Mr. Collins’ and Mr. Darcy’s first proposals to Elizabeth. How do they

Mr. Collins’ and Mr. Darcy’s first proposals to Elizabeth. How do they

style and the content of the proposals reflect on how these three

characters are portrayed in the rest of the novel. In what ways are

attitudes to marriage different from today?

Pride and Prejudice

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Compare and contrast of Mr. Collins’ and Mr. Darcy’s first proposals

to Elizabeth. How do they style and the content of the proposals

reflect on how these three characters are portrayed in the rest of the

novel. In what ways are attitudes to marriage different from today?

Jane Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’ reveals the importance of social

status and how marriages affected women at that time. The book opens

with the words, ‘It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single

man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.’ This

implies that the chief interest in the book will be marriage. The

main character is Elizabeth Bennet who, unlike Charlotte Lucas, does

not want to marry only for a comfortable and to avoid the stigma of

not being married, but also for love. There is a big contrast between

Mr Collins’ and Darcy’s proposal and give us insight into these three

character.

Mr. Collins is a figure of comedy in this novel. He is described as

‘not a sensible man, and the deficiency of nature had been but little

assisted by education or society’. He speaks in a very formal way

indeed. He is a picture of ‘pride and obsequiousness, self-importance

and humility’ At Longbourn having been told that Jane was likely to

marry Mr. Bingley, Mr. Collins decides to propose to Elizabeth Bennet,

‘having no feelings of diffidence’ with ‘all his solemn composure’

because he supposes this is only a ‘regular part of business’.

First, he asks for a private conversation with Elizabeth. Before

Elizabeth has met Mr. Collins, she was ‘chiefly struck with his

extraordinary deference for Lady Catherine de Bourgh’, but after she

sees him, her dislike towards Collins is even stronger. At the

Netherfield ball, Mr. Collins requests the first two dances with

Elizabeth that let her feel ‘herself completely taken in’. In the

meantime, she also realizes that her mother is planning a marriage for

her, but she has never expected this proposal. Therefore, this

proposal gives Elizabeth ‘a blush of surprise’. She immediately tries

to avoid for not having a private conversation with Mr. Collins and

says ‘I am going away myself’ which shows she wants to escape from the

embarrassment. However, her mother insists upon Elizabeth ‘staying and

hearing Mr. Collins’’.