Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and William Shakespeare's King Lear
Two English literary works, one a comedy and the other a tragedy, by
two different authors of separate centuries, both have their fair
share of characters who illustrate the admirable and the
not-so-admirable of dispositions. Jane Austen's socially satirical
novel Pride and Prejudice from 1813 and William Shakespeare's poetic
poem King Lear from 1606 match each other very closely in the context
of how good character reveals itself. In each piece, the authors
present readers with a contrast between the wonderful and the terrible
and act as puppet masters in the competition for the common object of
desire; the "prizes" for Shakespeare's dramatic characters are power
and riches, and while Austen's characters also aspire to possess
affluence, their primary concern is high regard from others. In terms
of Pride and Prejudice, all unfavorable characters commit different
offenses against amiability in their quests for a flattering
reputation, but Austen manipulates their actions so that each comes
off as being an extrovert. Similar terms apply to King Lear in that
Shakespeare's disgraceful characters act grandiosely and employ
dishonesty in attempts toward prosperity.
As Pride and Prejudice's villain in disguise, Mr. Wickham sets out to
convince his new acquaintances of Hertfordshire that he is a victim of
a heartless Mr. Darcy. He initiates discussion with Elizabeth about
Darcy's spiteful disposition and ventures so far as to claim to her
sympathetic ears "I can never be in company with this Mr. Darcy
without being grieved to the soul by a thousand tender recollections.
His behavior to myself has been scandalous," (59). Elizabeth later
d...
... middle of paper ...
...extroverted methods in
meeting the desire. Superior characters demonstrate non-public acts,
and anonymous deeds in terms of King Lear, and always without selfish
intent. Those successful in attaining the want in both works are on
the good side, but inevitable flaws mildly contaminate their
characters. As authors, Austen and Shakespeare have the power to
personify perfection and invent a role with developed, first-rate, and
unblemished character. No one is without fault; high-value characters
are the next best example of humanity. Through two contrasting
literary pieces, Austen and Shakespeare both present readers with the
proposition that one need not be perfect to have noble and virtuous
character.
Works Cited
Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. Oxford: Oxford University Press,
1998.
Shakespeare, William. King Lear. England: Signet Classics, 1998.
Jane Austen, author of Pride & Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility, and many other well-known books, was born on December 16th, 1775, in England. Her parents, George and Cassandra Austen, came from lower middle-class English families. When Austen was a child, her home had an open and intellectual atmosphere, and her family frequently discussed politics and social issues. This influenced her writing as an adult, which explored themes of social class and the treatment of women. As a teenager, Austen was sent to Oxford to be educated, but she contracted typhus and nearly died. She was then educated at home, learning what girls were normally taught during that time, such as French, needlework, and music. Austen was also a enthusiastic reader,
Where is there a page in William Shakespeare's tragic play Macbeth which does not present the selfish virtue of personal ambition. This paper addresses the problem of ambition in the drama.
The text is Pride and Prejudice which is about the ups and downs of the connection/relationship between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. The person who changes the most throughout the novel is Mr. Darcy who changes for the affection of Elizabeth. The first copy of Pride and Prejudice was published in 1993 by Wordsworth Editions Limited. Jane Austen is the author and the genre of the novel is Historical/Romance. The book looks at Mr. Darcy and changing his personality, which characters remain static through the book, what Jane Austen is trying to say about the period of time the novel is set in and why Jane Austen has so many characters that stay the same all through the book.
In the novel Pride and Prejudice , Jane Austen takes you back to times where Pride were not only for the
England, under James 1st rule was a vastly altered period compared to our now modern society. So many of the values held during this time, have now been discarded and forgotten. Jane Austen grew up in the Romantic period and experienced a world which was divided, whether through education, class, status, fashion, abilities, gender and etiquette. Her novel, Pride and Prejudice is counted as one of the great classics of English Literature. Austen engrosses readers to live in her world for a time and experience a society filled with matchmaking, romance, marriage and gossip. Every one of her characters is so distinctive and has a clearly outlined caricature. Each of their diverse values conveys a different thinking of the time. Pride and Prejudice is preoccupied with the gentry and most of the social aspects which consumed these people’s lives. There were so many expectations of how you would behave in public, but of course not all of these were upheld. Elizabeth Bennet, Mr Darcy, Mrs Bennet and Charlotte Lucas are four characters which keep such strong beliefs about the social norms. These characters are expressed so descriptively and through their personalities readers can learn just how the numerous social standards were received.
Jane Austen presents many themes in her novel Pride and Prejudice. Some of these themes are relevant to today's society but none so much as the main themes pride and prejudice. There are two main themes because one usually leads to another. Coincidentally these two themes make up the title of the novel. Pride is something everybody should have. But not everybody should have too much. The amount of pride that one has in himself/herself is one of the first things one is characterized by. When Elizabeth first met Mr. Darcy and for some time after, she perceived him to be conceited, as did everyone else of her family. Mr. Darcy was not well liked too well by the Bennets for this reason. Too much pride in one's self is; too, present at the in today's society. This is usually linked to the wealth of a person. People who are wealthy tend to have an over abundant amount pride. They like to brag about their riches and show off what they have. Why do they do this? They do this to rub it in to the faces of lower class society. Overwhelming pride is just not seen in Hollywood or big cities; it is everywhere. Most commonly it is in schools. Some students tend to think it is fun to gloat about what they have, but this may lead to them being disliked by others. Nobody wants to listen to a spoiled kid! Pride can be a good thing and it should be but it may lead to some cases of the second theme of the novel, prejudice. Prejudice is viewed in all places and in all forms. In Pride and Prejudice, Mr. Darcy's pride leads to the Bennet's, especially Elizabeth's, prejudice toward him. This is because Mr. Darcy is so much wealthier than the Bennets and he lets them know. He shows much prejudice against people of lower societies. Elizabeth thinks of him as a handsome, but a too good, conceited, "I'm too good for anybody," male. Even though she is attracted to him, she refuses his proposal due to her prejudice toward him. He does not help in her saying "yes" when he tells her how he sees her and her family; poor and unworthy. He even states that this proposal should probably not even be taking place due to these feelings.
Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice has emphases on how characters are perceived by the world they live in. Mr. Darcy is an unpopular and misunderstood character who is the symbol of pride throughout the novel. Mr. Wickham is a charismatic soldier who is perceptive of those around him and capitalizes on his knowledge. Throughout the novel similarities and differences between characters are highlighted. Mr. Wickham and Mr. Darcy grew up together, yet Mr. Darcy is known for having a disagreeable countenance and a large sense of pride and Mr. Wickham is more charming, charismatic, and socially well-versed. In the fourth chapter of Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth says “It does not necessarily
Each of Jane Austen’s characters in her novel, Pride and Prejudice, experiences a significant character development. Whether the change occurs by self-realization or through the assistance of another character varies from each individual character. For Austen’s leading man, Mr. Darcy, his character improvement is documented through his two marriage proposals to Elizabeth Bennet and her subsequent first rejection of his proposal. His first proposal demonstrates his extreme arrogance, elitism, and blindness to his many flaws. While his latter proposal shows not only the recognition of his deficiencies, but the overall improvement in his mentality. Mr. Darcy’s two proposals, though having the same intended end result, are completely different
other from Mr Darcy. Mr Darcy is a wealthy man who is a friend of Mr
One of Wickham’s many unpleasant attributes is his deceitfulness. Once he sees that Elizabeth has been captured by h...
a good mother and a good wife. The goal of women was to grow up to
Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. Ed. Donald Gray. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2001.
The novel Pride and Prejudice, is a romantic comedy, by Jane Austen. Pride and Prejudice is a story about an unlikely pair who go through many obstacles before finally coming together. Pride is the opinion of oneself and prejudice is how one person feels others perceive them. The novel, Pride and Prejudice, uses plot, the characters of Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy and Miss Elizabeth Bennet, and the status of women and social standing, to portray the theme of the novel - pride and prejudice.
I have also learnt a lot more about Jane Austen and her life and about
As we read on, we see a change in Darcy, and feel that his heart of