Sense and Sensibility Elinor and Marianne Dashwood are sisters with opposing temperaments Elinor is prudent, rational and responsible; Marianne is passionate, excitable and emotional. When Marianne is abandoned by an unscrupulous suitor, she is disconsolate, driving herself to a serious illness. Elinor, meanwhile, is dealing with her own betrayal but is stoic, refusing to reveal her emotions to even those closest to her. The sisters must navigate the misery of heartbreak in a society where status and money determine the outcomes of love and marriage. And to find happiness, they must learn to accept that both sense and sensibility are intertwined