the very first season, Lady Sybil appeared as the most lovely and kindest of the three sisters.
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