Mr. Collins : Funny or Nightmare?

Mr. Collins, I would say, is a funny nightmare. I say this because his character represents the nightmare of the 19th century ideals of marrying for wealth and the goal of upping ones social status instead of from the basis of love and real personal relationships. This becomes clear when Collins proposes to Elizabeth and states how it would benefit her to marry him since her family is not of the upper class and he doesn't make any mention of having real feelings towards her, thus clearly expressing the 19th century social norm of marriage without love. However, even though Mr.  Collins represents a nightmare, he is also a comic relief in the novel and so he makes the nightmare funny. Everything Collins does and says is exaggerated in a way to make the ideals that he is representing comical and create a sense of relief from a rather grave truth and reality.