History Characters / SenseAndSensibility

* IHaveNoSon: Washes his hands completely of his child with Eliza.

* TheUnfavorite: Actually, his mother and sister both have great plans for him--plans which don't coincide with his own wish to be a clergyman. However, while ''he'' is disinherited for his engagement to Lucy Steele, his brother Robert remains his mother's absolute favorite and suffers no reprimand for marrying the very same Lucy Steele.

* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Woman]]: She's the reasonable one in her family. She's even more sensible than her mother. Had there been no Colonel Brandon, she would be the Only Sane ''Person'' in the entire novel.

* WidowWoman: She's widowed and reduced to a status of ImpoverishedPatrician who had to move from grand Norland mansion to a small cottage house.

* IllGirl: Becomes ill and nearly dies towards the end of the novel. She partly caused it herself by exaggerating her passionate, desperate feelings and almost indulging herself in her suffering and LoveHurts drama. The final straw was taking a long walk in the rain and not changing to dry clothes afterwards, after weeks of ignoring food and sleep.

* AdultFear: When Marianne is struck by fever, Mrs Dashwood is faced with the prospect of losing a child.

* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: She doesn't force herself on Edward. Firstly because she knows his family wouldn't approve and secondly, she sincerely wishes that he and Lucy might be happy as a married couple. Elinor knows Lucy is fairly smart and hopes she also loves him. However, Elinor also sees Lucy's real self, her cunning nature and not so pretty ways.

* NotSoStoic: She's desperate when her sister is dying. And she really loses her cool when their servant announces them that Mr. Ferrars got married. Poor Elinor. And there's [[TearsOfJoy her reaction]] when Edward tells her he did ''not'' marry Lucy and would very much like to marry her.

* SurroundedByIdiots: She sometimes feels this way. Her family -- the other Dashwood ladies -- are very intelligent, but exaggerate their passionate feelings. The Middletons, the Ferrars clan (save for Edward), her half-brother, the Steele sisters, Mrs. Palmer and Mrs. Jennings have all their fair share of silliness or stupidity. Thank God for Colonel Brandon.

* AnnoyingYoungerSibling: Mildly to Elinor. She's embarrassingly open with her opinions without regard to tact or decorum, and doesn't notice Elinor's own distress until it's spelled out to her.

* EmoTeen: The Regency England version. She exaggerates her feelings for everything and everyone. She has genuinely deep love for poetry, music and nature.

* LoveTriangle: She's involved in two -- Marianne, Willoughby and Colonel Brandon, and also Marianne, Miss Gray and Willoughby. She loves Willoughby, who tries to trick her but later admits he really loves her too, but marries Miss Gray. Colonel Brandon loves her as well from the moment they met. She falls for him at the end of the novel.
* TheMcCoy: She's the heart of her family. She's concerned with feelings, true affection and love.

* UnwantedAssistance: Her attempts to support Elinor sometimes make Elinor feel worse. Marianne trying to act as a wingman for Elinor re: Edward is rarely subtle, though she can't be blamed for being unaware of the mess with Lucy. She also makes a big deal of praising Elinor's artwork when Mrs. Ferrars sneers at it, which increases Elinor's mortification (though Brandon admires her forit).

* InnocentlyInsensitive: When Edward is disinherited for his unwise engagement, Brandon--keenly sensitive to the cruelty of families trying to separate young lovers--decides to give him the parish living at Delaford. As he doesn't know Edward well, however, he asks Elinor to ask as an intermediary. He has no idea that he's asking her to offer the man she's in love with the means to marry another woman.

* AdultFear: When Marianne is struck by fever, Mrs. Dashwood is faced with the prospect of losing a child.

* ImpoverishedPatrician: Norland was entailed to the male line. Although Mr. Dashwood did leave a son, he's a spineless ninny who turns out his stepmother and half-sisters at the suggestion of his wife.
* ParentsAsPeople: She loves both of her daughters very much, but she somewhat favors Marianne, unintentionally neglects Elinor, and Elinor behaves more responsibly and rationally.

* LiteralMinded: He doesn't romanticize things and appreciates neat, technical detail to wild and untamed nature.

* ParentalMarriageVeto: In his backstory. When he and Eliza's mother were discovered to be in love, she was quickly married to his brother and he was packed off into the Army.

* ParentalMarriageVeto: In his backstory. When he and Eliza were discovered to be in love, she was quickly married to his brother and he was packed off into the Army.

* NoveauRiche: She's quite a wealthy lady, but her husband made his money through trade. Her unrefined manners are a match with her son-in-law, who would probably be called uncouth if he wasn't a Sir.

* StiffUpperLip: She resolutely maintains her composure through being turned out of her home, the embarrassing company of [[ShipperOnDeck Sir John and Mrs. Jennings]], Lucy Steele's passive-aggressive "friendship", loss of Edward, and Marianne's dramatics.

!!John Willoughby
A dashing young man living near Barton Cottage. He rescues Marianne when she sprains her ankle in a rainstorm and they soon fall passionately in love. He shares her romantic inclinations, but he lacks a sense of morality.

* HonorBeforeReason: He absolutely refuses to break his engagement to Lucy Steele, which was made years ago, and which has since lost any appeal for him.

* InnocentlyInsensitive: When Edward is disinherited for his unwise engagement, Brandon--keenly sensitive to the cruelty of families trying to separate young lovers--decides to give him the parish living at Delaford. As he hasn't met Edward personally, however, he asks Elinor to ask as an intermediary. He has no idea that he's asking her to offer the man she's in love with the means to marry another woman.
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: After he finally returns from the disaster with his ward, he quickly hears the (inaccurate) gossip that Marianne and Willoughby are engaged. He goes to Elinor to confirm it and hopes that Marianne will be happy. (Understandably, he is immensely relieved that it's not true, as it would be much easier for his beloved to be happy ''not'' married to a scoundrel.)

* PetTheDog: He is genuinely happy to run into his sisters in town.

* AlasPoorVillain: Subverted. At first, his lament over having to abandon his love for Marianne seems sympathetic, but then Elinor reminds herself of what he did to her and Colonel Brandon's ward which impelled said separation.

* TheHedonist: He does whatever seems pleasurable in the moment. In Devonshire, that's romancing Marianne. But it's also seducing the fifteen-year-old ward of Colonel Brandon, and marrying a rich woman so he can maintain his lifestyle.

* LadykillerInLove: He later admits that his initial flirtation with Marianne was quite idle on his end because he had always intended to marry wealthy, but he had soon resolved on proposing... right before before his aunt disinherited him over Eliza.
* NeverMyFault: When trying to defend himself to Elinor, he claims that Eliza, the fifteen-year-old girl he seduced and abandoned, is just as much to blame as he is; after all, she consented to running away with him. His argument naturally falls flat, since the consequences of their tryst are infinitely worse for poor Eliza, and she is a naive teenager who had no idea what she was getting into, while ''he'' is a worldly young man. He also claims his wife dictated the cruel letter to Marianne, trying to paint her as a ClingyJealousGirl and himself as a poor innocent victim.

* GrumpyBear: She isn't really, but her family thinks she is sometimes.