From the outset, Mr Collin’s proposal to Elizabeth reflects how obsequious and self-absorbed a character he is, attempting to flatter Elizabeth with hollow sentiments that show no real emotion. He lies shamelessly, saying that “Almost as soon as I entered the house I singled you out as the companion of my future life.”, when in fact he would have preferred Jane, Elizabeth being his second option, and he makes it quite clear that his only reason for coming to Longbourne was “…with the design of selecting a wife” to erase the guilt of inheriting the estate, and that the proposal has little to do with Lizzie’s personality. He goes on to state, in a pedantic, rehearsed manner, his exact reasons for wishing to marry which revolves around himself, his happiness and his relationship with Lady Catherine de Bourgh. This speech lacks any kind of passion or spontaneity and he seems to spend more time praising his patroness, “that noble lady”, than he does Elizabeth, so it is not difficult to see how quickly he transferred his attentions to Charlotte Lucas only three days later. This only reinforces the lack of personal attraction he has for Lizzie and his parasitic attachment to Lady Catherine.
Collins performance appears comic, partly due to his attempted use of romantic language, “before I am run away with my feelings on this subject” which, coming from the mouth of a clergyman, sounds absurd, as does his exaggerated manners and failed attempts at gallantry. Though he is well aware of the propriety of the occasion, his romantic advances fall flat, and are met only by Lizzie’s horror and amusement. Throughout the proposal he also manages to insult her in several ways, seemingly unconsciously, such as his complete oblivion to Lizzie’s own feelings and his moves to silence her interjections with “a formal wave of the hand”. He proves himself indelicate and tactless when bringing up the subject of her family’s insubstantial fortune, a matter which, according to propriety, should never have been mentioned in a proposal. Collins also speaks of her father’s death as if it is an imminent event, another indelicacy which shows the cold, calculating manner with which he approaches the proposal and his mercenary desire for the Bennet’s estate.
When Elizabeth politely declines his offer, due to his enormous arrogance and conceit, Collins refuses to accept her answer, putting it down to “the usual practice of elegant females.” His egotistical nature and Mrs Bennet’s persuasion prevents him from expecting anything other than a favourable response, presuming that Elizabeth would be grateful for the offer. This wilful self-delusion as to Lizzie’s refusal, “your refusal of my addresses is merely words, of course.”, further emphasises his vanity and lack of consideration for anyone’s feelings but his own or Lady Catherine’s. Eventually, after realising that Lizzie is indeed being sincere, he resorts to threatening her with emotional blackmail. He insults her by suggesting that his might be the only offer of marriage she might ever receive which, other than being highly inappropriate and indelicate, shows him to be spiteful and cruel. Finally Collins brings her parents into the conversation, sure that with their persuasion his proposals “will not fail of being acceptable”. Even after expressing her refusal five times, he still refuses to accept her answer, putting her reluctance down to feminine modesty.
As mentioned above, it is obvious that Mr Collins’ proposal lacks any real emotion towards Elizabeth and appears more like a business transaction, having “no feelings of diffidence to make it distressing to himself.” This is reinforced by the fact that only three days later he proposes to Charlotte Lucas and is accepted due only to economic propulsion and the desire not to depend on her parents any longer. Later on in the novel when we hear of Lydia’s elopement with Wickham, Mr Collins sends a letter of condolence to Mr Bennet. This letter however, is unforgiving and cruel stating that “The death of your daughter would have been a blessing in comparison…” demonstrating views that strongly contrast the teachings of the Christian Church, marking Collins not only as hypocritical but as pitiless. He then goes on to blame the elopement on Mr and Mrs Bennet, claiming them to be responsible for “a faulty degree of indulgence”. Finally he relishes in the thought of narrowly escaping further connection to the family by not marrying Elizabeth which, as well as being rude and offensive, is highly improper.
The first impression of Mr Darcy, as experienced by both Elizabeth and the reader, is at the assembly rooms ball, where he appears haughty and indifferent after slighting Lizzie well within her hearing. No woman would not object to being described as “tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me” and her taking offence is completely justified, Mrs Bennet describing him as “so high and so conceited that there was no enduring him!” According to the rules governing society at the time, a lady and a gentleman could only be formally introduced by the master of ceremonies at a social event or by a mutual friend. Most new acquaintances would have been formed at balls or the assembly rooms, where there were strict rules as to a person’s conduct. However, the way Darcy behaves at the assembly rooms, “continually giving offence” shows him to be arrogant and proud, as he feels no obligation to be civil to the inhabitants of Meryton. Believing them to be below him shows him to be conceited and this opinion was not uncommon amongst those who attended the ball “for he was discovered to be proud…above his company, and above being pleased.” However it could be wondered by an objective reader whether his aloof manner might in fact be due to his being daunted by the challenge of forming new acquaintances.
The next mention of Darcy is shortly before the party at Lucas Lodge where it is evident that he is slowly beginning to change his mind about Elizabeth and think more favourably of her. This, however, proves amusing to the reader as, after making it clear to his friends that she had “hardly a good feature in her face”, he discovers the “beautiful expression of her dark eyes” and beings to wish to know more of her. These feelings he describes as “mortifying” which, now that he may have to admit to his friends that he was wrong and embarrass himself, further proves his pride. Nevertheless his shyness is apparent when he is unable to strike up a conversation with her, despite having the inclination, and instead eavesdrops on her “as a step towards conversing with her himself”, showing that he finds the process daunting.
Even before Darcy proposes, it is made clear that he is uneasy by the nervous manner with which he sits for a few seconds, then paces the room. Despite his agitation, he still manages to be polite, with his inquiry as to her health, demonstrating his good breeding and sense of propriety. When he does at last speak of the true purpose of his visit, his language is powerful and emotional, “My feelings will not be repressed”, a contrast with Collins’s cold and detached proposal. Although professing his love in a similar, yet less exaggerated, manner to that of Collin’s, Darcy is sincere and earnest “You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you”. This shows true feeling and is very different from Collin’s rehearsed speech, and he also leaves a pause before carrying on, so Lizzie could have stopped him if she had wanted. A great deal of Darcy’s actual proposal is reported, making it hard to analyse the language used in much detail, however Austin describes to the reader that Darcy dwells with “warmth” on the obstacles between their ever marrying, such as “her inferiority, of it being a degradation. This may demonstrate that he is pragmatic, but also shows his infallible belief that he holds a very superior place in society. This may be true, as the Bennet’s are indeed of a lower rank than Darcy’s family, both in wealth and social standing, but is not a subject to dwell on while proposing, and is certainly not the best way of his recommending himself to her “he was not more eloquent on the subject of tenderness than of pride”. Despite the bluntness of his words, Darcy is attempting to convey to Elizabeth that his love for her overcomes these objections, a hard thing for somebody so naturally proud to do.
As with Collin’s, it is evident that Darcy does not expect his offer to be turned down “he had no doubt of a favourable answer”, not just because of his wealth and position, but because of the sacrifices he is making for her. When Elizabeth does refuse his, his natural pride shows through as he becomes enraged, with “the disturbance of his mind” breaking through his calm composure. Despite his anger, Darcy wishes to understand Lizzie’s reasons and in listening to her “without attempting to interrupt her” acknowledges her existence as an intelligent, sentient being. This is evidence that his proposal centres more around love and Elizabeth as a person. Austin describes how he struggles for the “appearance of composure”, speaking with “assumed tranquillity”, showing how he has been brought to suppress his feelings in accordance with his higher rank. When he is accused by Lizzie of putting a stop to the romance between Jane and Bingley he shows no remorse, believing his actions to be totally justified, even though he misread the situation. This could be seen either as concern for Bingley or an attempt at severing the connections between his friend and the Bennets, who he sees as undesirable relations.
When Elizabeth uses Darcy’s treatment of Mr Wickham as a reason to refuse his proposal, she is met with anger and disbelief. Darcy is shocked at how Wickham has manipulated Lizzie into believing his manipulated version of the truth, showing the depth of his feeling for her by becoming possessive and jealous that she holds Wickham in such high esteem. He is so taken aback that he momentarily forgets himself, acting in a manner unlike that of a gentleman, “Could you expect me to rejoice in the inferiority of your connections?”, and uses “contempt and ridicule” when speaking to her. Darcy does however, realise and admit that voicing his concerns about her social position and his “family obstacles” was a mistake as it offended her pride. This demonstrates how, despite his arrogance, he has a natural honesty which recommends his character. At this point, both characters are in a highly emotional state which is reflected in their language which, as they become more passionate, becomes plainer and more direct. Darcy is taken aback when Lizzie suggests that his conduct is not in keeping with that of a gentleman, after he indelicately states that her “condition in life is so decidedly below [his] own, showing that he is unused to being insulted or spoken to in such a way. This again shows his social position and the respect that he is used to receiving from others. Darcy’s good breeding is again made apparent when, after Elizabeth makes her dislike of his character perfectly clear, he formally and politely takes his leave of her.
As the novel progresses Darcy’s behaviour becomes more inconsistent with the character that the reader has seen earlier in the book. When Elizabeth reads Darcy’s letter it becomes clear that she had grossly misjudged the part he played in Wickham’s change in circumstances, and the honesty and trust that he shows in telling her of Georgiana’s planned elopement demonstrates his desire for Lizzie’s good opinions. During a visit to his home at Pemberley, Elizabeth sees a different, more relaxed side of Darcy. He treats her with warmth and respect, speaking to her with “such gentleness” that she is surprised at how his character is so “strikingly altered”. More evidence of this is his housekeeper’s description of his being “the best landlord and the best master” and the fact that she doesn’t think him at all proud, merely retiring. Throughout the visit, Darcy is welcoming and open with Elizabeth and the Gardiners, despite his previous objections to her lower ranking connections and shows no resentment concerning her refusal of his previous offer. He is also eager for Lizzie to meet his sister and seems comfortable and at ease in the company of Georgiana, Bingham and the Gardiners. During the stay, Elizabeth’s changed opinion of him allows her to feel a warmth towards him, as it is clear that his feelings for her have not changed. Later, when she realises what he had done to save Lydia’s reputation, her admiration for him grows as, by helping the Bennet family, he risked associating himself with disgrace. As well as being grateful, Lizzie is proud of him as his action showed only his love for her, with no thought of pride or the repercussions that could have affected him. When he proposes to her again, showing the strength of his affection, she finds herself quite in love with him, due to the significant changes in his character. These changes, he confesses, were directly brought about by the criticisms of his personality that she had made when rejecting his first proposal. Her words had allowed him to realise how arrogant it was of him to assume that she would automatically accept him, and he had tried his best to correct the flaws in his character in the hope of winning her affection.
Between the two proposals made by Collins and Darcy to Elizabeth there are many significant differences. Collins’ proposal is centred completely around his happiness and his justification for getting married whereas Darcy is concerned only with making his feelings known to Lizzie in the hope of a joyful marriage. The tones of the proposals are also very different, Darcy’s being a passionate declaration of love which quickly turns to anger, and Collins’ proving amusing and inelegant. The pace of Darcy’s proposal too, contrasts with Collins’ monotonous monologue, by the intensity and animation with which he speaks. This reflects not just the fervour, but also the intelligence of the two men.
Although very different men, there are some similarities between the two proposals. Neither Darcy or Collins so much as imagined that their offers of marriage would be rejected, and both have considered and spoken at length of all the obstacles which would prevent the match. Also, despite the need for the father to sanction the engagement as was necessary at the time, neither Darcy nor Collins asks Mr Bennet’s permission to propose to Elizabeth. Collins, after receiving the full support and encouragement of Mrs Bennet, assumes that her husband will have no objections to the match. Darcy’s proposal, being as it was to an extent, spontaneous meant that he was unable to seek permission at the time, but it is safe to assume that he intended to consult with Mr Bennet, had Lizzie accepted his offer. There is the possibility that he considered it was beneath him to ask for Elizabeth’s hand, as, even if she did not return his affection, his fortune, rank and estates were more than enough to tempt her. When Lady Catherine visits Longbourne in an attempt to make Lizzie promise never to marry Darcy, her nephew, she demonstrates how members of the gentry were expected to marry someone of their own class, preferably for business or financial reasons, and that marrying someone of a lower rank was not approved of. This is a very different view to that of modern society where a person can marry whomsoever they choose, regardless of background, and a fathers’ permission does not have to be granted even though it is still traditional to ask.
Collins and Darcy each have a very different effect on Elizabeth. Like the reader, she is both amused and horrified when Collins proposes to her, yet she recognises her underlying need to marry someone who can provide for her financially as she has so little that she is able to contribute to the marriage. At first Elizabeth does not think favourably of either man, Collins being unpleasant as well as being an embarrassment to her, and Darcy seeming proud and aloof. Her feelings for Darcy are very complex as, after his behaviour at the ball, his separation of Jane and Bingley and the way in which Lizzie thought he had treated Wickham, had caused her extreme dislike of him. However her feelings for him change and in the later part of the novel the reader is aware of her embarrassment as to her earlier prejudices, when Darcy proves that he is in fact capable of change and is responsible for saving the family’s reputation. In spite of being more liberated in her attitude to marriage than Charlotte Lucas or her mother, Lizzie’s pragmatism would have meant that becoming mistress of Pemberley was also important to her. By marrying Darcy she achieves financial stability, allowing her to run her own household and provide for her mother and sisters should her father die.
