Comparison of Characters in Aphra Behn’s The Fair Jilt and Samuel Richardson’s Clarissa

Comparison of Characters in Aphra Behn’s The Fair Jilt and Samuel Richardson’s Clarissa

Superficially the characters Clarissa Harlowe and Miranda seem, not only to be extremely different, but complete opposites. Clarissa is an exemplary model of virtue and goodness. Samuel Richardson presents her as a chaste and innocent daughter. She is forced from her duty by a conniving brother into the arms of a manipulative man. She is the victim. Miranda is the villain of The Fair Jilt. Aphra Behn portrays her as a woman who knows what she wants and will do anything to get it, including murder. Miranda has no regard for family and is driven only by her desire for quality. On first reading, it seems that Miranda is manipulative and Clarissa is being manipulated. However, if one looks closely at these two characters, it becomes clear that they have a great deal in common. Both women are strong, intelligent and independent. Lack of parental control influences both of them, as do the inheritances they both receive from deceased family members. The characters of Clarissa Harlowe and Miranda, although strikingly different, are also revealingly similar.

Miranda and Clarissa both lack parents. Miranda’s parents pass away, leaving her an orphan and completely alone in the world, except for her sister. Her lack of a guardian gives her a large amount of personal control. Miranda must decide what to do with her life. “…the fair Miranda, whose parents being dead… put herself into this enclosed religious house” (Behn 32). The phrase “put herself” is very important to both the story and the character. Miranda now has power over herself and this is both new and dangerous. Her freedom from parental control also has a heavy influence on her courtships and eventual marriage. If her father were still alive, Miranda would not have chosen her own husband. Her match with Prince Tarquin probably would not have come to pass. Although Prince Tarquin has a great name and “quality,” he does not have a lot of money. Miranda’s obsession with Henrick also would never occur because she would never have entered the convent. Likewise, Clarissa suffers much from the absence of her parents. Her father is weakened by the gout. In his absence, James Harlowe Junior takes control of the family. Throughout the novel, Clarissa is asking her father to take control and tell her what to do.