The Quote Hoarder: The Clockwork Princess — A Character I Aspire To Be

I have often professed my undying love towards the character that is Tessa Gray and because of several fanarts and edits, the image stuck in my mind will forever be in the likes of Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey, who is an actress best known for playing the mermaid Syrena in Pirates of the Caribbean.

Theresa Gray is an intelligent, brave, strong-willed, caring, warm, kind, understanding and an ever curious character. She can also be very stubborn at times and her wit is as sharp as her mind, not to mention her gift for playful and teasing banter (with Will). She is everything I aspire to be but of course that perfection is unattainable. Even though I got the stubborn part down and the curiosity of a cat, I still have a long way to go. I also love that she is an unapologetic lover of books and literature, how she connects deeply with the characters that she read about, and the wisdom that she gets from them.

Tessa Gray portrait by meileen_art and cromwyll

When I was reading The Infernal Devices series it’s not just once but many times that I felt connected with her character over the course of the trilogy. She echoes much of what I think but her eloquence in expressing them through quotes and passages of books, comparing them with a character in a book is what really endeared me towards her.

 “You know that feeling,” she [Tessa] said, “when you are reading a book, and you know that it is going to be a tragedy; you can feel the cold and darkness coming, see the net drawing tight around the characters who live and breathe on the pages. But you are tied to the story as if being dragged behind a carriage and you cannot let go or turn the course aside.”

― Cassandra Clare, Clockwork Princess

“We live and breathe words…”

Tessa hates chocolates and that is the only flaw I will ever find in this character.

“Men may be stronger, but it is women who endure.”