Kirsten Hoffman Writing and Rhetoric Rhetorical Analysis ELIZABETH BENNET: VICTORIAN FEMINIST In the film Pride and

Prejudice (2005), starring Keira Knightly and directed by Joe Wright, Knightly plays a young Elizabeth Bennet who is trying to find her niche in society. As the second oldest of five sisters, Elizabeths time is coming to leave the house and set a good example for her younger sisters. The main goal of women during this time period was to find a husband that would be able to provide for them for the rest of their lives. Mrs. Bennet is very pushy about this, but Elizabeth refuses to settle for anything less than true love. By having a strong and independent young woman as a main character, Jane Austen criticized the role of women in early 19th century England. Director Joe Wright used the media of film to visually portray Jane Austens purpose of having an independent female lead character. From the beginning of the film, Elizabeth is shown spending a lot of time by herself. The opening scene depicts her walking through a field while reading a book. The director uses wide camera angles to make Elizabeth stand out against the natural environment by making her look small against the wide-open space. Her dark hair and outfit contrast against the light, sunny scenery. The music during this part of the movie is a calming piano melody that reflects her somber attitude. Elizabeth is content with spending her mornings alone and reading. Another example of how Elizabeth is portrayed to be a strong woman is during the first dance of the movie. While she is talking with her sister Jane about men,

Elizabeth says that she thinks men are humorless poppycocks,(Pride and Prejudice). Her air of arrogance displays that she does not care what men think of her. Elizabeth is quick to judge but manages to do so with good manners. Jane warns her that she will eventually meet a man who will make her regret what she has said and Elizabeth just laughs it off. Elizabeth does not even consider the fact that she could be wrong. Elizabeth is very witty, which adds to the strength of her character. The film demonstrates this at the first ball when she is talking to Mr. Darcy for one of the first times. Elizabeth overheard him talking about how she was not pretty enough to tempt him, (Pride and Prejudice) in comparison to her sister Jane. When they were talking later, Darcy said that he thought poetry was the food of love, (Pride and Prejudice) and Elizabeth disagrees. She thinks that poetry drives away love, while in fact dancing is the food of love. Then wittily she adds, even if ones partner is barely tolerable, (Pride and Prejudice). Elizabeth does this with such confidence and a smile on her face because she knows that she has caught him. Both characters keep a straight face as the camera switches between them, Elizabeth curtsies, and leaves. Elizabeth said the last word in and did not need to spend any more time with him. Since Elizabeth has no brothers, the inheritance will go to her cousin Mr. Collins. His patroness, Lady Catherine, urges him to find a wife and he looks for one in the Bennet family. This would be the perfect solution for one of the girls because the inheritance will stay in the family and they will fulfill their goal of finding a husband. Mr. Collins is interested in Elizabeth. However, she cannot stand him. When he proposes, she rejects his offer. During this time period, rejecting a marriage proposal is not something a young woman would normally do. Elizabeth is shown as a strong woman in the film

because she keeps declining Collins offer even though he keeps begging. She eventually comes out and says You could not make me happy and Im convinced Im the last woman in the world who could make you happy, (Pride and Prejudice). The film enhances her power because during this whole scene, Collins is down on his knee. Elizabeth is standing and appears superior to him. She is not willing to settle, even though other offers of marriage may never be made, and looks down upon Collins both figuratively and literally. In a similar context, Mr. Darcy confesses that he loves Elizabeth. There is a lot of tension during this scene, which is amplified by the rain and thunder. During his proposal, Mr. Darcy insults the Bennet family and still expects Elizabeth to accept. Instead, she goes off about how he split Jane and Mr. Bingley up. Just because Darcy is a male character and supposedly more dominant, Elizabeth is not going to give into his every wish. Elizabeth recognizes that she has a right to express her opinions and is not afraid to do so. She also says that he was the last man in the world that she could ever be prevailed upon to marry, (Pride and Prejudice). The camera angles switch between the two of them and she holds her ground. At the end of the scene, Elizabeth lets out a breath that she had been holding. She did not want to appear weak in front of Mr. Darcy. After Mr. Darcys proposal, Lady Catherine, Darcys aunt, pays Elizabeth a visit in the middle of the night. Lady Catherine thinks that Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy are engaged. Both of these women have strong personalities and Lady Catherine is used to everyone treating her with the highest amount of respect. She offends both Elizabeth and her family, and demands to know the truth about her nephew. The women stand opposite of each other with only their faces illuminated. As the argument continues, Lady

Catherine moves closer to Elizabeth, but Elizabeth does not back down. Her voice does not waiver, and she tells Lady Catherine that she can choose not to answer her questions. She is not about to let some lady march into her house and blame her of spreading rumors, no matter how wealthy she may be. After Lady Catherine gets her answer, Elizabeth asks her to leave immediately. As Lady Catherine leaves, Elizabeth still does not move. She does not walk her to the door. This displays her strength because Elizabeth believes that she does not have to be polite to a random stranger who came into her home and offended her. Overall, the film uses cinematic effects to reinforce the fact that Jane Austen made Elizabeth Bennet a strong female character. The dialogue along with body language and cinematography enhance Elizabeths independent personality. From spending a lot of time alone, to having snarky comebacks, Elizabeth Bennet is a character that exudes strength. She is a force to be reckoned with and will not settle for anything less than what she deserves. Director Joe Wright does a successful job of keeping the characters personality on par to that of the novel. Jane Austen would be happy with the final product of the film because the viewer can really distinguish the character traits of Elizabeth. Even during the strict time period when women had little freedom, Elizabeth Bennet was a character that pushed the envelope and broke societal rules. The film portrays this independence and strength very realistically. Nothing is too overdone. Elizabeths acts of rebellion are subtle but at the same time just enough to shake things up during Austens era.

WORK CITED

Pride and Prejudice. Dir. Joe Wright. Perf. Kiera Knightly, Matthew Macfadyen, Brenda Blethyn. Focus Features, 2005. DVD.