'If you are not the heiress born, And I,' said he, 'the lawful heir, We two will wed to-morrow morn, And you shall still be Lady Clare.'
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- A man proposes marriage based on legal heirship, promising the woman will retain her title.
- In plain terms
- He offers to marry her so she stays a lady despite her status.
- What can you take from it?
- Marriage can restore or preserve social standing.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Is love enough for marriage?
- How does law protect status?
Another view
It treats women's status as dependent on male inheritance.
More from Alfred (Lord) Tennyson
'If I come dressed like a village maid, I am but as my fortunes are: I am a beggar born,' she said, 'And not the Lady Clare.'
Permalink to quote #125 And one said smiling 'Pretty were the sight If our old halls could change their sex, and flaunt With prudes for proctors, dowagers for deans, And sweet girl-gr…
Permalink to quote #127 She clad herself in a russet gown, She was no longer Lady Clare: She went by dale, and she went by down, With a single rose in her hair. The lily-white doe Lor…
Permalink to quote #124
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