Romantic Love in Pride and Prejudice

Mr and Mrs Bennet
1. Mr. Bennet married for Mrs. Bennet's appearance
  1. Shows a shallow character and naivety
    1. He regrets his actions but he keeps the marriage intact for the sake of his children
      1. Does solitary hobbies to keep his distance from his wife (e.g. long walks and reading)
    2. He overlooked her personality for her looks
      1. He becomes wary of suitors for Elizabeth, his favourite daughter. This is due to his love and worry for them and perhaphs because he doesn't want them to regret their marrriage like he did, and for them to marry for love and not for their background.
    3. He realizes that physical attraction may not last and not a good basis for marriage as the appeareance would fade away as time passes.
  2. 'Love and all affection has long disappeared'
  3. 'Captivated by youth and beauty'
2. Women married for money and for a home as they rely on their husband's income as they themselves do not work and earn a living.
3. Mrs. Bennet
  1. In the beginning, she understood that Mr. Darcy was a very wealthy man, therefore encouraging his daughters to get a chance at the ball, but later develops a prejudice for him due to his refusal for dancing with his daughter and for his insult to Elizabeth. This shows her inability to understand characters and personalities, including her daughters (especially Elizabeth)
    1. Her opinion of Darcy is always changing and it becomes good again after they get engaged..
  2. She cannot understnad how people can marry for love and her view on marriage is competely different compared to Mr. Bennet. She worries about status and reputation more than anyone else, but she only posseses a basic understanding.
    1. She cannot undestand why Lizzie rejects Mr. Collins and is angry at her for her refusal because she wanted her to marry him for the house. She also wanted to marry all of her faughters off quickly, almost like a competition.
      1. She deals with the situation childlishly and refuses to talk with Elizabeth for a while.
      2. She wants any of her daughters to marry first before their neighbour, the Lucasas, marry 'for reputation', which is why she got angry with Elizabthfor her refusal.
    2. Entailment: When the property is passed down onto the next alive male relative ( on the father;s side )
  3. She only values a marriage if it brings the family wealth or a social status.
  4. Does not act as a motherly figure for Elizabeth and their relationship is distant. Her lack in understanding for her daughter makes it unlikely for her to geive her daughter good avice on love and marriage, therefore her opinion is often ignored by the the family, excluding Lydia nd Kitty, who are as immature as their mother is.
4. Mr Bennet is an interlligent, sarcastic and a self-controlled man, unlike Mrs. Bennet who likes to gossip and be the centre of attention. Their difference in personalities make it extremely unlikely for Mr. Bennet to love his wife.
5. Her attention is soley fized on her daughter's marriages, where Mr Bennet spends his time in the library and is only seen to advise Lizzie during her love life with Mr Darcy due to genuine, fatherly care.
Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy
1. They do not have an instant attraction in the beginning, and they hate each other due to their first meeting at the ball
  1. The couple overcomes obstacles that all romantic couples would experience. They have a period where they misunderstand one other, but they later resolve the problem, and this brings them closer together which suggests that they have a romantic relationship, instead of just an obsession.
    1. They have worked very hard to acheive to have their relationship and they even change their personalities for one another, which shows that they care a lot for each other. ( Darcy and Lizzie both become less prejudice and loses pride for themselves in order to understand and forgive one another)
    2. They later appreciate the other person's character as they don't realize their personalities at first, and they do as their relationship develops.
2. Elizabeth believes strongly in a marriage for love (her father agrees with her) and she does not see a point in a conventional marriage, unlike her best friend, Charlotte Lucas.
  1. Her mother does not agree with her view on marriage.
  2. A wedding requires "true affection"
3. We can tell that their marriage would be happy due to their love for each other, and without obstacles, like a family fued, unlike Romeo and Juliet.
4. She feels an overwhelming love for Darcy. When she breaks down and cries after her refusal to his proposal due to her confusion in her own feelings. This shows signs of passian for him.
5. Mr Darcy
  1. He is quite self-sacrificial and would do almost anything to keep Lizzie happy.
    1. He sacrifices his pride and status when he proposed to Lizzie.
      1. People would expect him to marry women who has the same status as he did, but he chose to marry Lizzie for love.
      2. At the beginning, he is shown to be proud of his social status and he does this by refusing to dance with women as he looked down upon them due to their appearance.
  2. He has a cold callous character at the beginning as he looked down on the Bennets. This makes Lizzie and Mrs. Bennet dislike him on their first meeting. He made an opinion without getting to know the Bennets family -> shows signs of prejudice.
  3. "In vain I have struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you." (34.4)
'It is universally accepted, that a single man in a possesion of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."
1. In Lizzie and Darcy's case, they both have a equal role in the relationship where they both want to be with each other equally as much. Here, Austen may have used the couple as an example to show that the stereotype for wealthy men in her time could be broken.
2. This quotation is more of a fact than an opinion and this suggests a patriacal society as well as objectifying women.
  1. An unspoken truth that everyone should know and accept.
  2. 'In want'- this undervalues a women
3. "must" shows that it is normal or seen as compulsory, perhaphs, for a man to get married and it places pressure on men to fufil the stereotype.
4. This quotation suggests that conventional marriage is more common than a marriage for love and it also shows that people are more prone to have a conventional marriage. Furthermore, the possibility of a love-filled marriage is not even mentioned.
Elizabeth and Jane
1. They have a sisterly love and they care more for each other than the others in the family
2. Jane acts like a mother for Lizzie, compared to Mrs. Bennet and she even needs to step in when Lizzie is acting 'mean' or irrational
BBC RESOURCES
1. Darcy is concerned about his reputation, but not as much as other characters believe. He has two faces: one public, one private. In public, although he acts with manners and formality, many believe he's arrogant and aloof. In Longbourn, his reputation develops along these lines. But in private he's loving and caring. He treats his tenants and servants well, and ensures Lydia's reputation is rescued, without publicising this.
2. One of Elizabeth's most attractive qualities is not being as concerned as others are about someone's reputation. She won't be intimidated by either Darcy or Lady Catherine, despite their 'reputations'. She believes there are more important things. When she finds out Jane is ill, she thinks nothing of walking three miles over fields and arriving at Netherfield in a mess - something most women wouldn't have done. Some would look down on her for being so unladylike (the Bingley sisters). However, to Elizabeth, her reputation is far less important than her sister's welfare

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Romantic Love in Pride and Prejudice

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	Created by Sarah Soler almost 10 years ago