Essay Questions

What should be the definitive end of marriage?

Astell insists, “Thus, whether it be Wit or Beauty that a Man’s in Love with, there are no great Hopes of a lasting Happiness; Beauty, with all the Helps of Art, is of no long Date; the more it is help’d, the sooner it decays; and he, who only or chiefly chose for Beauty, will in a little Time find the same Reason for another Choice.” The staple objective of a wedding should be to warranty lifelong delight that an individual would unconditionally depend on. Happiness would add value to a married individual’s actuality. Couples who do not focus on the lasting goal do not grasp the quintessence of marriage.

What part does Self-Love play in the success of matrimony?

Astell expounds, “Indeed that mistaken Self-Love that reigns in the most of us, both Men and Women, that over-good Opinion we have of ourselves, and Desire that others should have of us, makes us swallow every Thing that looks like Respect, without examining how wide it is from what it appears to be. For nothing is in Truth a greater Outrage than Flattery and feign’d Submissions.” Essential self-love contributes to the couple’s affection and reverence of each other. Self-love rises above the adulation which individuals deficient of self-esteem show. Couples with adequate self-love do not inflict unjustified requirements on their partners.