No surprise Cora is sassy, even when she’s young. I think her headstrong personality and disdain of her social class, having to live day by day trying not to starve made her very bitter, combined with the humiliation from the royals just added fuel to the fire. I can see a proud woman like her would keep a grudge forever.
I can also see where Cora is coming from. I even feel a tad bit sympathetic to young Cora, but not older Cora of what a monster she’s become. Her backstory doesn’t excuse the fact that she murdered and schemed her way to power. Looking back in the episode “Stable Boy” She could have stopped with just marrying Henry. They seemed very well off and rich, she had magic, but she got too greedy.
I can also see Cora’s point of view with not wanting Regina to marry a lowborn stable boy since she knows what poverty is like, Regina probably does not since she live in a mansion and never had to do hard labor in her life. But killing Daniel went too far in the context of rich controlling mother.
Ah! I really like that they put all these conflicting emotions to all their characters. But I’m still rooting for Snow to just kill Cora for all the evil she’s done.