Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - CHARACTERS


*** ELIZABETH BENNET

  • Second daughter in the Bennet family.
  • Most intelligent and quick witted.
  • Elizabeth is the protagonist of Pride and Prejudice.
  • One of the most well known characters in English literature.
  • She is lovely, clever and in a novel defined by dialogue, she converses as brilliantly as anyone.
  • Her honesty, virtue and lively wit enable her to rise above the nonsense and bad behavior that pervade her class bound and often spiteful society: her sharp tongue and tendency to make hasty judgments often lead her astray.
  • Hopeless mother, a distant father, two badly behaved younger siblings.
  • Over came her own mistaken impression of Darcy.
  • Her charms are sufficient to keep him interested.
  • Even though she rejected Darcy's proposal earlier.
  • She realizes the error of her initial prejudice against him.
*** FITZWILLIAM DARCY
  • Wealthy, well established family.
  • Master of the great estate of Pemberly.
  • Intelligent and forthright, he too has a tendency to judge too hastily and harshly.
  • High birth and wealth make him overly proud and overly conscious of his social status.
  • Her rejection of his advances builds a kind of humility in him.
  • Darcy demonstrates his continued devotion to Elizabeth.
  • He rescues Lydia and the entire Bennet family from disgrace.
  • Darcy proves himself  worthy of Elizabeth.
*** BENNET / BINGLEY
  • Jane and Bingley engage in a courtship that occupies a central place in the novel.
  • They can be described together: both are cheerful, friendly and good natured, always ready to think the best of others.
  • They lack entirely the prickly egotism of Elizabeth and Darcy.
  • Their principal characteristics are goodwill and compatibility.
*** Mrs. BENNET
  • Miraculously tiresome character.
  • Noisy and foolish (weak understanding, little information and uncertain temper).
  • She is a woman consumed by the desire to see her daughters married and seems to care for nothing else in the world.
  • Austen uses her continually to highlight the necessity of marriage for young women.
  • Serves as a middle class counterpoint to upper class snobs demonstrating that foolishness can be found at every level of society. 
  • Vulgar, mean and narrow minded - unrefined and coarse.
*** Mr. BENNET
  • Patriarch of the Bennet household.
  • Driven to exasperation by his ridiculous wife and difficult daughters.
  • Closest to Elizabeth - they are the two most intelligent Bennets.
  • He is a weak father and at critical moments fails his family.
  • His foolish indulgence of Lydia's immature behavior.
  • Mr. Bennet would rather withdraw from the world than getting caught with it.

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