Dorothea, learning about the provision in her husband's will, resolves to live her life apart from Will, the man she increasingly loves. Casaubon dies of a heart attack shortly after an intense emotional interaction with his wife. After a series of medical issues, Casaubon amends his will so that Dorothea will be disinherited should she marry Ladislaw after his death. Casaubon becomes increasingly jealous of the burgeoning friendship between Dorothea and Will. Casaubon believes that Dorothea is critical of him because of negative information given to her by Will Ladislaw. His work is outdated and unlikely to be published. Dorothea marries Casaubon and meets Will Ladislaw, Casaubon's younger cousin.ĭorothea soon realizes that Casaubon is not the man she thought he was. Dorothea falls in love with Casaubon and hopes that they will marry, whereupon he can finish his book and they can dedicate their time to helping society. They talk about Casaubon's ambitions, including his desire to write a definitive work of religious history titled The Key to All Mythologies.

At a dinner party, Dorothea meets the much-older Reverend Edward Casaubon. Brooke, in the English town of Middlemarch. After the deaths of her parents, Dorothea and her sister Celia are raised by their uncle, Mr. This guide uses an eBook version of the 2003 Penguin Classics edition.ĭorothea Brooke is a strong-willed, religious woman who hopes to change her society for the better.

Middlemarch penguin classics