The Ides of March

    "Return, Marcus, return to the city which is bending all its eyes upon you.
     The hero whose name you bear live in you, by spirit if not by blood, and his task is on your shoulders.
     Return to the city whose health is your own health and whose freedom is your own freedom. Romans are calling on the name of Brutus and all eyes are bent on you.
     The man against whom Rome's rage is directed is no little man.... The murderer must be equal in stature with the murdered or Rome is twice enslaved.... The hand that strikes him down must be passionless as justice."

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 Thornton Wilder's The Ides of March, Book 4 LVII (pg) 201

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     The women in this book! They are so manipulative! She builds her son up with flattery while putting a huge, ruthless task on his back. She wants him to murder Caesar, and she says he is one of the one men fit for such a "honorable" task. "All eyes are on him." Why? Why does it have to be him? If she wants Caesar dead, she should kill him. If someone else wants Caesar dead, they should kill him. You don't go around convincing other people to kill the people you don't like. Sure Caesar has lots of power, and perhaps a man like Brutus would not reap as much trouble from killing Caesar as someone else would, but in Shakespeare's play, Brutus doesn't turn out so well. His own mother.... His own mother trying to convince him to murder through flattery. How insulting that she would think she could be successful on such an endeavor.

Mr. Collins' Begins

     On finding Mrs. Bennet, Elizabeth, and one of the younger girls together soon after breakfast, he addressed the mother in these words,
``May I hope, Madam, for your interest with your fair daughter Elizabeth, when I solicit for the honour of a private audience with her in the course of this morning?''
Before Elizabeth had time for any thing but a blush of surprise, Mrs. Bennet instantly answered,
``Oh dear! -- Yes -- certainly. -- I am sure Lizzy will be very happy -- I am sure she can have no objection. -- Come, Kitty, I want you up stairs.'' And gathering her work together, she was hastening away, when Elizabeth called out,
``Dear Ma'am, do not go. -- I beg you will not go. -- Mr. Collins must excuse me. -- He can have nothing to say to me that any body need not hear. I am going away myself.''
``No, no, nonsense, Lizzy. -- I desire you will stay where you are.''

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 Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Volume 1 ch. 19

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     Jane Austen's tone is so humorous. She catches the reader by surprise, as she does her character Elizabeth, with the unwanted interruption of Mr. Collins. That surprise, and the dragging on of the guessed proposal, makes the situation ironically awkward and entertaining. Mrs. Bennet... she's one of those characters that the reader simply has a love/hate relationship with, for she is forceful and does her best to embarrass Elizabeth continually, but at the same time, she is naive and truly wants her daughter to be married and taken care of. She's so funny in her rushed, bustling manner, another reason why one cannot remain cross with her.
     The additional body in the room, Kitty, one of the younger sisters who does not like Mr. Collins either (so she must feel for Elizabeth), makes for a more tense tone. Elizabeth undoubtedly wants Kitty to stay with her so she does not have to remain alone with Mr. Collins, but Kitty is helplessly dragged out by her mother. Oh the embarrassment! Oh the awkward feels! Oh, so goes the magical world of Jane Austen!