Middlemarch

Will Ladislaw is the love of Dorothea's life, even if they are forced to spend most of the novel apart. The distance between them is artificial, an imposition left behind by Casaubon. In his will, Casaubon dictated that Dorothea would lose her entire inheritance if she married Will. As a result, Will is afflicted with a terrible sense of injustice. Casaubon was not just jealous of any potential relationship between his wife and his cousin, but of the man Will had become. Will is idealistic and caring, a man whose friendly disposition and keen insight is juxtaposed against Casaubon's cold indifference and muted academic potential. Whereas Will is recruited as the editor for a local newspaper and advocates for political interests, Casaubon can barely bring himself to gather together the notes for a book of his own. Will is a writer, a romantic, a personable figure, and someone who is well-liked—Casaubon envied and resented all these traits in his cousin.

The reason that Casaubon was so heavily involved in Will's upbringing was due to the dark nature of Will's family history. For the previous two generations, Will's female forebears have been embroiled in scandal. Julia, his grandmother on his mother's side, ran away with a Polish man and was disowned by her family. In a similar fashion, Will's mother Sarah ran away from home when she discovered that her family made their money from working as pawnbrokers. Since this profession was considered dishonorable, Sarah did not want to be associated with her parents' business in any way. Sarah failed to make much money as an actress, so Will was forced to depend on Casaubon's charity. With such a scandalous past, Will is determined to make something of himself. He refuses to entertain even the slightest hint of a scandal, promising to leave town when Casaubon's will frames him as a potential adulterer. Furthermore, he refuses Bulstrode's offer of money. Bulstrode married Will's grandmother after the death of her first husband and now believes that a large portion of the money he inherited rightly belongs to Will. As Will associates this money with the pawnbrokers, he refuses. Will also worries about his reputation when Dorothea sees him in an intimate position with Rosamond. He fears that he will never be able to explain the innocent nature of the situation and, given his feelings for Dorothea, he is confronted with the reality of his poor reputation costing him dearly. He strives to escape his disreputable family past and loathes himself when he comes close to ruining his own reputation.

In spite of his principles, Will cannot bring himself to leave Dorothea behind. Though they take some time to make their feelings clear toward one another, when they finally do so, they are forced to make sacrifices. Dorothea is forced to give up her fortune because she will be in breach of Casaubon's will if she marries Will. She does this willingly. For Will, the issue is more complicated. Marrying Dorothea validates Casaubon's suspicion and threatens to undermine his reputation with the people of Middlemarch: He may be following in his family's scandalous footsteps by finally marrying the woman of his dreams. Will takes the risk and marries Dorothea and they make a loving (if unremarkable) life together, their love acting as a defiant rebuke of Will's past and Casaubon's jealousy.

Tertius Lydgate is an ambitious young doctor whose idealism is undermined by his desires. When he first arrives in Middlemarch, Lydgate is notable as a non-conformist. At the time, medicine was not considered a particularly profitable or prestigious trade. For a man from a well-bred family like Lydgate to take up the profession was considered remarkable among the middle-class members of Middlemarch society. Furthermore, Lydgate continues to defy the expectations of his social class by professing progressive views. He not only believes in new and innovative treatment methods, but also believes in providing these treatments to as many people as possible, whether they are rich or poor. The innovative nature of his treatments and his reluctance to charge high prices make Lydgate a pariah in the local medical community while endearing him to Dorothea, who recognizes Lydgate as a similarly-sincere and progressive person who wants to help the poor in the community. Like Dorothea, however, Lydgate's ability to achieve his ambitions is undone by his inability to judge character.

On arriving in Middlemarch, Lydgate mentions that he does not plan to marry for some time. He wants to focus on his work and then marry later in life. This plan is undone when he meets Rosamond Vincy. Rosamond is considered one of the most beautiful women in Middlemarch. She has rejected many proposals because she is looking for a potential husband who can raise her social standing in the community, or perhaps take her somewhere else entirely. Lydgate, with his prestigious family history, seems the ideal candidate for her. Lydgate is unable to recognize the cynical nature of Rosamond's love for him. He abandons his own carefully-laid plans to nurture his career because he immediately falls in love. As Dorothea's ability to do good or achieve happiness is undermined by her decision to marry Casaubon, Lydgate is undermined by his decision to marry Rosamond. In this sense, Lydgate and Dorothea have a great deal in common and, over the course of the novel, they become close friends.

However, the marriage to Rosamond proves to be Lydgate's undoing. Rosamond refuses to acknowledge their actual social status. She refuses to curb her spending, even after her husband warns her not to overspend on their lifestyle or home. Lydgate is not without fault in the accumulation of debts: As a man from a privileged, entitled background, he does not realize how much money he is spending until he suddenly has nothing. He has never had to reckon with the reality of income and his naivety in financial matters is an extension of his naivety in romantic matters. He makes poor decisions and, when faced with the consequences of these poor decisions, refuses to take action.

Lydgate's downfall comes due to his financial desperation. He accepts a loan from Bulstrode and, when Bulstrode's reputation is ruined, Lydgate is ruined by association. The finale of the novel explains that Lydgate was able to leave town and set up a profitable practice in London. He and Rosamond had four children and lived a reasonably luxurious lifestyle but Lydgate always considered himself a failure. He was unable to conduct the research he hoped might help people, he was forced to work only with rich patients, and he was constantly made to look into his wife's eyes and recognize in her his own failure. Lydgate manages to achieve tragedy in success. He ends the novel in a more prestigious, financially-secure position than when he began, surrounded by his family. Yet he considers himself a failure because his own actions have scuttled his ambitions and forced him to confront his own innate limitations.