Arranged Marriage: Difference between revisions

The choosing process can work in several different ways:

* In a ''forced marriage'', parents choose their child's future spouse with little or no input from the child and expect them to follow through with it. If the child [[Child Marriage Veto|refuses]], [[Honor-Related Abuse|she may be punished or even killed]]. Gets even worse when the groom believes in the custom of [[Marital Rape License]] and/or [[Old Man Marrying a Child|the bride is a child]]. These are not very common in Western nations today, where an individual's right to happiness outweighs the social and economic interests of the family who might benefit from such a marriage. Historically, though, many marriages were arranged, although in most Western societies the groom, or his parents, arranged the marriage with the bride's parents - and whether the bride had any choice in the matter or not depended on them. Generally the more important the alliance, the less opportunity either of the prospective partners was given to say no.

* Voluntarily, one can hire a [[The Matchmaker|matchmaker]] (or sign up for an online matchmaking service), which will pair the prospective bride or groom with a large list of potential suitors with whom they can freely choose to pursue relationships. These kinds of "no-strings" arrangements are far more popular in Western nations, although those who use dating services may not want to freely admit doing so, since the stereotype is that only workaholics or the socially inept would actually have a ''need'' to do so.

* In Japan, the ancient custom of '''omiai''' is a means by which suitable couples are formally introduced to each other by their parents, who sometimes employ a professional [[The Matchmaker|matchmaker]]. Meetings between potential mates are often stiff, formal affairs conducted in expensive tea shops or hotels with the parents of the couple present. (Needless to say, such meetings can be a source of tremendous tension for all involved participants.) In pre-war Japan, arranged marriages were common, a lot more restrictive as far as choice was concerned, and popular among the Samurai Class as a way of cementing familial alliances. In modern times, the heads of rich, high-class corporation-owning families can choose to bind their children to each other in a similarly restrictive way to form powerful economic alliances. There is little the prospective bride and groom can do to get out of such arrangements [[Pillars of Moral Character|without causing considerable embarrassment and social turmoil in their own family]]. (Needless to say, many [[Anime]] series will milk this sort of thing for all it's dramatic and/or comic worth.)

== Anime and Manga ==

* An anime example occurs in ''[[Tenshi na Konamaiki]]'', whereby the heroes discover one of their group entangled in an Arranged Marriage from which they must extricate her via a [[Zany Scheme]].

* Among the reasons why [[Urusei Yatsura]]'s Ryuunosuke is sometimes considered the inspiration for Ranma (squabbling father and only child, vicious battles, gender confusion, father's a [[Abusive Parents|freaking maniac]]) is because she also has an Arranged Marriage made between her father and one of his own friends, and thusly a fiance she'd rather do without. In her case, though, she has to deal with a [[Loveable Sex Maniac]] [[Wholesome Crossdresser]] rather than a [[Covert Pervert]] [[Tsundere]].

* One of the subplots of ''[[Gankutsuou]]'': Eug?e de Danglars is initially arranged to marry Albert de Morcerf, but after a scandal in the Morcerf house, her father breaks the arrangement and makes a new one with Andrea Cavalcanti, to her horror.

* The "Flower Festival" arc of ''[[Rosario + Vampire]]'' involves Mizore trying to escape an arranged marriage with a leader of the powerful "Fairy Tale" group. Hilarity emphatically does not ensue.

* Haruka in ''[[Moyashimon]]'' is the daughter of an executive and is in an arranged marriage, with the caveat that she won't have to marry until she is done with the university. Naturally, she intends never to graduate, and an attempt by her father to push matters leads to him and the fiance [[Fate Worse Than Death|exposed to point-blank]] [[Foreign Queasine|Surstr?ng]].

* ''[[Rose of Versailles]]'' covers arranged marriages from several angles: [[Marie Antoinette]] and Louis XVI wind up kinda ok, little Charlotte... not so much.

* Narrowly averted in episode 19 of ''[[Fushigiboshi no Futagohime]]'' when the ''[[Evil Chancellor]]'' arranged a marriage between Princess Mirlo and the very young son of a rich man. When the father learned the reason was entirely due to the Water Drop Kingdom being broke, the father called it off.

* In ''[[Usagi Yojimbo]]'', the series' premiere [[Action Girl]], Tomoe Ame, is currently roped into an arranged marriage engagement by her young lord who gets talked into by a villainous adviser on the idea that she should be happy. Whether that kid will realize that he should have had the simple logic and decency to ask if she wanted it (she does not, but is too loyal a proper samurai to protest) is unanswered for now.

* In the recent ''[[Secret Invasion]]: [[The Inhumans]]'' storyline, the Inhuman Queen Medusa needs an alliance with Ronan, the ruler of the Kree Empire. He demands Medusa's sister Crystal as his bride. Over Crystal's objections, Medusa agrees.

* In ''Scion'', {{spoiler|King Dane arranges for his daughter Ylena to marry King Bron in order to end the war between the kingdoms. What no one knows, however, is that "Dane" is actually Mai Shen in disguise and the real Dane has been abducted}}.

* In the shortlived [[Furry Fandom|Furry]] series, ''Tales of the Fennick'', the series began with a prologue story with a mother telling her story to her children about how as a girl she was being maneuvered for an arranged marriage by her parents who were losing patience with her continually and defiantly exercising her lawful right to refuse the beaus they are offering. However, she found her last beau is actually no more enthusiastic at their meeting than herself. However, a combination of the boy showing that he is a genuinely kind and charming fellow and the chance meetings with gossipy friends who assume they are engaged puts them in an awkward position as they are both growing to like each other. In response, make a secret pact to stall any wedding plans by pretending to have a ''long'' engagement so their friends and family will leave them alone. As it is, the mother admits to her daughter that this was simply a mutual rationalization to allow them both to submit to social expectations while feeling that they have some free choice in the matter since they married in the long run. At this, the young daughter playfully declares she is not going to marry, but become a soldier like her father. The mother humors her about this in the prologue story, but in the series proper, the mother is shocked to learn that her now adult daughter is now an even more strong willed, if more quietly defiant, girl than herself who is still serious about following through on that intention and imitating her mother's self-deceptions is ''not'' going to be enough for her.

** ''[[Celydonn|The Grail and the Ring]]'': Princess Tinne was forced into marrying one of the Sons of the Boar (who faked an omen to pressure her into agreeing to it).

** ''[[Celydonn|The Moon and the Thorn]]'', Lord Macsen makes it a condition of his support that Mahaffy Guillyn marry his daughter Tiffanwy.

* In [[Robin Hobb]]'s ''[[Realm of the Elderlings]]'' sequence:

** In the ''Farseer'' trilogy, Verity, the second son of the ruler of the Six Duchies, has an Arranged Marriage with the only daughter of the ruler of the Mountain Kingdom. The arrangement gets off to a very bad start.

** Considering much of the plot involves lords and kings squabbling over territory and alliances, this is used constantly as a plot device, with varying degrees of cooperation from the individuals involved.

** It should be noted that ''any'' marriage agreement, instigated for any reason whatsoever, will find a path to lead directly to bloodshed. Backing out and sending the other party into a tiff, calling the heirs' legitimacy into question through sneaking around, sitting next to your wife just in time for the [[Gambit Roulette]] wheel to clunk into place... The only exception is Ned and Catelyn...except for the little fact that Catelyn's other suitor was [[Magnificent Bastard|Petyr Baelish.]]

* Rhian's proposed marriage to Lord Rolf in Karen Miller's ''[[Godspeaker Trilogy]]'', which just allows the High Priest Marlan to run the kingdom by proxy. Rhian, of course, [[Runaway Fiance|has other ideas]].

** The short story "Amber Out of Quayth": Ysmay's marriage is arranged as part of a deal with an amber trader, as her dowry is an amber mine that her family hasn't got the resources to exploit. She accepts the arrangement because it isn't very different from what she could have expected if a war hadn't resulted in a glut of unmarried women on the market.

** ''The Crystal Gryphon'': Kerovan's marriage with Joisan is arranged at the beginning of the book, when they are both children; his father wants to safeguard Kerovan's position and make it clear that his son ''will'' be his heir, while her family has received a prophecy that the wedding is necessary for Joisan's future. Incidentally, it is made clear, after one of Joisan's cousins falls in love with her when she is grown, that while the right of bride refusal exists (so that Joisan could refuse to complete the contract), that exercising such a right invariably brings about a blood feud between the families involved, so in practice it is not used. Joisan is very angry when accused of encouraging the cousin.

* Rare non-period Western example: In ''[[The Westing Game]]'', Angela Wexler and {{spoiler|Violet Westing}} are pressured into de facto arranged marriages by their social-climbing mothers, who care more about bagging a son-in-law with an impressive title (doctor or senator) than about their daughters' happiness. Neither bride-to-be copes well with the situation....

** Author Ellen Raskin is making a point. The book was written in the early 1970s, and the Violet Westing story took place about 25 years earlier. Back then, women were ''supposed'' to care more about the social status, and earning ability, of their prospective husbands, than about companionability or character, although times were changing. This is why {{spoiler|Violet was doomed, but Angela manages to scramble out at the 11th hour}}. Not to mention that Anglea's mother had bucked the system and married for love herself {{spoiler|and didn't think it had turned out so well}}.

* All the female characters in ''[[Moment in Peking]]'' ended up in arranged marriages. Since this was the norm for their time and place, they simply learned to deal with it.

* The [[Star Wars]] EU gives an unusual take on this, that also crosses into the [[High-Class Call Girl]] trope. The Kuat system of planets apparently uses an unusual form of marriage, to prevent inbreeding in the nobility, where middle-class families may choose to raise one of their children as ''Telbun'', where in they receive advanced training in academics, athletics, and social behavior. At the end of the training the Telbun are required to take a retinue of tests to determine their standing in terms of intelligence, health, genetics and social behaviors. The noble families then bid on a telbun to act as a consort (and servant) for a member of the family. In the event of a child, the Telbun helps raise it, though the Telbun is not considered part of the family himself/herself.

* Shows up in ''[[Buddenbrooks]]'', with Jean and Tony's first marriage

* The novel ''[[Starcraft]] Ghost: Nova'' reveals that the Old Families of the [[The Empire|Terran Confederacy]] were, pretty much, aristocracy. Nova's parents had no love for each other and married only because their families wished to merge their fortunes. The marriage contract allowed each partner to have a live-in lover, as long as no children were produced out-of-wedlock. In fact, Nova treated her father's mistress almost like a big sister and she was on good terms with her mother's jig. Other contract clauses include the distribution of power and responsibility. Nova's father is in charge of all business decisions, while his wife controls anything related to the family. Attempts by either party to infringe into the other's "area of influence" is grounds for divorce.

* In ''[[Literature/Emperor|Emperor]]: The Field of Swords'', Julius Caesar has to promise his daughter's hand in marriage to Pompey in order to secure the latter's support in his bid for consul.

* In the [[Star Trek Novel Verse]], this is the foundation of Andorian culture, a result of their low birth rate and general infertility. Having four sexes and a thin window of opportunity for successful births, they need to get their young adults making babies as soon as possible. Quads are brought together after genetic mapping to determine likely success in breeding. Andorians are taught to revere the four-way marriage bond above all else: One alone cannot be Whole, nor two, nor three. The social implications are explored in the [[Star Trek Deep Space Nine Relaunch]] in particular.

'''Casilda.''' ''Married to the infant son of the King of Barataria? Was I consulted?'' (Duke shakes his head.) ''Then it was a most unpardonable liberty!''

'''Duke.''' ''Consider his extreme youth and forgive him.'' }}

** Shakespeare's most poignant use of this trope may have occurred in ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]'', whereby Juliet finds herself forcibly betrothed to Count Paris. His steady, mature love may actually have made him a [[Fan-Preferred Couple|better match]] for Juliet than the hot-tempered Romeo. (But how dramatic would ''that'' have been?). ''Romeo and Juliet'' was published in 1597.

{{quote|'''Juliet''': ''Is there no pity sitting in the clouds

* [[The Cyantian Chronicles]]: Tira and Caite. Twice.

* [[8-Bit Theater|Eight Bit Theater]]: In Elven society pre-marital courtship consists of an elaborate system of blackmail and counterblackmail. And that's mild compared to what went on a few centuries earlier.

* ''[[No Rest for The Wicked (webcomic)|No Rest for The Wicked]]:'' The backstory of the comic is that [[Everything's Better with Princesses|(Princess) November]] ran away from home in order to escape a [[Standard Hero Reward]] with the [[No Name Given|unnamed]] "[[Idiot Hero|Boy]]," a naive peasant who managed to rescue a huge treasure from a haunted castle. The Boy seems genuinely smitten with her, however; between November's own story arcs the comic features him traveling around the world with an upbeat spirit, hoping to find her. Well she is the youngest if you catch my drift.

* And for a modern Western example? ''[[Ozy and Millie]]'' has Ozy bethrothed to one of his more distant cousins, Isolde. There is a notable age difference, as only one of them is physically mature. Ozy 'talks' his way out of it: {{spoiler|after an exceptional performance at a family sporting event, he breathes fire on the betrothal papers.}} His father objects to the idea; it's described by a matriarch-like figure that it'd be the best way for Ozy to really do good for his family, given the species gap.

* Mose in ''[[Templar, Arizona]]'' is betrothed to an 11 year old girl back in Egypt that he's never met in the flesh. [[Culture Clash|His current friend-with-benefits, Tuesday is not happy about it.]]

* {{spoiler|Wildy}} of [[DMFA]] is [http://www.missmab.com/Comics/Vol_1169.php due to be married] to one of five possible candidates, they seem relatively okay with this.

* In ''[[Erstwhile]]'', [http://www.erstwhiletales.com/maidmaleen-13/#.T294lNm6SuI the king persuades the prince to agree to one of these.] [[You Have Waited Long Enough|After all, it's been seven years.]] He agrees and hopes the bride will manage to make him forget his lost love.

* In ''[[No Rest for The Wicked (webcomic)|No Rest for The Wicked]]'', [http://www.forthewicked.net/archive/01-05.html one was arranged for November] in the [[Backstory]].

* The [[wikipedia:Unification Church#Sex and marriage|Unification Church]] ("Moonies"): all the marriages amongst the flock are arranged by Reverend Moon.

** While that may have been true for the First Generation of the Unification Church, the children of those marriages now adhere to the more "traditional arranged marriages" mentioned above, with the matching being done by the parents. Interestingly, there's a whole sort of ideology behind it, where the parents should marry their children for lifelong "true" love. This means that they look for someone who is [[Opposites Attract|opposite of, and therefore complements their child]]. The hope is that they will personally grow into a better person, ''and'' grow in love. After doing a sort of courtship, the couple can decide whether they fit. Personal experience says it seems to work pretty well, although it helps that a [[Wide-Eyed Idealist|lot of them really]] [[Clap Your Hands If You Believe|believe in it]]. Ironically, there is still a large percentage that would rather be married by the Reverend Moon, and some who do not trust their parents/church enough to do either.]

{{reflist}}