Saviour in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

In today’s modern culture virginity is seen as a weakness, yet in the sixteenth century Queen Elizabeth I wielded her virginity as her one of her most considerable sources of power. Considered by many historians to be the greatest master of public relations , Elizabeth reigned for 45 years and never wed, still her reign is considered to be a very prosperous period in England. During her reign Elizabeth was subject to pressure from all sides telling her to marry and produce an heir that would secure her country’s future. However, Elizabeth did just the opposite and upon her death power was peacefully transferred to her heir and cousin, James I. Indeed, Queen Elizabeth leveraged her prospect of marriage as a

Ever since birth, Darcy has thought highly of himself. He felt like it was a natural thing to do. He never noticed how he treated people. Darcy met Elizabeth at a ball. She was in the middle of telling a story, when Darcy walked away. He said that she wasn’t handsome enough for him. She didn’t have the perfect symmetry he was looking

When he tells her how much he despises of her and how he has “struggled. It will not do,” his “feelings will not be repressed” Elizabeth is extremely offended since he’s telling her how much he hates her and simultaneously is proposing to her. He says how he “despises” of her and that he doesn’t want to love

Elizabeth Bennet had refused Mr Darcy when he had asked her to marry him. She was convinced that his was moraly corrupted and arrogant man. But under the influence of subsequent events – explaining letter, visit to Pemberly – she started to change her opinions. She was not fully aware of her true feelings until she told Mr Darcy about Lydia’s elopement. The she started fully realize what she really felt - “She began now to comprehend that he was exactly the man, who, in disposition

"Upon my word, sir," cried Elizabeth, "your hope is a rather extraordinary one after my declaration. I do assure you that I am not one of those young ladies (if such young ladies there are) who are so daring as to risk their happiness on the chance of being asked a second time. I am perfectly serious in my refusal. You could not make me happy, and I am convinced that I am the last woman in the world who could make you so" (104-105).

Elizabeth's anger now turned on herself. To have behaved so in front of her host and his guests – to have demonstrated to the proud Mr Darcy just how far beneath him she really was – to have allowed Caroline Bingley the satisfaction of provoking her to anger… Oh! It was all too much. With a final glare at Miss Bingley, Elizabeth had turned on her heel and stalked from the room and the house without a further word.

You could not make me happy, and I am convinced that I am the last

Mrs Bennet stood outside Elizabeth’s room for a few more minutes and then, when she was satisfied her daughter was asleep, she fled from the landing. Tears were flowing down her cheeks and her anger was seeping through every pore in her body. How could he be so stupid? Mrs Bennet thought; referring to her idiotic husband.

Darcy and Elizabeth were able to slowly break the social handicaps. As the story progresses Elizabeth begins to change her views on Mr. Darcy. Elizabeth begins to question her views on Mr. Darcy because of the words from her Aunt and Uncle Garginers. “Mrs. Gardiner's caution to Elizabeth was punctually and kindly given on the first favorable opportunity of speaking to her alone; after honestly telling her what she thought, she thus went on: "You are too sensible a girl, Lizzy, to fall in love merely because you are warned against it; and, therefore, I am not afraid of speaking openly. Seriously, I would have you be on your guard. Do not involve yourself or endeavor to involve him in an affection which the want of fortune would make so very imprudent. I have nothing to say against HIM; he is a most interesting young man; and if he had the fortune he ought to have, I should think you could not do better. But as it is, you must not let your fancy run away with you. You have sense, and we all expect you to use it. Your father would depend on YOUR resolution and good conduct, I am sure. You must not disappoint your father." "My dear aunt, this is being serious indeed." "Yes, and I hope to engage you to be serious likewise." "Well, then, you need not be under any alarm. I will take care of myself, and of Mr. Wickham too. He shall not be in love with me, if I can prevent it." "Elizabeth, you are not serious now." "I beg your pardon, I will try again. At present I am not in

Her rejection quickly escalates into an insult, which is a perfect validation of how Elizabeth Bennet represents Austen’s view of that women should not be subdued and obedient, until Elizabeth outrightly states, “‘You could not have made me the offer of your hand in any possible way that would

Darcy when he approaches her about his feelings for her. This first expression of infatuation for Elizabeth was actually rather insulting to her. Instead of confessing how much he adored her, he said that he should not feel this way toward her because of their different social classes. He was rude and condescending toward Elizabeth in his face-to-face proclamation. After this encounter, Elizabeth believed Mr.Darcy was an arrogant, self-centered, and distasteful man that she wished to have no relations with.

When she initially refuses Darcy’s proposal, both Darcy and Elizabeth bring up issues that are not necessarily easy to explain away. For Elizabeth, Darcy’s treatment of Wickham (according to Mr. Wickham’s false version of events) is unacceptable, but her resentment is small in comparison to how she feels about Mr. Darcy ruining Jane and Bingley’s relationship. Mr. Darcy’s forced separation of Jane and Bingley also leads Elizabeth back to Darcy’s objection to the inferiority of her own birth and the Bennet family’s inappropriate behavior. Elizabeth’s explanation for her rejection of Mr. Darcy fuels her anger towards him. It also creates a matching anger in Mr. Darcy in particular by characterizing as ungentlemanly his alleged treatment of

Mr. Darcy loves Elizabeth so much but the feeling is not mutual between the two. When he proposes to Elizabeth, she is staying at the Hunsford house. Mr. Darcy is a very wealthy man and does not let the fact that Elizabeth is not as wealthy as him affect the way he feels about her. He goes out of his way to let her know how much better he is than her within their social standings and Elizabeth gets offended because she is a very self-respecting woman. Once Mr. Darcy proposes to her, she turns him down and later to gives him the reason why she did. This evolved their relationship for the better because it shows Mr. Darcy cannot get what he wants all the time because of how much

The continued interations with Elizabeth led Darcy to begin his adventure forth to wed Elizabeth, even going so far as to propose, and refuse the denial returned. The persistance of Darcy caused Elizabeth to reflect internally, asking "Why is he so altered? From what can it proceed? It cannot be for me—it cannot be for my sake that his manners are thus softened” (Austen Ch.43). However, it wasn’t just Darcy that changed. This, rather shockingly, forced Elizabeth to realize “vanity, not love, has been my folly,” and that even herself of all people “had been blind, partial, prejudiced, absurd.” (Austen Ch.36) and that she too held herself of a level superior to Darcy, and promptly softened her “prejudice” against Darcy, even feeling “a more gentle sensation towards [Darcy] than she had ever felt in the height of their acquaintance” (Austen

One of the best examples of Elizabeth’s hasty judgments backfiring on her is the relationship between her and Mr. Darcy. Lizzy meets Mr. Darcy for the first time with Mr. Bingley, who was new in town at the time. Elizabeth immediately decides that Mr. Darcy is judgmental and critical. Her contempt towards him grows and leads to her insult him crudely when he proposes to her and says, ‘“From the very beginning, from the first moment I may almost say, of my acquaintance with you, your manners impressing me with the fullest belief of your arrogance, your conceit, and your selfish disdain of the feelings of others, were such as to form that ground-work of disapprobation, on which succeeding events have built so immovable a dislike; and I had not known you a month before I felt that you were the last man in the world whom I could ever be prevailed to marry.” At that point in time, Mr. Darcy was the worst man she knew. She based most of her