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Hannah Bailey
February 12, 2016
Professor Taracuk
ENG 101-111232
The Romantic Hero
Have you ever noticed the patterns between different characters in literature? The
common reoccurrence of the strong male leads with their supporting love interests, or the
common few different types of villains often used for different circumstances. Carl Jung was a
student of Sigmund Freud, and in his writings he brought the concept of archetypes to literature.
One of these particular archetypes presented was the romantic/gothic hero, and this character was
widely represented in what are considered todays classics. Two examples of this melancholic
hero are Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice, and Andrei Bolkonsky from War & Peace.
Though the number of comparisons outnumber the contrast, they also have qualities and traits
that make them very different people, and these differences are what tend to be overlooked with
archetypes.
Even before someone knows of the existence of these stereotypical types of characters, a
reader can easily point out that a character from one piece is alike one from another. These
common traits is what creates an archetype, which is a universal patterns in all stories and
mythologies regardless of culture or historical period (Archetypes). Archetypes can be applied
to images, symbols, themes, ideas, a plot pattern or character types, and can be used as a way to
categorize these things with equivalent details. Archetypes appear in a number of media,
including music, myths, religion, and literature. The particular archetype that is being applied to
Mr. Darcy and Andrei Bolkonsky is the romantic hero. The Romantic Hero is a hero and/or

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lover with a decidedly dark side (Archetypes) who struggles with melancholy and self-criticism;
more often than not, a romantic hero has rejected a part of their society or has been rejected
themselves. This archetype arose during the Romantic Period (c. 1800-1850) and was seen in
response to the French Revolution (1789-1799) when Napoleon was a let down for the ideal
hero. Most romantic heroes in literature are philanthropic, meaning they love the concept of
humans, and displace themselves from being a human, thus desiring to be like them--like other
humans.
In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must
allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you (Austen). Jane Austens timeless
classic Pride and Prejudice brings about the satirical mockery of the married life at the same
time as creating one of literatures most beloved men-- Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy. Darcy had
everything he could possibly want: money, influence, family, an estate, and anything he desired
could be provided momentarily. Due to his upbringing, Darcy had his pride. He knew who he
was and he was well aware of what he was entitled to, as well as guaranteed this to his younger
sister, Georgiana. Darcy was a family man, dedicating as much time as he possibly could to his
dear sister, and tolerating his ornery aunt who nagged at his ear. Darcy care deeply for his family,
and was very quick to introduce the woman he loved to them. Despite being as privileged as he
was, Darcy made a statement as a man with his own demons. Aside from pride, Darcy was a
silent man with a lack of charm. The only thing women seemed to find likeable about him was
his money, and even that was not tempting enough for women such as Elizabeth Bennet. In some
cases, Darcys money seemed like a curse. He would withdraw from social gatherings, refused to
dance with anyone, and just watched from a tranquil corner. It was as if the man believed himself
separate from the other humans around him, and though it seems like it was out of pride, very

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quickly it was realized that this dissociation was due to his mistrust of others and his feeling of
alienation from everyone else. When it comes down to his love interest, the vast majority of the
book is just their story of falling in love. From the point of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet
meeting, it is estimated that their coming together as a couple took the better of two years, which
in their culture, the appropriate length of courting took about the same amount of time. From
Elizabeths first rejection of his marriage proposal, Darcy began work to better himself for her,
and she was kept in his mind always. He had not given up, but made gaining her better favor--if
not her hand--something for him to strive for. It is the type of honest, devoted character that
made Mr. Darcy such a sought after sort of man for anyone who read the story, and it was those
same characteristics that made him the perfect romantic hero.
Natasha, I love you, I love you more Better than I did before. I was in the wrong. It is
for you to forgive me (Tolstoy). Prince Andrei Bolkonsky was introduced in the novel War
and Peace by Leo Tolstoy as a philosophical opposite to his friend Count Pierre Bezukhov.
Andrei was also represented as wholly depressed and unhappy with his marriage, annoyed by his
wifes simple mind and needy tendencies. He was also depicted to be an atheist, as shown by his
neglectance to accept any religious offerings from his sister. Despite the religious disagreement,
Andrei and his little sister, Marya, are inseparable and care for one another very much. Andreis
wife died in childbirth while he was away at war, and he expresses in a letter that he has remorse
for the neglectful husband he was. At that point, Andrei began to change as a person entirely. He
was distant and engulfed in a darkness that was his and his alone, and Andrei made it a point to
exist apart from everyone around him. However, all sadness that exists may find end, and he
found that in his love for Natalia Rostova. Andrei describes his love as a light, something to
break his world of sorrows, and was even nervous she possibly did not love him back. In stark

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contrast to Mr. Darcy, Andrei did not get to be with the woman he loved, in fact, he broke off
their engagement rather than forgive Natalia for a mistake she had made. This is the greatest
difference between the two men, is the outcome of their love lives. Andreis adoration for Natalia
followed him to his death, and in death, did they separate. Andreis roller coaster of a love life
and deep sorrows made him the type of dark man that a woman wished she could make happy,
and those tragic traits was what made him the miserable hero he was.
There are always those characters that make women swoon, or they set their standards to.
The romantic hero happens to be one of the most represented and desired personalities like this,
usually shown in titles like tall, dark and handsome or the emotional one. The representation
of this archetype was done best by the classics, namely Jane Austens Mr. Darcy and Leo
Tolstoys Prince Andrei Bolkonsky. Both were woeful men with a darkness in their heart, and
when they found love they seemed to shine in a new light. Mr. Darcy and Andrei were so alike,
and yet one of them got the girl, and the other ended up dying. These fictional men were so
similar, and yet so similar, why did they have endings so opposite of one another?

Works Cited
Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. New York: Modern Library, 1995. Print.
College, Hillsborough Community, comp. "Archetypes." "Archetypes for Literary Analysis"
(2015): n. pag. Web. 12 Feb. 2016.

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Tolstoy, Leo, Richard Pevear, Larissa Volokhonsky, and Leo Tolstoy. War and Peace. New York:
Alfred A. Knopf, 2007. Print.