At this point, Jane Austen introduces a new character, Mr Wickham, and Elizabeth is physically drawn to him. She also judges Mr Wickham on her first impressions of him, which also turn out to be false. She lets herself down by gossiping and believing all she hears about Darcy, and does not question for one moment why this total stranger has come to her and told her shocking, scandalous things about another person who is a virtual stranger to her. We thought that she was intelligent, but she shows how strong her prejudice is by listening to Wickham and thinking his account of events “rational”. Wickham is a necessary measuring post to help Elizabeth to properly assess Darcy later, when she is ready.
At the ball she is disappointed that Wickham did not turn up, and immediately assumes that Darcy prevented him from coming. Elizabeth is now “determined to hate Darcy, and she is surprised that he asks her to dance with him, and in her confusion agrees. During the dance, there is a conversation and we see his attraction and Elizabeth’s prejudice, which is as strong as it was in the beginning. Elizabeth is rude and mocking in the conversation, and she is not prepared to make polite conversation – Darcy suggests books as a topic of mutual interest, but she does not give him a chance. During the dance, she asks him if he ever allows himself “to be blinded by prejudice”, and we are shocked that she dares label Darcy with her own fault. The dance also reflects the pattern of their relationship; they seem to take one step in and two steps out.
After the dance, Darcy’s feelings are surprisingly romantic; we are told that he feels “a tolerable, powerful feeling” and we see that he is intrigued in the novelty, as he has never had to pursue a woman before, and she is not interested in him. When Mrs Bennet comes to visit Jane at Netherfield, and later at the Netherfield ball, she makes a fool of herself, Elizabeth shows that she cares for Darcy’s opinion as she blushed in shame. It might just be family pride, but there is clearly some link and perhaps some hope for them.
When Elizabeth is invited to visit Hunsford, it is a very convenient opportunity to throw Elizabeth and Darcy together, because Darcy’s aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, owns Rosings Park. Her head is still full of Wickham and she is still determined to hate Darcy. The character of Lady Catherine de Bourgh was created to show us the true qualities of a lady. She thinks that the mere “stateliness of money” makes her a lady, but she is rude and has no grace, which is shown in the impertinent questions she fires at Elizabeth. Darcy overhears her inviting Elizabeth to come to Rosings every day to play the pianoforte, and he “looked a little ashamed at his aunt’s ill-breeding” with which she made the offer. Lady Catherine de Bourgh tells her that she may play in the part of the house where she will be in nobody’s way, showing her disdain for Elizabeth and her social class.
This gives Darcy an opportunity to learn a valuable lesson, that some people may have money and connections, but they can still behave in an extremely rude fashion. He has made mistakes in judging the Bennet family and thought them to have no breeding and not be particularly intelligent just because they are from the middle class, below Darcy’s own class. However, it is obvious that Elizabeth Bennet has much better manners than his own aunt, and he is having to revise those ideas that he has been brought up with. Once he sees this he can go into a relationship with Elizabeth.
When Darcy sees Elizabeth with Colonel Fitzwilliam, he becomes jealous, and we begin to see that he is attracted to her spirit. Elizabeth, however, has still not forgiven Darcy for the insult at the Assembly Rooms, and she talks about him to Fitzwilliam, teasing him as she knows that he can hear. She tells Fitzwilliam that “he danced only four dances” and is deliberately trying to embarrass him. Darcy defends himself, saying “I am ill-qualified to recommend myself to strangers”. Elizabeth has to have the last word and so she puts him on the spot and draws a parallel with piano playing, and tells him that he should practise as she does on the piano. Instead of being annoyed or offended, Darcy is entertained by her wit, and he understands her very well
Darcy goes out of his way to visit Elizabeth at the parsonage, but we can see she is still blinded by prejudice. On his first visit during a conversation, he “drew his chair a little towards her,” as he obviously had something on his mind that he wanted to say to her, but then changed his mind and the subject. Just before his last visit to the parsonage, Elizabeth is fuelling her anger and prejudice for Darcy after having found out from Colonel Fitzwilliam that he convinced Bingley to leave her sister, Jane, by reading all her letters and trying to find signs of her unhappiness. She is in this frame of mind when Darcy arrives, and she behaves very rudely towards him, greeting him with “cold civility” and not even attempting to make polite conversation. It takes Darcy some time to get the courage to propose, but when he does, we can see that all his social prejudice has been replaced by love. Unlike Mr Collins, Darcy talks about love first, and ends with the practicalities, showing that he really does love her. However, Elizabeth is not really listening, which is shown by the indirect speech that distances Elizabeth and the readers from Darcy’s words. All Elizabeth hears are words taken out of context to become insults, such as “degradation” and “inferiority”. She replies very rudely to this, saying “I had not known you a month before I felt that you were the last man in the world whom I could ever be prevailed on to marry” and tells him that he did not behave in a “gentlemanlike manner”. All this is very harsh and unfair, and it is also ironic, as Elizabeth does not act at all like a lady, but Darcy does, especially at the end when he gives her his “best wishes for [her] health and happiness”.
In an interview, Colin Firth, who played Darcy in the television production, explained Darcy’s point of view, which is very different from Elizabeth’s. At the time, Darcy and Elizabeth would have been subject to many insults and disapproval because of the difference in their social class. Darcy may have said something like; “Although my relatives will see such a union as a degradation, such things no longer matter to me because I love you.”
Elizabeth receives a letter of explanation from Darcy the next day, which opens her eyes when she gets past her initial “strong prejudice against everything he might say”. The letter is very polite, and sets her straight about Jane and Bingley, and Mr Wickham. When she finished the letter she felt “absolutely ashamed” and she realised that she had been “blind, partial, prejudiced, absurd”. The barrier of prejudice has now mostly gone from between them, and there is now chance for a relationship to grow.
When Elizabeth visits Pemberly with her aunt and uncle, the “natural beauty” of the grounds astounds her and when she sees the house she thinks, “to be mistress of Pemberly might be something!” which I feel is a natural reaction, and I do not think that Elizabeth would now want to marry Darcy for his money. Inside the house, Elizabeth admires the elegant and tasteful décor, and she compares it with Rosings and its ostentatious displays of wealth. This shows another way in which Elizabeth and Darcy see eye to eye.
However, Elizabeth still seems to be blinded by prejudice, as she decides that if she had accepted Darcy’s offer, he would not have let her aunt and uncle visit because they live in “Cheapside”. She thinks he is too proud to allow people of such low social standing into his house. This could be forced prejudice, as she seems to be searching for reasons to dislike Darcy, even though she knows it is not fair.
The housekeeper who shows them around the house gives them an honest view of Darcy as she has known him all his life and watched him grow up. She speaks about him with sincere respect, so he must show consideration for his servants. She says he was “the most generous hearted boy” and “some call him proud, but I am sure it is only because he does not rattle away like other men”. This stirs Elizabeth’s conscience, and allows her to review her impression of him, and she now feels guilty over her first impressions of him. The housekeeper’s words dissolve the last lingering feelings of prejudice against him, and we are told that he feels a “more gentle sensation towards him”. She now feels the gratitude for his loving proposal that her prejudice warded off at the time. It is very ironic that the housekeeper is telling Elizabeth and her aunt and uncle the exact opposite of what they believe.
When Elizabeth and Darcy meet, Elizabeth feels embarrassed and awkward because she thinks Darcy will think that she has come to value his property. Darcy is also embarrassed and awkward because he really wants to make a good impression on her, as he still loves her, and he wants her to change her mind about him. Although their conversation is slightly uncomfortable, Elizabeth is amazed at his manner; “never in her life had she seen his manners so little dignified, never had he spoken with such gentleness.”
It is clear that Darcy has changed; he has thought about her response to his proposal and tried to change, that proves he really loves her. He has had to reassess his values so that he could see clearly, and now that he is in his own home, he can be himself, and he does not have to uphold the family name. He asks to be introduced to the Gardiners with genuine interest as he has learned that they should not be judged by material wealth but by character. Darcy invites them to dinner, and invites Mr Gardiner to fish in his lake. He wants them to meet the family, and shows that he has not given up. By asking Elizabeth to meet Georgiana he compliments her, as he thinks that she can give Georgiana some of her own confidence, intelligence and spirit.
When Elizabeth and the Gardiners go to dinner at Pemberly, we are once again introduced to Miss Bingley and we see more of Georgiana. On their first meeting, Elizabeth found out that Georgiana was not proud as many people thought she was, but that she was just very shy. Elizabeth makes as much effort as possible to talk to her and get to know her for Darcy’s sake. Miss Bingley is still trying to make Elizabeth look bad in front of Darcy, and indirectly asks about Wickham and her family. Miss Bingley shows that she does not know what the letter told her happened between Georgiana and Wickham, and she so she does not know how she is hurting herself in Darcy’s eyes by saying this. Later, when Elizabeth is out of the room, Miss Bingley insults Elizabeth’s appearance by saying, “she is grown so brown and coarse” and goes on to say that she “never could see any beauty in her”. She finally angers Darcy so much that he tells her that he considers her to be “one of the handsomest women of my acquaintance”.
When Elizabeth receives news of Lydia running away with Wickham, she is very upset because her family name will be dishonoured, and she knows that Wickham is a dishonest man with low moral principles. Darcy finds out about this when he comes to visit Elizabeth at Hunsford, possibly to propose again. However, he does not have the chance because Elizabeth immediately leaves for home, thinking that she would never see him again with such a blot on the family name, and showing she still has some lingering prejudice against him.
We find out that Darcy is the one who eventually sorts out their problem, by paying Wickham a huge sum of money to marry Lydia, thus saving the Bennet family name. When Elizabeth confronts him about this, he says “I believe I thought only of you” when he is explaining why he did this.
When Bingley and Darcy return to Netherfield, and Elizabeth talks with Darcy whilst walking to Meryton, they show that they now have a complete understanding of each other’s characters. They have gone beyond discussing superficial topics like the weather and the health of each others families, and now discuss much deeper topics, such as their feelings towards each other. They discussed every occasion on which they met and, at the time, did not understand each other’s behaviour, and Elizabeth asks him to “account for his ever having fallen in love with her”. It is only at this point when they can converse so openly and truthfully with each other, that they can form a lasting relationship, and to achieve this point it took a lot longer than four evenings. Had they have started a relationship after the four evenings spent together as Charlotte Lucas suggested, I feel that their initial impressions and feelings towards each other would have torn them apart, and the relationship would not have lasted. However, because they did wait, they now understand each other very well and I think their relationship will last for a very long time.
The title of the poem “Twice Shy” is half of the proverb, “once bitten, twice shy”. This shows that the people in the poem are treading carefully as they have been hurt in the past, and they are wary to go past the stage where it will not hurt them if they break up. Whereas in the poem both are shy, in Pride and Prejudice Elizabeth is not shy or afraid of Darcy, but the poem captures a little of Darcy’s nervousness and how at first he was holding back. There are also other, clearer barriers between them of pride and of prejudice. The half title could also signify that we only get half of the story as the whole poem is written from the male viewpoint, which contrasts with Pride and Prejudice which is written entirely from the female viewpoint
Seamus Heaney uses another proverb at the end of the poem; ‘still waters run deep’, but he changes it to “running deep” because the relationship can go on actively and get deeper. At the beginning of the poem and of their walk, the river, which is a metaphor of their relationship, is described as quiet, but at the end it is still quiet, but it has gained another dimension. At the end of the poem the topics of conversation have also gone beyond the superficial. This shows that the relationship is still in its early days, but they are starting to get to know each other and there is a deeper connection.
Deep water is also a dangerous image, because they know if they take a step further into the relationship there is a possibility to be hurt, which echoes Charlotte Lucas’ view that it is better not to know your partner so well because it is safer. Elizabeth did not want to admit to her hurt when she was rejected, and for this reason, she was wary of really getting involved with Darcy, but at the end she is prepared to go into the deep water because she trusts him. This hesitancy is reflected in the rhyming pattern, in each stanza, three alternate lines rhyme and the other three do not. This means that the poem does not flow like a normal conversation, but keeps stopping and starting awkwardly. The rhyme shows their compatibility, and the inconsistency shows that every time they take a step, they are daunted and this slows the relationship. A parallel can be drawn here to Elizabeth and Darcy’s dance at the Netherfield ball, and the pattern that is repeated throughout the novel; one step forwards, two steps back.
The first stanza does not flow as it is filled with monosyllables and the definite article and the main verb are often dropped, which suggests the breathless tension between the two. Here, the man assesses her physical appearance and dress, because this sends out signals. It is factual and descriptive, and there are almost no feelings involved at all, which is very unnatural. She wears her scarf; like the trademark of Brigitte Bardot, a sex symbol of the early 60s, suggesting that she is very glamorous and sexy, but her conservative, practical shoes contradict this image. This sums up the tension; she wants to attract him, but she is hesitate about jumping into a relationship, so she does not go the whole way with her dress, suggesting that she wants to build up a slow, steady relationship. She seems to have agreed to a walk, and a “friendly” talk, but nothing further because she is wary of getting hurt. The fact that Seamus Heaney begins with a physical description is reminiscent of the form of Darcy’s initial attraction to Elizabeth, which was purely physical. The poem progresses as his attraction grew from a physical attraction to a deeper link formed when two equal minds are together.
In the second stanza, personification is used in the nervous images, “traffic holding its breath” and “sky a tense diaphragm” shows how the couple are waiting to see what happens. These capture the tension and nervous intimidation of the beginning of the walk reflecting off everything around them in silence.
The awkwardness of the line “that shook where a swan swam” captures the couple’s unease and shows how they are looking around, searching for something to say. It is also a slow line, which is a sign that their discomfort is calming and I feel that there is no danger of them going too fast and getting ‘bitten’.
The sustained imagery of the hawk is a potentially dangerous one, and the way Seamus Heaney keeps returning to it shows how they are still worried about what could happen. By mentioning “prey”, we are given the idea of hunting. The couple seem to be hunting each other, assessing each other to decide the risks and possibilities. The hawk is waiting for the perfect moment to swoop on its prey, and likewise the two people are waiting for an opportunity to go a step further. This image also suggests that, despite their caution, they are taken unaware by the connection they seem to feel. It takes courage to decide to swoop first, but the man is not using the idea of ‘male dominance’ to push anything on her, which suggest that maybe he has swooped too soon in a relationship before, and lost everything. This reminds us of how Darcy swooped too soon on Elizabeth by proposing at Hunsford, and by doing so nearly loses his ‘prey’.
Another potentially dangerous image is suggested in the word “deployed”, which is usually used in a military context when weapons or troops are deployed. This tells us that they are arming themselves with superficial, polite conversation as a defence, and they are not ready at that moment to move into more personal areas of conversation, for they still fear being bitten.
The image “dusk hung like a backcloth” again hints at their tension and awkwardness, by suggesting the image of acting on a stage. This makes us think that they are rehearsing their lines and adapting to the scenery, which turns their conversation to something unnatural and false. The idea of “art” in their talk backs up the idea of them being artificial and unnatural in their behaviour, and the “classic decorum” suggests they are following a set of rules, doing only what others expect of them. This reflects the Netherfield ball, and how Elizabeth and Darcy behave towards each other, especially when Elizabeth attempts to get Darcy to follow decorum rules about conversing while dancing.
At the end of the poem we begin to identify some natural feelings, in stanzas three and five. We are told that they are “chary and excited” and later, “thrilled”, which shows their feelings progress and get stronger, and the pace quickens and begins to flow with the use of enjambement, which also shows this change in feelings. Their “nervous childish talk” shows they have moved past “preserved classic decorum” and the defensive façade has been dropped, and they are now letting their feelings show. The words “juvenilia” and “childish” take them back to when they were children with a fresh start and the past no longer colours their relationship.
They have obviously had relationships in the past that they rushed into and later regretted because it was not real love, and they are described as “mushroom loves”, that grew quickly and was short lived. We are also told that they ended in hate and bitterness, which made them wary for future relationships. These brief loves remind us of Lydia and Wickham’s relationship in Pride and Prejudice, which is based on sex, not love, and we expect them to end up feeling the indifference that Mr and Mrs Bennet show for each other. Indifference is, in some ways, even worse than hate, because it means that you feel absolutely nothing for the person.
We do not know how the couple’s relationship ends, but we suspect that it will be successful, because we are told that they have a “vacuum of need” underneath the stilted conversation. The need for love and care in the end brings them together and strengthens their links.
Elizabeth and Darcy’s relationship in Pride and Prejudice is mirrored in the relationship of the unnamed couple in the poem. They have allowed their past experiences to colour their relationship, which made both of them slow down. When they were finally ready to begin a relationship, they took their time and built a very strong relationship that we expect will stand the tests of time.
Both pieces of literature serve the same overall purpose and give the same message, that relationships need time to grow so you can really understand the other person’s mind. When a strong relationship has been built up over a long period of time, there is little chance of it disintegrating or falling into indifference.
