Examine the way in which both Austen and Shakespeare present a spirited female lead.

Laura Wood 3rd Draft.

“Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen and “Much Ado About Nothing” by William Shakespeare are two of the best known and best loved literary works in history. One of the main reasons for this is the strength and personality of their leading female characters Beatrice, and Elizabeth and the relationships that they form within the books. Beatrice, described as being “possessed with a fury”, and Elizabeth as an “obstinate, headstrong girl”, are characters whose vibrant and incredibly spirited personalities simply leap off the pages capturing the imagination of any reader.

One of the key techniques used by both authors is to give each character somebody in whom they meet their match. In Beatrice’s case this person is Benedick, one of the young Lords who accompany the king, Don Pedro, on his visit to Messina. Following their first meeting in the play Shakespeare makes it very plain that these two characters are on the same intellectual level and that any conversation between them will always be a battle of wits. The speed and wit of the insults that are thrown between these two characters are what make this play so enjoyable to watch. When Benedick remarks that it is a relief that Beatrice has sworn off love “so some gentleman or other shall ‘scape a predestinate scratched face” Beatrice fires back just as quickly with “scratching could not make it worse, an ‘twere such a face as yours were.” By giving Beatrice somebody to spar with in this way Shakespeare allows an outlet for her spirited personality allowing the audience to see it at its fullest and most animated. As Benedick himself puts it to her, “I would my horse had the speed of your tongue”. It is also clear that Beatrice and Benedick know each other “of old” although we do not understand clearly what their previous relationship was until, when later questioned by Don Pedro, Beatrice reveals that she once gave Benedick a “double heart for his single one”. By including this idea of a previous failed relationship between the characters Shakespeare makes the ease with which the pair fall into the trap set for them by the other characters more acceptable to the audience as there is clearly still a strong attraction and a lot of unfinished business between them. This also allows Shakespeare to add another dimension to Beatrice’s character, in helping to explain the reason that it is particularly “Signor Benedick” who experiences the sharp side of Beatrice’s tongue and why it is important that Benedick thinks that he is “loved of all ladies, only you excepted.” The importance of Benedick’s character in helping to create a spirited female lead within the play should certainly not be under-estimated as without him we would only rarely glimpse the feisty and energetic side of Beatrice’s personality that makes her so enjoyable to watch.

Similarly, in “Pride and Prejudice” Elizabeth Bennet meets her main antagonist in her future husband, Mr Darcy. It is her disregard for what is “proper” that makes the character of Elizabeth so appealing. When talking to Mr Darcy she talks to him completely as an equal, indeed as she later points out to Lady Catherine “He is a gentleman; I am a gentleman’s daughter; so far we are equal.” It is clear however that while Elizabeth’s family are troubled by serious financial worries, Mr Darcy living on “ten thousand a year” is certainly far above her in the social hierarchy that Austen’s characters are so concerned with. An excellent example of this difference in status is the difference in attitude adopted towards Mr Darcy between Miss Bingley and Elizabeth. While Miss Bingley flirts and simpers asking how they may “punish” Darcy for a rather derogatory comment Elizabeth’s answer is immediate; “Nothing so easy, if you have but the inclination… teaze him-laugh at him.” Miss Bingley leaps to Darcy’s defence, setting him up as someone above being teased (“Teaze calmness of temper and presence of mind! No, no”) but this is, it seems, the kind of politically correct treatment that Darcy is tired of and why Elizabeth is so appealing to him. It is really her spirited disregard that Mr Darcy falls in love with, when at the end of the book Elizabeth asks “be sincere; did you admire me for my impertinence?” Mr Darcy replies “For the liveliness of your mind, I did.” Although it is not with quite the same energy as Beatrice and Benedick, Elizabeth and Darcy also have a relationship that involves plenty of verbal sparring, but in Austen’s more reserved style. Their conversations seem to focus on Elizabeth trying to provoke a reaction out of Mr Darcy and being frustrated by Darcy’s measured answers. When talking of the faults of others Elizabeth remarks to Darcy that “your defect is a propensity to hate every body”, Darcy replies with a smile, “And yours is wilfully to misunderstand them.” However it is not the fact that he got the last word that is surprising but that somebody so below him in status should have the self-confessed “impertinence” to say such a thing. In Darcy, we see somebody who can keep up with Elizabeth’s spirited arguments for the first time. Again, as in “Much Ado”, we see a more spirited character in Elizabeth because the creation of Darcy allows her to be more out-spoken and audacious. This is shown particularly in the very measured amount of respect that Elizabeth shows for the decorum that surrounds herself and Darcy and which contrasts heavily with her much more relaxed attitude. This means that Elizabeth is seen as a very spirited character both by those characters within the book and also by its readers.

This is a preview of the whole essay

Also featured in both books is the role of a secondary female character who acts to further the idea that we already have of a passionate leading character. In “Much Ado” this role is filled by Hero, Beatrice’s cousin. R.A Foakes has said that “Hero conforms to the pattern (of a typical heroine) in being the embodiment of innocent and simple beauty” and her relationship with Claudio certainly seems to be based on this idea of physical beauty and not, as with Beatrice and Benedick, on the idea of finding a match intellectually. Indeed, Claudio describes Hero as “the sweetest lady I have ever looked on” and is determined to woo her before they have exchanged a single word. As Foakes also points out, “Shakespeare invented Benedick and Beatrice, but Claudio and Hero he borrowed from a tale with a very long history stretching back to an ancient Greek romance.” It is interesting that while Hero is presented as a more romantic character who, perhaps, conforms more readily to the audiences pre-conceptions of what a romantic heroine should be, it is the fiery Beatrice, flouting these conventions who very definitely stands out as the heroine in “Much Ado” . It is by having a more “traditional” romance and a more “traditional” female part that Shakespeare further emphasises how different Beatrice is. In comparison to Beatrice, Hero is left looking a little pathetic, while in the same way the presence of Hero makes us realise how unconventional Beatrice’s feisty and spirited character is. Perhaps this is a slightly harsh judgement of Hero because she is in fact far from two-dimensional, Shakespeare would never allow such a thing, and some might argue that her eagerness to take part in the gulling of her dearly loved cousin shows a feistiness that Beatrice would be proud of. Her insistence, when with Ursula, that they come closer to a “hidden” Beatrice so “that her ear lose nothing of the false sweet bait that we lay for it” shows a more mischievous and slightly manipulative side to an otherwise “pure” character. However by deliberately contrasting Beatrice with a more typical, swooning romantic heroine Shakespeare does still increase the impression that in Beatrice is a distinctly different and more forcible character.

In “Pride and Prejudice” the role of the beautiful innocent is filled by Elizabeth’s sister, Jane. Much as in “Much Ado”, Jane’s character and her relationship with Mr Bingley help to emphasise the passionate nature of both Elizabeth and her relationship with Darcy. As in Shakespeare’s play Austen chooses to base the foundations of Jane and Bingley’s relationship on appearances. One of Bingley’s first comments about Jane is that “she is the most beautiful creature I ever beheld!”, Austen makes the contrast between the two relationships crystal clear by having Darcy comment on his first meeting with Elizabeth, “She is tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me”, and although he later refers to Elizabeth as “one of the handsomest women of my acquaintance” it is clear that it was for her mind that Mr Darcy first fell in love with Elizabeth Bennet. The differences between these relationships are portrayed in such a way as makes them vitally important to the development of all the characters involved and certainly the development of Elizabeth’s “spirited” side. The character of Jane through being so innocent and sweet-natured shows Elizabeth to be a more cynical and even catty character. As she says to Jane “you never see a fault in anybody”, which seems to be a precursor to Jane’s reaction when hearing of Darcy’s apparent mistreatment of Wickham (“It is, in short, impossible for us to conjecture the causes or circumstances which may have alienated them, without actual blame on either side.”).It is perhaps Elizabeth’s reaction to this idea that is most telling though; “What have you got to say in behalf of the interested people who have been concerned in the business?- Do clear them too, or we shall be obliged to think ill of somebody.” This comment shows that Elizabeth is certainly not above mocking her own sister, and even being a little scornful when Jane’s views do not coincide with her own. Again by having a more traditional female character Austen emphasises the more vibrant aspects of the much less traditional character of Elizabeth.

Both authors also use the relationships between their female characters to give an insight into Beatrice and Elizabeth’s personalities. Beatrice’s outrage at the fact that her cousin has been “belied”, leads to her desperate plea with Benedick to “kill Claudio” and prove his love to her. It is in a much less dramatic fashion that Austen demonstrates the strong bond between sisters Elizabeth and Jane, however the reader is still just as aware, if not more so, that this bond exists. Whilst Beatrice and Hero spend little time alone together in the play, Elizabeth and Jane are each others confidants and it is to each other that they first confess their love for Mr Darcy and Mr Bingley. However, it is interesting to note the difference in the sister’s reactions to these pieces of news. When Jane “expressed to her sister how very much she admired” Mr Bingley and all his fine qualities Elizabeth was not surprised only commenting rather dryly that “He is also handsome…his character is thereby complete.” This kind of cynical comment is one that we recognise as being typical of Elizabeth and unimaginable if it were to come from Jane. In great contrast the news of Elizabeth and Darcy’s engagement comes as a great shock to Jane and when Elizabeth “opened her heart to Jane” the response that she got was a “wretched beginning indeed” because Jane was convinced that the idea was “impossible”. This slip in Jane’s usually very controlled demeanour is an example of a much more frank and honest response such as we would expect from Elizabeth and here Austen shows us that there are indeed some similarities between these two very loving but seemingly very different sisters. One very simple manifestation of this sisterly love is near the beginning of the book when Jane falls ill and is forced to stay at Netherfield. Elizabeth, “feeling really anxious” resolves to go there despite the fact that “walking was her only alternative.” When Mrs Bennet retorts that she will “not be fit to be seen” when she gets there Elizabeth’s answer is simple; “I shall be very fit to see Jane- which is all I want.” By creating a strong bond between these characters Shakespeare and Austen allow Elizabeth and Beatrice another outlet for their vivacious personalities to be clearly seen, as well as showing their softer and more gentle side allowing the reader to empathise with, as well as admire, these two strong characters.

It is not only the other characters that Shakespeare and Austen use to aid the creation of a spirited female lead, they also use literary devices such as the actual structure of the work. In terms of the time-span used by both writers there is a great difference. While “Much Ado” takes place over the period of several days Austen allows the story to gently develop over the course of a year, beginning and ending with Bingley’s tenancy of Netherfield park. Shakespeare’s fast moving play forces the characters to become much more condensed, each personality seems much more exaggerated because Shakespeare must cram a full understanding of every aspect of their personalities into the length of a play that will hold the audiences attention. It is perhaps for this reason that Shakespeare chooses to include the idea of a previous relationship between Beatrice and Benedick, allowing them to miss out the stages of getting to know each other and perhaps being more cordial towards each other instead of immediately jumping down each others throats as they do. It is certainly a rarity within Shakespeare’s work that a past relationship is made such a quietly crucial matter. For this reason the structure has affected the way in which the character of Beatrice has been written, Shakespeare want to present a spirited female lead and to do so in such a short amount of time Beatrice had to be an extreme version of this. Beatrice’s “wit- crackers” come thick and fast and she is shown to be an incredibly intelligent, witty and sharp character .

In contrast Austen’s book takes place over a much longer period of time and in a great deal more locations. However in order for the character of Elizabeth to be properly expressed this is the way it had to be. Whilst Shakespeare is trying to keep the attention of the audience throughout a play, Austen has the advantage that a book can be put down and picked up at the readers whim. For this reason Austen is allowed the luxury of letting the reader discover the character of Elizabeth slowly. “Pride and Prejudice” is not as dramatic as “Much Ado” because it does not need to be. By building the character up over three volumes within the book Austen allows the reader to feel more of a bond with Elizabeth. We understand her better and have experienced more with her, we have a more consistent picture of her personality as we see her over a lengthy period and not the brief snap-shot that we receive of Beatrice. This means that while Elizabeth does not perhaps behave as outrageously as Beatrice we are still left with the overwhelming impression of a highly spirited female lead.

While “Much Ado About Nothing” and “Pride and Prejudice” were written at very different times and are examples of two very different genres of writing, both Shakespeare and Austen have succeeded in creating fantastically spirited and vivacious characters. Elizabeth and Beatrice appeal to their readers sense of fun and mischief, to that part of us that wants to behave audaciously and be as passionate and as intelligent as them, that wants to be involved in a battle of wits and come away as victoriously as they do. Shakespeare and Austen have managed to tap into this desire and it is from this idea that Elizabeth and Beatrice were born. Both writers have used methods that run parallel throughout their work to create a spirited female character but they could not have been as wholly successful as they were, were it not for the simple truth; in these characters we all see a little bit of ourselves or, at least, someone we aspire to be.

2,715 words.