The Relationshiip Between Dr Johnson And Hester Thrale.
Dr Samuel Johnson lived in the Thrale household in Streatham for a substantial period during the lifetime of Henry Thrale. There is little doubt that there was a genuine strong friendship between the two men. Equally there is little doubt that Johnson was in love with Hester.
There is more mystery about the attitude of Hester to Johnson. There seems to have been genuine friendship on Hester’s part, but there is little evidence of romantic love, or of a consummated sexual relationship. Henry seemed indifferent to the closeness of his wife and his friend, and he may well have fallen out of love with her. He spent a great deal of time in the accommodation at the brewery works, leaving the couple together at Streatham.
Hester may have regarded Johnson as an adornment to the household – a resident celebrity who caused other figures of distinction to visit and stay. There is evidence of hardness and coldness – her severe treatment of her children caused even the enamoured Johnson to rebuke her, and her abandonment of her children to go with General Piozzi after the death of Henry Thrale, does not speak of an affectionate nature. Her attachment to Johnson as he grew older appeared to weaken considerably, although his behaviour also could be seen as presuming too much on their relationship.
There is a very strong possibility that Johnson’s chronic depression and acute breakdown were due, at least in part, to his unrealisable love for Hettie; but there is at least an equal possibility that deficiencies in his nature caused him, unconsciously but deliberately, to fall in love with a woman almost, but not quite, within reach; in fact, a socially adapted real-life version of courtly love, which may be what Johnson’s literary predisposition may have prepared him for.
In the months after Henry Thrale's death, Johnson was received at Streatham, but rarely invited to stay. This suggests that Hester may have accepted Johnson firstly because he was a friend of her husband, and secondly, as already mentioned, because he added distinction to the household.
A further possibility is that Henry Thrale, an immensely good natured man, invited Johnson to make his home with them to keep his wife entertained, having grown tired of her possibly shrewish nature. It is after all very unusual for a married couple to invite an unrelated person to join their household.
Unfortunately, only speculation is possible; we will never know with certainty. The relationship between Hester and Johnson ended with alienation, followed by a minimal reconciliation, based on civility, not friendship.
