Theme Of Love In Pride And Prejudice

1317 Words3 Pages

The definition of love is not entirely universal. Acclaimed author Jane Austen explores two different types of love through the characters that lead the plot in her novel, Pride and Prejudice. The story surrounds two couples, Bingley and Jane, and Darcy and Elizabeth, who share in their own unique and individual versions of happiness. This essay will aim to explore the effects of the two different types of love, why it matters and how Austen provides commentary on love in general through the actions, decisions and effects of each of her characters.
The first couple, Charles Bingley and Jane Bennett, are more of a traditional couple. Their suiting relationship followed a classical “romance” archetype. They often caught each other’s eyes, and in the most fairytale way, allowed the rest of their relationship to easily dance into place. Their love can be characterized as a good, simple love. Austen explains, “Mr. Bingley was good looking and gentlemanlike” where as Jane was said to be the most beautiful Bennett sister (Austen). It was a perfect match, approved by societal …show more content…

Darcy’s feelings towards Lizzie begin to change at the second ball, and again when she visits Jane at Netherfield. It is almost as if the hatred has sparked an interest, one that turns to love. Due to social norms, Darcy believes he cannot be with Elizabeth. He refers to it as a “handicap,” she does not belong to the aristocratic class of society and wealth as to which Darcy belongs. This social pressure puts a strain on the possible relationship. Despite this obstacle, the two continue to get to know one another. Darcy admits to avoiding weakness, which includes vanity but no pride. This is another problem in the relationship, Darcy is a prideful man and sees nothing wrong with it. They continue to feel drawn to each other, no matter the differences in

Show More
Related

  • Pain, Misery and Dissapointment in Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

    918 Words  | 2 Pages

    As shown in Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, love can often lead to a life of anguish; even so, the experience is worth the pain. Jane’s adoration for both Mr. Rochester and Helen helped her grow as a person; they gave her hope for a brighter future. When her faith is at its climax, she loses them and is forced to endure the agony of resentment, regret, and solitude. Even so, love is a powerful emotion that can influence anyone given time and devotion and it should be cherished, appreciated and pursued no matter the consequences or the reprecussions.

    Read More

  • Femininity in Eighteenth-Century England

    1668 Words  | 4 Pages

    Concepts of femininity in eighteenth-century England guided many young women, forging their paths for a supposed happy future. However, these set concepts and resulting ideas of happiness were not universal and did not pertain to every English woman, as seen in Jane Austen’s novel, Pride and Prejudice. The novel follows the Bennet sisters on their quest for marriage, with much of it focusing on the two oldest sisters, Jane and Elizabeth. By the end, three women – Jane, Elizabeth, and Elizabeth’s friend, Charlotte Lucas – are married. However, these three women differ greatly in their following of feminine concepts, as well as their attitude towards marriage. Austen foils Jane, Charlotte, and Elizabeth’s personas and their pursuits of love, demonstrating that both submission and deviance from the rigid eighteenth-century concepts of femininity can lead to their own individualized happiness.

    Read More

  • Pride Overcoming Love In Much Ado About Nothing And Pride And Prejudice

    863 Words  | 2 Pages

    William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing and Jane Austin's Pride and Prejudice are both plays that follow the journey of four lovers: Beatrice & Benedict, and Elizabeth and Darcy. These couple all go through trials and tribulations within their relationships. All characters must overcome their prideful ways to be with one another. William Shakespeare and Jane Austin both show in Much Ado About Nothing and Pride and Prejudice that love, eventually, overcomes pride.

    Read More

  • Reputation and Love in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

    1583 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...r life. Jane Austen’s time and nowadays sees the same situation. Not all marriage is based solely on love. As shallow as it might sounds, when considering marriage, most, if not all people, consider wealth and the reputation of their partner. The norms of Jane Austen’s time in relations to wealth, reputation and marriage are much more elaborated by each individual's upbringing.

    Read More

  • Themes Of Marriage In Jane Austen's Pride And Prejudice

    1258 Words  | 3 Pages

    Bingley and Jane Bennet show immediate chemistry from the beginning of the novel to the end. They encounter a rough patch in their relationship towards the middle of the novel when Mr. Bingley does not visit Netherfield for an extended period of time. However, the reader can almost assume an impending marriage between the two from the beginning of the novel, even with their rough patch in the middle. Bingley and Jane serve as the two of the most kind characters in Pride and Prejudice and establish themselves as the perfect couple. Their intentions in the marriage exhibit themselves as pure and kind-hearted. They married each other for all of the right reasons. Love distinguished itself as the most important quality in their caring and passionate marriage which proves as rare marriage equality in this novel. Many tried to separate this couple, including Darcy, but in the end all attempts to ruin their love failed because they ended up happily married. Their views and attitude toward their marriage portray a unique and rare marriage in this novel due to the fact that they married for love instead of money or

    Read More

  • Essay On Mr Darcy Character Development

    1037 Words  | 3 Pages

    Darcy’s proposals help to manifest his personal growth by showing the difference in his manner, rationale, and result. His haughty words and actions are the crux of his indifference towards the feelings of others in the beginning of the novel. Although Mr. Darcy is ignorant of his own highfalutin attitude at first, the rejection of his proposal by Elizabeth is just the tocsin he needs to salvage the small amount of respect she still had for him. Through her rejection, he comes to terms with his own pride and prejudice against Elizabeth and her family. Also, he realizes that she is not one to marry for money or social status, but she wants to marry a man that she truly loves, which is a surprise to him. This radical modification of his attitude results in a second marriage proposal for Elizabeth, where he genuinely expresses his feelings. Although he is uncertain of her answer, he simply wants to make his love for her known. The slightly astonished Elizabeth immediately recognizes how much the tone and motive in his second proposal have changed from his first and also reveals her love for him. Mr. Darcy’s two proposals do not simply act as means to communicating his feeling to Elizabeth, but as a documentation of his significant change in

    Read More

  • Social Norms in Jane Austen´s Pride and Prejudice

    1189 Words  | 3 Pages

    Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is well-noted for its ability to question social norms. Most importantly, Austen explores the institution of marriage, as it was in her time, a time where many married for security rather than love. Her characters Elizabeth and Charlotte are renowned even more for their outspoken nature and different views on marriage. Though both Elizabeth and Charlotte yearn for a happy marriage, Charlotte has a more pragmatic and mundane approach while Elizabeth is more romantic and daring with her actions. Through the romantic involvements of both Elizabeth and Charlotte, Austen shows that happiness in marriage is not entirely a matter of chance, but is instead contingent on an accurate evaluation of self and others Elizabeth’s view on Jane and Bingely’s relationship is more hopeful, while Charlotte possesses a more aggressive view.

    Read More

  • Contrast of Love in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice

    1541 Words  | 4 Pages

    Throughout the novel, Pride and Prejudice, Austen uses five variations of Robert Sternberg's triangular love theory to describe characters and their views of love. With the love of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet as an infatuation, Charlotte and Collins as empty, Lydia and Wickham as fatuous, Jane and Bingley as companionate, and Elizabeth and Darcy as consummate, the characters make decisions which will bind them for their futures, all due to their intentions of love.

    Read More

  • Infatuation Of Marriage In Jane Austen's Pride And Prejudice

    1327 Words  | 3 Pages

    She emphasizes that marriages can only be successful if they are founded on mutual love. Elizabeth and Darcy 's relationship is really different from all the others in the novel. Elizabeth does not care about him being super rich and he does not find her the most beautiful. At the beginning, he thinks she is “tolerable”. They do not like each other at the beginning, they argue a lot and are really sassy towards each other. They are the opposite of amiable. Their relationship is far beyond just physical attraction. Darcy secretly helps out with Lydia 's situation. He does not want Elizabeth to be hurt nor does he want her family to ruin their repuation. He helps Elizabeth and does not bring it up, let alone brag about it. Love is not boastful. This shows the reader how contrasting Darcy and Collins ' characters are. “Elizabeth 's heart did whisper, that he had done it for her...” She has a feeling that Darcy is the one who helped out but she is not one hundred percent sure. Elizabethis wistful about saying so many bad things about him and she regrets her little speech when she rejected him. Unlike every other character in this novel, Darcy and Elizabeth took things slowly. Darcy purposes to her after a long time, when he was sure about his feelings for her. Even when she rejects him once he did not ask her over and over again, unlike

    Read More

  • Character Analysis of Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice

    1033 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...ecame him" (Austen 239). Both in awe of each other and in love, although when first introduced had an odd dislike for each other shows the character and personality change in Darcy from an ostentatious man to a man of love.

    Read More

  • Chapter Notes for Pride and Prejudice

    1012 Words  | 3 Pages

    Jane lets on to Elizabeth that she likes Mr. Bingley and Elizabeth tells her she doesn’t know of her beauty. Mr. Bingley inherited a lot of money from his dad, and Darcy also has money but isn’t as sociable as Mr. Bingley and while Bingley liked the ball Darcy did not.

    Read More

  • The Power of Love in Pride and Prejudice

    1688 Words  | 4 Pages

    Throughout the early 1800s, British women often played a subordinate role in society, flexed by many obligations, laws, and the superior males. A young woman’s struggle for independence and free will can often be compared to a life of servitude and slavery. Women were often controlled by the various men in their lives; whether it be father, brother or the eventual husband. Marriage during this time was often a gamble; one can either be in it for the right reasons such as love or for the wrong reasons such as advancing social status. In 19th century Britain, laws were enacted to further suppress women that eventually bore the idea that women were supposed to do two things: marry and have children. In Pride and Prejudice, Austen demonstrates a women’s struggle within a society that stresses the importance of marriage and strict behavioral customs. As evidenced by the Bennett daughters: Elizabeth, Jane and Lydia, as well as Charlotte Collins, marriage for young women was a pursuit that dominated their lives.

    Read More

  • Pride And Prejudice Movie Analysis

    1256 Words  | 3 Pages

    Although Mr. Darcy and Miss Bennett have a bantering relationship throughout the movie, which is quite entertaining, they end up falling for each other. On several occasions, snide comments and hurtful remarks show the disapproval they hold for each other. When Mr. Darcy proposed, Elizabeth was completely taken off guard, and reacted harshly in her surprise. As a result of this, Mr. Darcy was tormented because of his pining for Elizabeth. This caused his attitude to go from arrogant and prideful, to humble and affectionate. This change in personality in change and attitude initiated her great love with Mr. Darcy. Another love story portrayed in this movie is between Mr. Bingley and Miss Jane Bennett. The first time they meet, Mr. Bingley is completely smitten. Although Jane (Elizabeth’s sister) keeps her guard up, she does display some kind of growing affection for him. Just as Jane thinks that she is in love with him, Mr. Bingley’s sisters whisk him away to London, hoping to destroy the whole affair. In the midst of the movie, it seems like the relationship is over. But when Mr. Bingley returns to Netherfield, his love for Jane has not ceased. She discovers that her feelings have not changed, and they are soon

    Read More

  • The Relationship between Elizabeth and Darcy in Pride and Prejudice

    923 Words  | 2 Pages

    Austen's view of true love is clearly evident in the relationship between Darcy and Elizabeth. Elizabeth Bennet is an unfailingly attractive character, but what everybody notices about her is her spirited wit and good sense. She has a keen, critical mind when expressing her opinions and is unwilling to believe only the best of everyone. It is this intelligence that brings Mr. Darcy's admiration of her and her sense that she can rely on both mind and heart. Darcy carries the persona of a snobbish, arrogant, and self-assured man who assumes that he can get everything he wants. He explains his attitude by stating, " I was spoiled by my parents, who though good themselves … allowed, encouraged, almost taught me to be selfish and overbearing." However, his arrogance is challenged when he is faced to deal with the fact that ...

    Read More

  • A Critical Review of Pride and Prejudice

    945 Words  | 2 Pages

    Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen, shows two characters overcoming their pride and prejudices while falling in love. In the beginning Elizabeth believes that Mr. Darcy is too proud and rude, but in time to come they start to admire and love each other. They bond together through their pride and prejudice, and in the end, they overcome the obstacles that held them back.

    Read More

More about Theme Of Love In Pride And Prejudice

Open Document