Elizabeth Bennett Pride And Prejudice Marriage Essay

Austen shows the reader a strong sense of duty through her character Charlotte. Of Charlotte, Austen says “marriage had always been her object; it was the only provision for well-educated young women of small fortune,”(22). Mr. Collins proposes to Charlotte Lucas soon after Elizabeth rejects his offer. Charlotte knows that her friend Elizabeth has declined Mr. Collins’ offer. Charlotte also knows that it is not socially acceptable for Collins to propose to someone else so soon after he is rejected. The quick rebound also shows that Collins does not have any affection for Elizabeth or Charlotte. Charlotte however, accepts his proposal. When asked about her reasoning for doing so, Charlotte tells Elizabeth that acceptance was her only option because she might not receive another offer of marriage. Charlotte believes Elizabeth foolish for rejecting Mr Collins’ proposal of marriage for this reason. Charlotte believes that her duty, and Elizabeth’s duty, as women includes

Austen’s character, Mr.Collins, mainly focusses on himself when he is proposing, which causes him to come across as selfish and unemotional. Mr. Collins thinks that “It is the right thing” for him to get married to “set the example”(2). This suggests that Mr. Collins wants to be married because he feels he needs to set the example for his parish

Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen, is a well-known classic. However, it was a radical work in Austen’s society, during the Regency period. In the romance novel Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen uses Mr. Collins to satirize marriage and relationships of the Regency period.

The view that women should marry for love is incomprehensible to Mr. Collins, who thinks of marriages as something that helps women climb the social ladder and provide them with financial stability. Elizabeth rebels against the ideas of the time by being adamant on marrying for love, and by rejecting pragmatic marriages, which would suffocate an independent woman like Elizabeth. Elizabeth defies the expectations for women again when she turns down Mr. Darcy’s first

As his ultimate reason for wanting to marry Elizabeth, Mr. Collins says “thirdly—which perhaps I ought to have mentioned earlier, that it is the particular advice and recommendation of the very noble lady whom I have the honour of calling patroness.” Here, Mr. Collins reveals that he did not even come up with the idea to marry, it was actually his patronesses idea. During Austen’s time, a patron was akin to an employer, and Mr. Collins proposal of marriage, and entire purpose for finding a wife, was because his boss told him to. Mr. Collins treated marriage as though it were a task that can be assigned by an employer, as opposed to the serious commitment between two people in love. His actions are of those on a business venture, and he feels nothing and all for Elizabeth. Austen further portrays her disdain for such marriages by reflecting the absurdity of such a request in Mr. Collins’s horrifyingly tactless

During the course of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice (1813) The protagonist Elizabeth Bennet receives two marriage proposals from her cousin Mr. Collins and the prideful gentleman Mr. Darcy. Both proposals serve as commentary on view regarding marriage from the Regency era, with Collin’s methodical and satirically written monologue encouraging the reader to condemn the traditionalist view that marriage should be based on social and economic assets, whilst Darcy’s more emotionally charged but still belittling exclamation invites the reader to consider the more modernist view of marriage being centered around love. The propositions serve as a comparison between society’s idea of marriage being more akin to a business transaction and Austen’s more romantic ideals.

The first sentence in the novel of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen describes the struggle of being women in Georgian Era; she states, ”It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife”(Austen 1). This opening sentence revolves around the whole book and establishes the centrality of advantageous marriage; it demonstrates the truth of a single woman must be in want of a husband, especially a wealthy one neglecting love and affection through Mrs. Bennet, Charlotte Lucas, and Elizabeth Bennet.

In his speech, Mr. Collins presents three main ideas that he thinks represents marriage. His first motive is that he thought that he should, as a clergyman, set an example to his parish of who and when to marry. His second motive was that he thinks that it will make him happy. “I am convinced that will add very greatly to my happiness.” Here, Austen uses “My” not “Our,” so that Elizabeth gets a full understanding that he doesn’t love her at all, and so makes it easier to reject him. It also shows how insignificant marriage is in his

‘Pride and Prejudice’ is concerned with the equality of personhood between characters in the story. For instance, the marriage of Charlotte Lucas marriage to Mr. Collins which can be demonstrate the fact that marriage in the 19 century England, was ultimately seen as being an economic institution, dictated primarily by economic means. Miss Lucas, whom is a woman with small fortune, recognized her requirement for a wealthy husband to ensure that her social and cultural sustainment and thus, she marries Mr. Collins for whom she does not feel any loving emotion, “it is impossible that every moment should be employed in conversing together”. Within this, Austen presents a more cynical view of marriage, that of happiness not as marital prerequisite but rather as being an improbable benefit to people. Charlotte emphasizes the need of a husband for social security when she declares to Elizabeth; “happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance”. Such an institution of wanting of love and happiness, but burdened with social security and class recognition which is evident within Charlotte 's situation this can be shown when Charlottes says; “I am not romantic [I ask only for a comfortable home].”

Jane Austen once said, “it is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife” (Austen 1). In other words, women of the nineteenth century were deemed dependent on men. They were to join an advantageous marriage to remain respectable and achieve a higher social class. Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice concerns the social norms of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries—a patriarchal society ruled by men who held economic and social power. Interested in Elizabeth Bennett’s romantic affairs and sense of individuality, Austen dramatizes Elizabeth’s success of finding a place within the social institution of marriage in

Mr. Darcy’s prejudices cause him to quickly judge others based solely on their social status, not their character, as taught by society, before realizing that the two are not exclusively related. An example of those widespread beliefs in Regency society was that in order to be accomplished, a woman had to be of good class, in addition to belonging to a rich family. Though not formulated by Darcy himself, he does not refute the list that Ms. Bingley makes concerning his potential wife. She “must have a thorough knowledge of music, … modern languages, … [and elements like the] manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions” (Austen 39). This exhaustive list demonstrates how selective Darcy and the upper society, happened to be and illustrates how Darcy quickly forms his opinion of Elizabeth after meeting her. Since Elizabeth’s father is only a gentleman, with a limited yearly income and very minimal savings, the family is of lower class than Darcy, while the lack of money means that the Bennet family could not have hired the teachers necessary for their daughters to learn the skills necessary

Marriage can be seen as a business, while men bring money to the family, women simply take out. Marriage was a definite concern for Mrs. Bennet due to two major reasons: to provide a future for her daughters and find a heir that would inherit their property as women cannot. Her views on who her daughters should marry are most explicitly expressed when she states “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” (Volume 1. Chapter 1. 5). Mrs. Bennet description of a man with great wealth represents the latter of society’s views on marriage. There is no emotional or physical basis of marriage, as it should be done in order to preserve the familial reputation and maintain societal connections. This notion is perhaps highlighted even further while Elizabeth discovers Mr. Collins’ intentions on marrying Charlotte. Charlotte is Elizabeth’s good friend while Mr. Collins is a clergyman andthe cousin of Mr.Bennett. Mr. Collins came to Netherfield seeking a woman for marriage but was rejected by Elizabeth. When Elizabeth finds out that Mr. Collins has decided to marry Charlotte, she is

Matrimony has always been a controversial topic in each and every time period. Jane Austen does a good job of capturing many of the different views on relationships and the views of marriage during the Regency era. In today’s society, relationships develop out of love, however this was not the standard during the Regency era . The reader from the beginning of the novel is given the “standard” of marriages during this time, “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”() This quote shows the patriarchal society and views of relationships and reasons for wanting a wife. These reasons will be shown and develop during the novel into the standard of marriage we see today.

Bennet and her relations have already acquired a higher social status by the marriage with Mr. Bennet and this status is only to become higher with the marriages of Elizabeth and Jane. Elizabeth, who is a daughter of an aristocratic gentleman and mother from the middle class, at the end marries to one of the wealthiest aristocrats in England. Elizabeth’s marriage to Mr. Darcy is one of the greatest “match” in Austen’s novels. Until the very end of the story it is nearly impossible for Eliza to think of marrying Darcy because of the great social distance between their families. It is equally difficult for Darcy to think of marrying her. When Darcy proposes to Elizabeth, he says that the reason why he hardly admitted his feelings towards her was the distinction between the classes they belonged to. There are different views on the extent of social difference between them. In Lady Catherine's eyes Elizabeth is a nobody, with 'upstart pretensions', a woman shrewdly on the make, who will pollute 'the shades of Pemberley'. Elizabeth herself, however, is not overwhelmed by the social difference. “He is a gentleman; I am a gentleman's daughter; so far we are equal”, she claims calmly. (Coperland et al. 1997). She demonstrates that marriage should be a choice made for love by allowing Elizabeth to remain in the power of choice even in spite of social pressures. Austen shows the good effects of a marriage based on love and the positive effects, which can come from it.

The question “To what extent is the importance of marriage realistically portrayed in the characters of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice?” is of importance since the concept of marriage exists since very long ago and therefore existed in very different epochs and periods of times. This suggests that the importance of marriage was perceived differently throughout history and its portrayal in Pride and Prejudice will therefore differ from the British modern view. In addition, since the novel contains a love story it can be expected that the portrayal would also differ from the importance marriage really had in society during the time the novel was written.