Track 5: Shawn Mendes "Mercy"
Song: Mercy
Artist: Shawn Mendes
Album: Illuminate
Released: 2016
YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkGVmN68ByU
Artist: Shawn Mendes
Album: Illuminate
Released: 2016
YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkGVmN68ByU
In chapter 34, Mr. Darcy asks for Elizabeth’s hand in marriage. This is a shock to Elizabeth who has spent the better part of the novel becoming more and more incensed with Mr. Darcy’s pride. She has her reasons for this. First, she is snubbed by him at the ball, then she hears of him dishonoring a childhood friend, Mr. Whickham, and leaving that friend destitute. But the final straw is when she learns that Mr. Darcy deliberately convinced Mr. Bingley to go to London, thus ending any hopes of his marrying Jane and breaking Jane's heart in the process. She is told that Mr. Darcy did not find the marriage suitable for his friend because Jane is of a lower status than Mr. Bingley. So, it comes as a great shock to Elizabeth when Mr. Darcy asks for her hand. She refuses saying, “You could not have made me the offer of your hand in any possible way that would have tempted me to accept it,” (131). Ouch. So, of course, Mr. Darcy’s pride is in shambles and he leaves with his metaphorical tail between his legs. Not only does Elizabeth reject him pretty harshly, but she levies the aforementioned crimes against him in the process. Feeling the need to explain himself and his actions, Mr. Darcy writes her a letter and delivers it to her in chapter 35. The letter is essentially asking for her mercy for his actions.
Thus, for chapter 35 and the reading of Mr. Darcy’s letter, I chose the song “Mercy” by Shawn Mendes. This song would actually be from Mr. Darcy’s perspective, but the realization of his true intentions and his love for her helps to develop Elizabeth’s character for the remainder of the novel, so I felt it was appropriate to include. Mendes opens with the lines, “You’ve got ahold of me, Don’t even know your power.” This really relates to the way Mr. Darcy feels about Elizabeth because he’s totally falling in love with her from the very beginning of the novel, and she has no idea about it. Mendes also says, “My pride is all I got.” If that line doesn’t describe Mr. Darcy, I’m not sure what does. From the get go, he is seen as being haughty, and his pride is what make Elizabeth dislike him. For him to say his pride is all he has would be an accurate portrayal of his character because throughout the novel, he does act on his pride frequently, however, the intentions of his actions become clearer as the novel goes on. The refrain of the song is, “Please have mercy on me, Take it easy on my heart.” This line is repeated several times throughout the song. Essentially, by writing the letter to Elizabeth, Mr. Darcy is asking for her mercy and forgiveness for grievances the she has levied on him in regards to Jane and Mr. Whickham. By writing this letter he hopes that she’ll have some understanding of why he’s acted the way he has. Fortunately, his letter works!
Thus, for chapter 35 and the reading of Mr. Darcy’s letter, I chose the song “Mercy” by Shawn Mendes. This song would actually be from Mr. Darcy’s perspective, but the realization of his true intentions and his love for her helps to develop Elizabeth’s character for the remainder of the novel, so I felt it was appropriate to include. Mendes opens with the lines, “You’ve got ahold of me, Don’t even know your power.” This really relates to the way Mr. Darcy feels about Elizabeth because he’s totally falling in love with her from the very beginning of the novel, and she has no idea about it. Mendes also says, “My pride is all I got.” If that line doesn’t describe Mr. Darcy, I’m not sure what does. From the get go, he is seen as being haughty, and his pride is what make Elizabeth dislike him. For him to say his pride is all he has would be an accurate portrayal of his character because throughout the novel, he does act on his pride frequently, however, the intentions of his actions become clearer as the novel goes on. The refrain of the song is, “Please have mercy on me, Take it easy on my heart.” This line is repeated several times throughout the song. Essentially, by writing the letter to Elizabeth, Mr. Darcy is asking for her mercy and forgiveness for grievances the she has levied on him in regards to Jane and Mr. Whickham. By writing this letter he hopes that she’ll have some understanding of why he’s acted the way he has. Fortunately, his letter works!