Miss Emma Woodhouse is the titular protagonist of Jane Austen's 1815 novel Emma.
Emma is a 21-year-old gentlewoman, the second of two daughters of the well-to-do Mr. Woodhouse. As a result of her status and rather indulgent upbringing, Emma overestimates her own intuitions and believes herself to have a knack for matchmaking, meddling in the romantic lives of those around her.
Though at the beginning of the novel she maintains that she herself will never marry, Emma later realizes her feelings for and marries her friend and neighbor, Mr. Knightley.
Biography[]
Emma is the younger of two daughters of Mr. Henry Woodhouse, and a member of the Woodhouse family, the most prominent family of Highbury village. Emma's mother died when she was around five years of age, as such Emma's memories of her are "indistinct". She was raised primarily by her beloved governess, Miss Taylor, for sixteen years until Miss Taylor married Mr. Weston.[1]
Emma's upbringing, resulting from the lax and overly-affectionate natures of both her father and governess, was indulgent and lacking in true discipline. Consequently, Emma, in character, became frivolous and rather spoilt, as well thinking herself as knowing better than she actually does.
Likely owing to the death of her mother, and particularly after Emma's sister Isabella's marrying and moving to London, Emma has been the de facto mistress of Hartfield and dedicated herself to the maintenance of the house and the care of her valetudinarian father. This, as well as Emma's wishing to retain the freedom and independence provided by her social standing, have led to Emma expressing that she does not wish to marry (unless she falls very much in love).
Character[]
Description[]
Emma is described in the novel's opening sentence as "handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and a happy disposition." Mrs. Weston describes her as having a true hazel eye, with brilliant features, an open countenance, being the perfect height and size, and a lovely complexion in the bloom of full health. She continues that Emma is loveliness itself and the picture of good health in her bloom and air. Mr Knightley agrees with this assessment and says that girls as pretty as her are rarely seen, although he is "a partial old friend" and holds back further praise.
Personality[]
Emma is noted to be charming, spirited and witty and is widely respected and a great favourite among those in Highbury. She is intelligent and talented in many pursuits (piano, art, reading, etc.) although lacks dedicated application. Mr. Knightley notes her exceptional intelligence as a child, easily grasping concepts/riddles that her older sister failed to; though also comments she'd "never submit to any thing requiring industry and patience, and a subjection of the fancy to the understanding".
On many occasions, Emma shows herself to be haughty, meddlesome, and self-deluded. While not particularly vain regarding her looks, she is more confident in her abilities than merited, and has a great deal of pride regarding her social status (which leads her to look down on the poorer). Emma is prone to jealousy, clashing with Jane Fairfax due to her competing good qualities and feeling possessive of Mr. Knightley.
Emma believes she is an excellent matchmaker, and is so overly trusting of her own intuitions that she is often blind to the truth of a situation and people's feelings, such as when she failed to note that Mr. Elton's interest was in her and not Harriet.
Role in novel[]
Emma is an independently wealthy woman who lives with her aging father in the English countryside near the village of Highbury. The novel concerns her attempts to be a matchmaker among her acquaintances and her own romantic misadventures.
Although Emma professes that she does not ever wish to marry (as she has no financial need to, having a large inheritance) she finds herself falling in love with her friend George Knightley.
Relationships[]
Mr. Knightley[]
Mr. Knightley is Emma's friend, brother-in-law, and ultimately her love interest. At 37, he is significantly older than she and Emma looks up to him. He often gives her advice and guidance, particularly since Emma's mother is deceased and her father is disengaged. Mr Knightley has a strong moral compass and frequently teases or scolds Emma for her more frivolous pursuits, such as matchmaking. He also disagrees and argues with Emma on occasion, notably on Emma's interference with Harriet Smith and Robert Martin's relationship.
Due to his attachment to Emma, Mr Knightley has disliked Frank Churchill (unconsciously labeling him as competition) even before he met Frank, and remains doubtful of him even when everyone else indulges the younger man. It is also his jealousy of Frank that causes Mr Knightley to acknowledge his romantic feelings for Emma. Although he is mostly rational, he can also act more impulsively at the cause of Emma, such as making a sudden visit to London and returning in an equally unexpected manner to propose to her. Emma, too, gradually realizes her feelings for him due to her jealousy first of Jane Fairfax and later of Harriet Smith.
Harriet Smith[]
Harriet, was introduced to Emma shortly after the marriage of Mrs. Weston, accompanying Mrs. Goddard on one of her visits to Highbury. Despite Harriet's humble origins and unknown parentage, Emma admires her sweetness, good nature, and pleasant looks. Emma takes Harriet under her wing as a companion, using her to fill the void left by Mrs. Weston's leaving Hartfield; and takes it upon herself to "rescue" Harriet from bad society and introduce her into Emma's upper-class circle. However, Emma's pride prevents her from seeing a good match for Harriet in the person of Robert Martin, a respected farmer and the initial and ultimate romantic interest of Harriet. Instead, Emma encourages Harriet to foster affections for Mr Elton, the village vicar, which ends disastrously. However, naive Harriet does not blame Emma for her mortification, and the two remain friends.
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Emma, Harriet develops a crush on Mr Knightley after he asks her to dance when Mr Elton has refused to. Emma, on the other hand, believes that Harriet holds a secret regard for Frank, says that she should not give up hope because there have been many other happy though unequal matches. When Emma discovers the truth, she is both appalled and dismayed, which leads to her revelation that she has been in love with Knightley all along. Mrs. Elton's relationship to Jane Fairfax parodies Emma's relationship to Harriet.
Emma and Harriet make up after they both marry, but their friendship becomes more of a calm sort of goodwill.
Mr. Woodhouse[]
Mr. Woodhouse, Emma's father, is a hypochondriac and is so paranoid about his own and others' health that he is nearly helpless. He is against eating cake, going outside, attending parties, and getting married, among other things, on the grounds that these might damage the health. As a result, Emma takes on the role of caretaker for him, as he is incapable of exerting parental influence or even taking care of himself. Mr Woodhouse is fond of and attached to his daughters, who are likewise affectionate toward him. With Isabella married, Emma took it upon herself to remain at Hartfield and take care of her father. Emma's consideration towards her father is one of her redeeming attributes.
Mrs. Weston[]
Mrs. Weston, formerly Miss Taylor, was Emma's governess before she married Mr Weston. She and Emma love each other and are close friends. She serves as a mother figure for Emma and often gives her advice. Emma admires Mrs Weston as wise and virtuous, and looks up to her. When Mrs Weston marries, Emma becomes lonely and therefore seeks the companionship of Harriet Smith, a friendship which Mrs Weston approves of although Mr Knightley does not. Mrs Weston initially wished for a match between Emma and Frank Churchill and saw a potential attachment between George Knightley and Jane Fairfax, but ends up surprised by but delighted with the ultimate outcome.
Jane Fairfax[]
Jane Fairfax, orphaned at a young age, is Miss Bates' niece. She is a beautiful, accomplished young woman, who represents everything that Emma should be. Jane is the ideal companion for Emma. However Emma neglects her due to jealousy, yet claims it is because Jane is 'cold'. Unbeknown to Emma, Jane is secretly engaged to Frank, and therefore Emma's flirtation with Frank causes Jane great pain.
Frank Churchill[]
Emma was always interested in Frank, and thought that, if she were ever to marry, he might be the one she chose. Upon meeting him, she found him very agreeable and formed a friendship with him. Emma believed that Frank was in love with her. She had feeling of listlessness upon his departure and therefore thought that she was in love with him. She didn’t love him enough, however, to leave her father for him, and determined that she must not be in love. When she saw him again, she was able to say she was not in love, and, when she later saw more of his character, was glad that she was not in love. At a picnic she appeared to be flirting with him, but she wasn’t really, and was actually uncomfortable. When she realized that she was in love with Mr. Knightley, she came to the conclusion that she had never loved Frank after all. She was at first angry to hear that he was engaged to Jane Fairfax, but ended up wishing him all possible happiness.
Gallery[]
.jpg "Emma (1957).jpg (28 KB)")
Trivia[]
- While writing the novel, Jane Austen famously described Emma as "a heroine whom no-one but myself will much like."
- Emma notably has the highest social standing and more in the way of fortune and independence than Austen's other protagonists.
Notable portrayals[]
- Doran Godwin in the 1972 TV serial ==
- Alicia Silverstone as Cher Horowitz in the 1995 film Clueless ,a loose, modernized adaptation of Emma.
- Gwyneth Paltrow in the 1996 feature film
- Kate Beckinsale in the 1996 British made-for-TV film
- Romola Garai in the 2009 BBC TV serial
- Sonam Kapoor as Aisha Kapoor in the 2010 film Aisha
- Joanna Sotomura in the 2013-2014 YouTube series Emma Approved
- Anya Taylor-Joy in the 2020 feature film