Isabella Knightley (née Woodhouse) is a character in Jane Austen's Emma. She is the elder daughter of Henry Woodhouse and his late wife, and has one sibling, Emma Woodhouse.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Her mother died when she and Emma were still quite young, although she was older than her sister by a few years, so her mother wasn't just a distant memory as she was for Emma. Their father hired a governess, Miss Taylor, to care for them. Isabella was not as close with Miss Taylor as Emma was, although they were on good terms.[1]
Marriage[]
Isabella, at about 21, married John Knightley when Emma was about fourteen. She had five children—Henry, John "Little John", Bella, "Little Emma", and George—often displaying concern for their health and comfort in a similar manner to her father.
Character traits[]
Mrs. Isabella Knightley is a pretty, elegant little woman, with quiet and gentle manners. Although shyer and more reserved than Emma she is an altogether perfect woman. Her disposition is amiable and affectionate, and is wrapped up in her family. She is a devoted wife and a doting mother, with very good ties with her father and sister. She is noted as being, when younger, not as quick witted or intelligent as her sister Emma. She inherited her father's constitution, and was delicate in her own health. She worried about the health of her children constantly.[2]