Mr. Rochester

* Novel
* 1943
* 1970
* 1983
* 1996
* 2006
* 2011

*Jane Eyre* (2011)

Michael Fassbender (2011)

The Traveller

Grace Poole (servant)

### Personalities

Sardonic, brooding, passionate, humble, independent, tormented, selfish (formerly), ugly, dark, lustful, rash, bitter (formerly), sympathetic, naïve (as a young man), self-centred, irritable, grateful, witty, attractive, mysterious, intelligent, brave, strong (formerly), serious, aggressive (sometimes), gruff, rude (formerly), moody, arrogant (formerly), cynical, dutiful, romantic, kind

### Appearance

Craggy face, heavy eyebrow, shaggy brown hair, dark eyes, blind and one-handed (end of story)

### Allies

Jane Eyre
Adèle Varens

Mrs. Fairfax

### Enemies

Bertha Mason

Mr. Mason

### Likes

Riding his horse, sitting in his chair, talking with Jane, hosting parties, playing the piano, singing, acting

### Dislikes

Being married to Bertha, when Bertha causes chaos around his house

### Goal

To return his affections to Jane in addition to her loving him  (succeeded)
To keep his unstable wife Bertha locked up in Thornfield  (succeeded, then failed)
To keep Adèle Varens in his home as his ward (succeeded)
To marry Jane (failed, then succeeded)

### Fate

Blinded and injured, he reunites with Jane, marries her and lives with her at Ferndean Manor, evening gaining some eyesight to see his firstborn son

### Famous quotes

"You examine me Miss Eyre, do you think me handsome?"

> "*His presence in this room was more cheering than the brightest fire.*"
> ― Chapter 15
>
>

Mr. Edward Fairfax Rochester is a major character in Charlotte Brontë's *Jane Eyre*. He is the husband of Bertha Mason and then the titular character.

Originally a stern and emotionless man, Mr. Rochester wants to have a romantic relationship with a pure woman, and he wins Jane over with their love, until a secret of his resurfaces and nearly puts their romance in the way. He is an example of a Byronic hero.

## Description

Mr. Rochester, despite his stern personality and rough appearance, is a unique and fascinating love interest. Like Heathcliff from *Wuthering Heights*, Rochester is described as a Byronic hero, in which he is a dark, brooding like character but is proud, arrogant and romantic. Rochester was also guided by some of the decisions he makes than by his mind. From the several women he had met prior to Jane, from Celine Varens to Bertha Mason, he was lavished by their qualities and appearance and drove him to take interest in them resulting in his tragic affairs with them.

## Storyline

### Early Years/Marriage with Bertha Mason

As a younger man, Mr. Rochester’s father, Old Mr. Rochester, didn’t want to divide his fortune where his younger son would receive a fair share of the money while the rest would go to Mr. Rochester’s older brother, Rowland. But since he didn’t want his son to be poor, Old Mr. Rochester arranged a wealthy marriage for his younger son.

Old Mr. Rochester met with his old friend and business partner, Mr. Mason, a merchant in the West Indies. Both friends agreed to offer Edward 30,000 pounds if he married Mr. Mason’s daughter, Bertha. After Mr. Rochester left college, he was sent to Jamaica to meet his future bride. Old Mr. Rochester didn’t mention Bertha’s wealth but told his son that she was beautiful and attractive.

Mr. Rochester meets Bertha at several parties and admires her beauty, even though he sees her briefly and barely speaks to her. Both families think they will be a perfect match, but after Mr. Rochester marries Bertha, he learns that her mother is insane and kept in a lunatic asylum. Two of her brothers also suffered from the same mental illness that runs in the family. Old Mr. Rochester and Rowland knew this but only cared about Edward’s fortune.

Mr. Rochester and Bertha lived in Jamaica for four years, but her violent temper and outbursts were too much for him to handle, and they didn’t have servants to restrain her. After the deaths of his father and brother, he inherits the family fortune and wants to divorce Bertha but can’t after Bertha is diagnosed as insane. At 26 years old, he feels hopeless in his marriage, as she is 5 years older than him and cannot separate himself from her. One night, Bertha’s yells and curses awaken him. He opens his window and looks out into the stormy evening, contemplating suicide. He opens his trunk and takes out his pistol but quickly changes his mind. He walks in his garden, thinking about the right path. A voice he calls “Hope” urges him to return to England with Bertha and keep her confined at his home, Thornfield Hall, which he inherited following the deaths of his father and brother. He must also keep Bertha’s identity and presence a secret from everyone.

He returns to England and locks Bertha in the third-floor attic, where she is confined for the next 10 years. He has trouble finding an attendant who can look after her and is trustworthy enough to keep his marriage a secret. After several weeks, he hires Grace Poole to be Bertha’s attendant. She and Mr. Rochester’s doctor, Mr. Carter, are the only people who know about Bertha’s existence. At the same time, his housekeeper and distant relative, Mrs. Fairfax, may have suspected his wife but didn’t look any further. Grace may have been a good caretaker, but Bertha is cunning enough to sneak past Grace when she passes out from drinking and wreak havoc in the house. Mr. Rochester then travels across Europe for months to stay away from Thornfield as much as possible and hopes he will find the right woman to love and marry despite already being married. During his travels, he struggles to find romance with any women, so he tries having mistresses instead.

### Céline and Adéle Varens

One of Mr. Rochester’s mistresses was Céline Varens, a French opera singer he met in Paris. He starts a romantic relationship with her and bought her a room in a lavish hotel, along with some servants, a coach and other luxuries.

## References

1. ↑ Chapter 27
2. ↑ Chapter 15