As a miller’s daughter she hardly should have been among the poor of a village, but I know, OUaT is only following common misconceptions about medieval times, societal structures and economy. Maybe as the daughter of a miller’s hand she could have been called poor in comparison, but whatever.
No, don’t see Cora as a harlot in the sense of regular selling her body to whoever. She was the Queen of hearts later, but not quite the Woman in Red. Think though that Cora very well was striving to become more than just a miller’s daughter and was ready to do everything for that.
Had the impression though, that somehow we were meant to see her as a bit naive falling for that con guy, being somewhat of a dreamer hoping for being found by a prince some nice day (don’t all girls dream of that?… No!) instead of just letting her be an ambitious young woman using whatever means she had available. Some girls, some women are ambitious and don’t feel guilty about it, and don’t see their happiness just in a husband but maybe more in a good job, respect, status and enough money to do whatever they want to do, what’s wrong with that? I disliked that they made Cora now even more wishy-washy, more or less mitigating her into some ingenue dreaming of becoming a princess falling for some con man (might have not quite worked, Rose McGowan never is believable as ingenue, no matter how charming and disarming her looks and smile can be, and I love her for it).
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