At the time Jane Austen wrote `Pride and Prejudice,' in 1813, a successful marriage was considered one in which both parties, but particularly the woman, benefited financially and socially, as social status and wealth were very important aspects of life. A marriage was seen less as a unity of two people in love, as it is nowadays, than as an alliance of two families, with less importance given to love and compatibility. The cynical view held by Charlotte Lucas, that `happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance' was a fairly common one at the time. For the Bennet daughters especially, marriage was to secure their futures financially, as their father's estate was entailed away from them.

Of the four marriages that take place, I believe that two were successful, and two were not.

The first marriage to take place, between Charlotte Lucas and Mr Collins, is...