Lady Susan

The titular character and protagonist, Lady Susan is a recently widowed woman who is described as “excessively pretty […] delicately fair, with fine grey eyes and dark eyelashes; and from her appearance one would not suppose her more than five and twenty, though she must in fact be ten years older” (12). Although Catherine believes her character to be mild when she first meets her, the audience quickly realizes that this is not the case, as Lady Susan’s tempestuous character is anything but mild. However, the first impression of Catherine is important, primarily because it demonstrates the bifurcated femininity necessitated by 18th century standards for women. Susan is very pretty and still has some semblance of youth about her; even though she is an incorrigible flirt, she manages to at first win over a variety of characters with her appearance and seemingly demure character. However, these apparent virtues belie the vices underneath, especially Susan’s selfish desires to better her station through her own remarriage and Frederica’s marriage as well. Susan demonstrates the necessity of women to remain hidden in their interior life. Although British society dictates the women’s place as that of interiority, they are still subjugated to the pressures of the male dominated exteriority of society.