Love And Marriage In 18th Century

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Love And Marriage In 18th Century

Our aim in this paper will be to analyze and discuss the different ways in which
love and marriage were dealt with during the eighteenth century and to what
extent these two terms were linked together or considered as opposite. To
accomplish this matter we are going to focus our attention on several works that
are representative from this period and that reflect in an accurate way the
social mores and more specifically, marriage conventions and romantic love.
Throughout this discussion we will be emphasizing the idea that marriage is
represented in these works as an institution completely detached from love and
that it pursues more than anything else economic purposes and an rising in the
social hierarchy. First of all we should account for the situation of English
women during the eighteenth century, that despite several social improvements,
continued having less rights or freedom than men within the family and marriage
as an institution. Patriarchal forms were still a deep-rooted custom that ruled
society, which was male-centered. Marriage was often forced on women as their
only way of having a recognized position in society, but at the same time led
them to slavery. Women’s property could be spent to the discretion of the
husband as she was considered, together with all that she owned, a possession of
the husband. Significantly relevant is the fact that the convention of marriages
arranged by parents was still widely accepted. Evidences of this aspect can be
found in Goldsmith’s work She Stoops to Conquer. At the very beginning of the
play Mr.Hardcastle expresses that he has already chosen a husband for his young
daughter: “Then to be plain with you, Kate, I expect the young gentleman I
have chosen to be your husband from town this very day. I have his father’s
letter, in which he informs me his son is set out, and that he intends to follow
himself shortly after.” (p. 3) Mr. Hardcastle later explains that he would
never control her daughter’s choice, but in fact claims that Marlow “(he)’s
a man of excellent understanding” (p.4), this meaning that the young gentleman
should be the right option for her. Despite her initial disagreement with the
idea of this established encounter with the young boy, she finally accepts the
meeting after her father’s exaltation of the young man’s virtues. She then
joyfully declares: “My dear papa, say no more (kissing his hand), he’s mine,
I’ll have him!” (p.4). Later on in the play, Tony’...

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