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Character analysis · Edward's vain younger brother, who marries Lucy Steele

Robert Ferrars

in Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

Robert Ferrars is the younger brother of Edward Ferrars and plays a minor yet notable role in Sense and Sensibility. He comes across as a vain and self-satisfied young man of fashion—a "coxcomb," as Lucy Steele describes him even before they meet—and his subsequent appearances only back this up. Elinor first sees him at Gray's, where he monopolizes the shop while deliberating over a toothpick case. When they finally meet at a musical gathering, his bow alone suggests his arrogance. During their chat, he patronizingly blames Edward's "gaucherie" on his private schooling, claiming his own social prowess stems solely from his public school experience, which only deepens Elinor's disapproval.

Robert's primary function in the story is to marry Lucy Steele—the woman secretly engaged to Edward—creating a situation that both complicates and salvages his brother's life. Mrs. Ferrars, furious with Edward, decides to settle an estate on Robert; initially sent to persuade Lucy to break off her engagement, he becomes increasingly enamored with the attention and ultimately replaces Edward in her affections. He marries her in secret, without his mother's approval, taking pride in his conquest, in outsmarting Edward, and in the secret marriage itself. Thanks to Lucy's constant flattery, he eventually wins back his mother's favor, leaving Edward forever perceived as the lesser son despite being reinstated as "her son." By the novel's conclusion, Robert has settled in town, comfortably supported by Mrs. Ferrars, yet often finds himself tangled in domestic squabbles with Lucy.

About this character

Role
Edward's vain younger brother, who marries Lucy Steele
Form
Novel
Author
Jane Austen
First published
1811

The person01–03

01·Who they are

Who is Robert Ferrars?

Robert Ferrars is a young man who embodies vanity. Before Elinor meets him, Lucy Steele describes him as "silly and a great coxcomb," which is evident in how he acts. His bow during their introduction at the musical party clearly showcases his arrogance, and his comments—blaming Edward's awkwardness on private schooling while attributing his own confidence solely to Westminster—are a blatant display of self-praise masked as honesty.

02·Arc & motivation

What is Robert Ferrars's arc and motivation?

Robert shows no moral growth; he starts off vain and stays that way. His motivations stem from self-indulgence and a desire to impress. He initially visits Lucy privately in Bartlett's Buildings to persuade her to break off her engagement with Edward, but he quickly becomes enamored with her flattery—he always has more to say about himself than anything else—and ultimately marries her in secret. He takes pride in his conquest, in outsmarting Edward, and in marrying without his mother's consent. Ironically, the financial independence Mrs. Ferrars grants him out of spite for Edward makes the marriage possible, as Elinor notes: she has been effectively bribing one son with a thousand a year to do what she disinherited the other for planning to do.

03·Key moments

What are Robert Ferrars's key moments?

  • At the party, John Dashwood introduces them; Robert's bow and his lengthy monologue about Edward's flaws firmly establish his character.
  • The Harley Street encounter: Robert laughs excessively at the idea of Edward as a country clergyman, finding the image of Edward reading prayers in a white surplice and publishing the banns of marriage between John Smith and Mary Brown utterly ridiculous. Elinor gives him a look of contempt that he completely misses.
  • The conclusion: The narrator details how Lucy seduces Robert, his pride in the conquest, their months of happiness at Dawlish, and how they eventually win back Mrs. Ferrars's favor through Lucy's flattery. Robert effectively becomes the "eldest son," benefiting from his mother's generosity, while Edward receives far less.

The cast04–05

04·Relationships

What are Robert Ferrars's most important relationships?

Robert's relationship with Edward is characterized by unconscious cruelty: he relishes the material advantages that Edward's integrity has cost him, mocks Edward's new clerical life, and takes his fiancée, all without any guilt. Robert's relationship with Lucy is one of mutual exploitation that develops into something resembling genuine affection: he takes pride in his conquest, and she manages him cleverly, though their life together is often marked by domestic disagreements. His relationship with Mrs. Ferrars shows how clearly he is her favorite: she forgives him much more quickly than she does Edward, ultimately providing him with a generous allowance while giving Edward far less.

05·Connected characters

How is Robert Ferrars connected to the other characters?

Edward Ferrars

Robert is Edward's younger brother, yet effectively supplants him as eldest son in their mother's favour; he marries Lucy Steele, the woman to whom Edward had been secretly engaged, and is proud of having tricked his brother in the process.

Lucy Steele

Lucy becomes Robert's wife after flattering him into abandoning his mission to break off her engagement to Edward; through her 'respectful humility' and 'endless flatteries' she also engineers their restoration to Mrs. Ferrars's favour, though the marriage is marked by frequent domestic disagreements.

Mrs. Ferrars

Robert is Mrs. Ferrars's favourite son; she settles an estate on him out of resentment against Edward, and though initially furious at his secret marriage to Lucy, she is eventually reconciled to both by Lucy's persistent flattery and forgives Robert 'much sooner' than she forgives Edward.

Elinor Dashwood

Elinor's two encounters with Robert — at Gray's and at Harley Street — confirm her low opinion of his vanity and emptiness, and she watches with silent contempt as he laughs at the idea of Edward becoming a clergyman.

Fanny Dashwood

Robert and Fanny are on outwardly good terms, but jealousies and ill-will continually subsist between Fanny and Lucy, in which their husbands — Robert included — take a part.

Study06–07

06·Questions

Questions readers ask about Robert Ferrars

What is Robert Ferrars like when Elinor first meets him?

When John Dashwood introduces them at a musical party (Chapter XXXVI), Robert's bow immediately confirms Lucy's assertion that he is a coxcomb. He goes on for about fifteen minutes, explaining that Edward's social awkwardness stems from his private schooling, while his own ease is entirely thanks to Westminster. The narrator observes that although Elinor is surprised by the contrast between the two brothers, Robert's emptiness and arrogance do not diminish her appreciation for Edward's modesty and value.

How does Robert come to marry Lucy Steele?

He first visits Lucy at Bartlett's Buildings to convince her to break off her engagement with Edward. Lucy flatters him so well — drawing him back for visit after visit to address doubts that never really go away — that he slowly replaces his brother in her heart. The narrator mentions he was "proud of his conquest, proud of tricking Edward, and very proud of marrying privately without his mother's consent" (Chapter L).

Why does Mrs. Ferrars forgive Robert but not Edward?

Edward confirms that Robert "always was her favourite," indicating that she'll forgive him sooner (Chapter XLIX). In Chapter L, the narrator notes that it's Lucy's "respectful humility, assiduous attentions, and endless flatteries" that help mend Mrs. Ferrars' feelings toward Robert's choice, fully restoring her approval of him.

What is the financial consequence of Robert's marriage for Edward?

Mrs. Ferrars had already settled an estate worth a thousand a year on Robert out of resentment toward Edward. Even after the marriage, while Edward is reinstated as "her son," Mrs. Ferrars continues to treat Robert as if he is the eldest. Robert retains the thousand a year, whereas Edward is offered no more than two hundred and fifty from the Delaford living and the ten thousand pounds she previously gave with Fanny (Chapter L).

How does Elinor react to Robert in their private conversation in Chapter XLI?

She gives him "a look that spoke all the contempt it excited" — a look, the narrator observes, that revealed nothing to him.

What role does Robert play in the novel's moral scheme?

The narrator in Chapter L describes the prosperity Robert and Lucy achieve as "a most encouraging instance" of what relentless self-interest can accomplish — a statement steeped in irony. Robert gains every financial benefit through vanity and a hidden marriage, while Edward, who acted with integrity, ends up with far less. Austen highlights this imbalance to reveal the injustice of a system driven by a domineering mother's favoritism instead of true merit.

07·Essay angles

Use this in your essay

Tool · Essay angles

  • Vanity as social satire: Robert serves as Austen's sharpest comic portrayal of fashionable emptiness—consider how the toothpick-case scene and the public-school speech work together to reveal the values of his social class.

  • Irony of reward and punishment: Explore how Mrs. Ferrars's attempt to punish Edward inadvertently enables Robert's marriage to Lucy, and what this reveals about the novel's perspective on parental authority and wealth.

  • Lucy Steele's instrument: Analyze Robert as a means to Lucy's ambitions—how much of an agent is he, and how much of a dupe, and how does Austen use him to comment on the power of flattery?

  • The "eldest son" problem: Robert's assumption of Edward's financial position without any moral justification raises significant questions about inheritance, merit, and justice that run throughout the novel—compare his outcome with Edward's.

  • Comic foil to Edward: Robert and Edward share a mother and a social environment but little else; analyze how Austen uses their contrast to define Edward's worth without explicitly stating it.

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