Washing teacup

It just clicked with me-- when Margaret was being proposed to, she said she would get married under the condition that she make a name for herself, and not "die washing a teacup." But at the end of the movie, she was washing her own teacup. Was is the meaning behind this? I thought it was interesting.

The "washing a teacup" line is there to illustrate Thatcher's unwillingness to be "just" a housewife and mother, as was common at that time. There is a very real point here, because at the start of her career she had to put up with a lot of resistance from within the Conservative party against the idea of a mother of two being an MP.
I would presume that the scene at the end is meant to show how even the best will and hard work can be undermined by unforeseen events (in this case, her dementia).

I do have a problem with the whole "die washing a teacup" line though. Although I appreciate that the writer intended it as an analogy, I don't think it was the best choice as Margaret Thatcher - like many of her generation - is extremely house-proud. She's also not the sort of person who would leave small tasks to others if she could do them herself. I remember when she was Prime Minister she was interviewed for a children's TV programme from Number 10, where she showed her favourite "kitchen table" science experiments (she was a professional research scientist, remember). Every spillage was immediately and carefully mopped up; no mess was allowed.
That's why I can't buy into the closing scene: it's difficult for me to see any pathos in it, because it's exactly how I'd expect Thatcher to behave anyway.


Lastly, was that really Meryl Streep playing the old Margaret Thatcher? I didn't see any resemblance whatsoever!

It's Streep, all right. She's that good.