Shakespeare’s “Richard III” portrays a ‘serious’ yet passionate declaration of love to Anne greatly contrasting with the more solemn and composed confession given by Mr Collins in Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice”. Where Richard III seems to be unable to hold back his feelings Mr Collins appears to quite calmly lay out his reasoning for his proposed match to Elizabeth Bennet. Thus both extracts could be said to be giving us very different depictions of the idea of a ‘declaration of love’.
Shakespeare uses hyperbolic language and melodrama in order to exaggerate the supposed love that Richard feels for Anne as he declares that “[Anne’s] beauty, ...did haunt me in my sleep” which can also be described as a cliché as it is often said that someone can be so in love that they have restless nights constantly thinking about the one that they love. The use of the word “haunt” could perhaps also be taken further to suggest both the magic and mystery of love as because it is so difficult to comprehend or explain it is almost as if it is something that is other-worldly , on the other hand we could also interpret it as, Richard being haunted by his desires as he is constantly trying to think about how to gain power and although it could be true that he is thinking of Anne it may not be because he loves her but rather so that he might use her in order to gain power thus he is “haunt[ed]” by his lust for power not love. Similarly, Austen’s Mr Collin is trying to convince the recipient of his declaration that they should get married however unlike Richard III, she doesn’t use bold hyperbolic statements to do this but rather presents Mr Collins as a man with a “solemn composure”, structuring his proposal quite eloquently; clearly expressing each of...
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...controlled proposal to her sudden and unanticipated refusal. Therefore despite all Mr Collin’s well thought out arguments his declaration of love has failed.
Overall, the portrayals of the lovers’ declarations in both extracts from Austen and Shakespeare are presented quite differently but both seem to be more than they first appear to be at first sight. Austen gives us a confession seemingly devoid of any great declaration of passion but yet Mr Collins seems sincere in his words as he does lay bare his admitted dull soul. Whereas, Shakespeare uses the passionate affirmations of Richard III to show that hyperbolic flowery language doesn’t always convey what one truly feels. What can be said for sure is that both personas are declaring their “love” for people who they don’t actually really love but simply see as means to a greater end be that money or connections.
Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice illuminates a social courtship between the proud Mister Fitzwilliam Darcy and the shrewd, unconventional Miss Elizabeth Bennet. Elizabeth is proud of her own identity. She astutely justifies herself as “a gentleman’s daughter” (Austen 337) in her confrontation with the prejudiced and class-conscious Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Mister Fitzwilliam Darcy, who shares Elizabeth’s sharp tongue, comes from a family of high social status; his privileged upbringing instilled in him “pride and conceit” (Austen 349) that blinds him from acknowledging the similarity and equality between him and Elizabeth. Upon first proposing to Elizabeth, he does not realize that he is not raising her social status by marrying her. They are of equal authority in marriage; their similar personalities makes them all the more equal and complementary to each other. Thus, their marriage, following a second, sincerely worded proposal, signifies Darcy’s recognition of Elizabeth’s worth, and through his recognition, Austen argues for the fundamental equality between husband and wife.
which drives most of the plot forward. Shakespeare utilises many different types of love in
Collins artificial ideas of marriage. Elizabeth’s reaction to his propsal proves the argument of how Austin implicitly displays how women are objectified in the Regency era through the investigation of Elizabeth's refusal of Mr. Collins asking of her hand in marriage. Due to the fact that her refusal was shocking it displays how women often took opportunities to marry in order to secure a good lifestyle. Moreover, this also displayed the male and female dynamics in society. By examining Mr. Collins reasonings for wanting to get married, Austen portrays how many people use marriage as a tool to raise social status and benefit their appearance in society. To conclude with the wise words of Gandhi that sum up Austen's message in this book “where there is love there is
The passages from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and Charles Dickens’ Our Mutual Friend, two men attempt to persuade their women into marrying them though marriage proposals. While both proposals state the men’s intentions of marriage, Headstone’s proposal is more effective than Collins’ because he clearly shows his affection for her, includes benefits for her family, and takes consideration of his audience.
In Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Jane uses the novel to show the common day romance of the time period. In the novel, Elizabeth Bennet, a sophisticated, lively girl manages to change Mr. Darcy, a cocky, stubborn man into a person who is head over heels in love. Although it takes her some time, Elizabeth is able to change the way Mr. Darcy feels about love in general and causes him to act differently then he has ever done before. Mr. Darcy’s self- discovery in response to Elizabeth Bennet’s blunt honestly allows him to re-evaluate his approach to love.
Throughout the novel Pride and Prejudice, relationships play major roles in every character 's life. Jane Austen presented two different types of relationships: relationships of security and relationships of love. Many women wanted to get married into a wealthy family in order to feel secure financially for the rest of their lives. Mrs. Bennet wished to marry her daughters off to wealth to ensure her family would never fear over who would take care of their financial needs. However, other women like Elizabeth solely wanted to marry someone she could love for the rest of her life, no matter the financial circumstances. Elizabeth learned what type of relationship she would want in future by looking at the couples and marriages that surrounded her.
To begin, Mr. and Mrs. Bennet have a love of simple infatuation. This type of love is one without intimacy or commitment, and lies with pure passion. After the passion runs out, no love is left. Mr. Bennet married his wife because she had ample beauty, however, she exposed herself as unintelligent. He often warned his children not to do the same, just as he says to Elizabeth: "My child, let me not have the grief of seeing you unable to respect your partner in life. You know not what you are about" (Austen). The lack of love between her parents was quite obvious to Elizabeth as well. She saw that "her father, captivated by youth and beauty, and that appearance of good humour which youth and beauty generally give, had married a woman whose weak understanding and illiberal mind had very early in...
Austen relishes the equally disastrous proposals of Mr Collins and Mr Darcy. Both men are amazed when Elizabeth refuses them. He likes the country and his books, and these must console him for his error; he has made his choice and can never unmake
Austen's strategy of presenting the qualities of a person by way of indirection is clearly seen here. The odious letter from Mr. Collins prepares the reader to dislike him even before he arrives. Without even meeting this man, his personality is learned by the excessive verbiage, pompous flattery, and self-pride evident in his letter. It is Elizabeth who is extremely perceptive about Mr. Collins' letter because (after hearing it ) she immediately wonders if he can be a sensible man. And as the story unfolds, it is Mr. Collins' every action that will prove her belief to be true.
‘Pride and Prejudice’ is a novel fixated on marriage: throughout, all the ‘action’ occurs within scenes devoted to either the talk of marriage or actual proposals. This cannot be expounded more than within the very first line: ‘It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife’. Here, at the beginning of the novel, a definite, though somewhat sarcastic, statement introduces the main theme of the novel – marriage- and, possibly more importantly, not love.
Love plays a significant role in the life of the average person. There are both positive and negative effects of love. Both the novel Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen, and the poem “To My Dear and Loving Husband,” by Anne Bradstreet have similar ideas and qualities. Although they are different, both pieces of literature tie to the common theme, love. The poems’ explanation of love helps to highlight the growth of Elizabeth’s love throughout the novel.
Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice is the 200-year-old tale of a man and a woman in an insufferable environment, and their complicated journey to love and acceptance. The story is set at some point in Georgian Era England, a time and place where one’s social status determined their success in life and the possibility of success for their posterity. The extreme social-consciousness of the time, although not living or even physical, becomes the antagonist to the two main characters, Elizabeth and Darcy. With Darcy living as an aristocrat, and Elizabeth standing a class below him as a member of the gentry, their relationship has a very rocky start, to a point where romantic interest seems incredibly unlikely. The couple’s story is presented in
It is difficult, if not completely impossible, to formulate Austen’s ideal proposal plot because different things matter to different heroines, but it is possible to explore the implications of the rejected proposal plot. This essay thus proceeds to an examination of what matters to two heroines who elect to reject proposals of marriage: Pride and Prejudice’s (1813) Elizabeth Bennet, and Mansfield Park’s (1814) Fanny Price. Elizabeth is the first of Austen’s heroines to come to mind in terms of rejected marriage proposals, given that she rejects not just one, but two, proposals. Framing an examination of Fanny Price’s rejection of Henry Crawford through Elizabeth Bennet’s rejection of Mr. Collins and Mr. Darcy, then, provides a better understanding of what matters to Austen and her heroines in
Collins is interested in Elizabeth as well, and wants to marry her for several reasons which he deems proper and just. Mr. Collins is certain that he is worthy of Elizabeth’s acceptance because of his connection to the family of Lady Catherine de Bourgh, and his position as a clergyman, but also because he will inherit her family’s estate when her father dies. He has no notion of love or lifelong happiness, which Elizabeth finds ideal in a marriage. He tries to understand her refusal, crediting it to her “wish of increasing [his] love by suspense, according to the usual practice of elegant females.” Elizabeth, for the sake of his understanding fully, says, “Do not consider me now as an elegant female intending to plague you, but as a rational creature speaking the truth from her heart” (108). Austen demonstrates how Mr. Collins considers marriage to him a perfect solution to the problem of the entailed estate, while Elizabeth knows marriage to him would make her miserable. He later finds an acceptable match with the practical Charlotte
...not money or status. By satirizing love, Austen displays real love in all its purity. Jane and Bingley have a pure, honest love, and this is the kind of love Austen presents in her novel, which is what should be established in a real relationship.