Romantic Couples in English Literature

Elizabeth Bennet and Darcy, Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen

If happily-ever-after is more your style, then check out Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen's version of love in the 1800s. Despite her mother's incessant pleas, the independent and headstrong Lizzy is determined to marry for true love or else be a spinster. Heedless of societal pressures, this feminist protagonist prefers nature to dating and boldly exclaims, "What are young men to rocks and mountains?" In a life bound by etiquette and frivolity, she meets the proud, taciturn, and very wealthy Darcy. The two seem to disagree on just about everything, but an unlikely love blooms from their antagonism. In the end, Lizzy yields her admiration of rocks and mountains to delight in the natural charms of Fitzwilliam Darcy.

Romeo and Juliet, Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare

Generally perceived as the quintessential romantic couple, Romeo and Juliet are star-crossed lovers, painfully separated by feuding families. In this classic play, Shakespeare asserts that teenagers were just as impulsive and dramatic in the 16th century as they are in modern times. In the tragic ending, the lovers perish in a catastrophic double suicide.

Gatsby and Daisy, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald

In a period marked by surrealism and superficiality, Jay Gatsby attempts to win back his old flame, Daisy, with flashy parties and panache. Daisy's marriage presents a weighty obstacle, but Gatsby fervently persists. Reviving Daisy's attentions are his sole purpose, and his entire existence is constructed around regaining her affections. However, his schemes are soon discovered and immediately extinguished by Daisy's bullish husband. In a final tribute to his love, Gatsby gallantly protects Daisy from a disastrous incident, which ultimately leads to his own demise.

Jane Eyre and Rochester, Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte

In Charlotte Bronte's famous tale, friendless characters find a cure for loneliness in each other's company. Jane is an abused orphan employed as a governess to the charge of an abrasive, but very rich Edward Rochester. The improbable pair grow close as Rochester reveals a tender heart beneath his gruff exterior. He does not, however, reveal his penchant for polygamy -- on their wedding day, a horrified Jane discovers he is already married. Heartbroken, Jane runs away, but later returns after a dreadful fire has destroyed Rochester's mansion, killed his wife, and left him blind. Love triumphs, and the two reunite and live out their days in shared bliss.

Catherine and Heathcliff, Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte

The howling moors could not drown out the love of childhood sweethearts Catherine and Heathcliff, who manage to continue a paranormal affair even after Catherine's death. Death has not abated Heathcliff's adoration of his beloved, and he begs Catherine's spirit to haunt him always. With an obsession that would warrant a restraining order in today's world, Heathcliff is driven to cruelty by Catherine's demise, and his life is fueled by a preoccupation with revenge on Catherine's widower. In the end, Heathcliff starves himself to death and is buried beside his Catherine. Bronte's bittersweet story affirms that sometimes love can survive death.

Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, Macbeth, by William Shakespeare

Proving that femme fatales preceded feminism, Lady Macbeth wields a weighty influence over her infatuated husband. When she urges him to seize the crown by murdering the current king, her infectious ambition takes hold, and the easily manipulated Macbeth takes measures to carry out the treasonous scheme. The wicked pair's connection is made only stronger by their shared secret, but their plans unravel when Lacy Macbeth dies. Left without his partner in crime, Macbeth is weakened, exposed, and killed. This play reminds of us of the infinite power of two - stronger together than apart

Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler, Gone with the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell

Proving that timing is everything, Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler never seem to be quite in synch. Throughout the epic story, this tempestuous twosome experience passion but not permanence, and their stormy marriage reflects the surrounding Civil War battles. The flirtatious, promiscuous, and perpetually pursued Scarlett can't make up her mind between her many suitors. When she finally decides to settle on being happy with Rhett, her fickle nature has already driven him away. Hope springs eternal in our devious heroine, however, and the novel ends with Scarlett proclaiming, "Tomorrow is another day."

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