Pride and Prejudice Characters: Full List & Analysis

Who drives the story

Main characters

Elizabeth Bennet

The second-eldest Bennet: witty, intelligent, quick to form tenacious first impressions. Her prejudice against Darcy collapses under his letter, and she marries the man she once swore to dislike.

Appears in:: Part 1: A Fortune Moves In, a Slight Lands Hard; Part 2: A Slander Takes Root, a Proposal Falls Flat; Part 3: A Letter Cuts Deep, an Elopement Threatens Ruin; Part 4: A Secret Debt Repaid, a Refusal Turned to Yes
Themes:: First impressions mislead; Pride and prejudice as mutual flaws; Character revealed by place and testimony

Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy

Master of Pemberley, worth £10,000 a year, handsome but reserved enough to be mistaken for proud. He proposes insultingly, learns from rejection, secretly saves the Bennets, and proposes again.

Appears in:: Part 3: A Letter Cuts Deep, an Elopement Threatens Ruin

Mr. Bennet

Sarcastic, detached squire of Longbourn on £2,000 a year, favoring Elizabeth and Jane. His indolence helps doom Lydia, a failure he comes to regret.

Appears in:: Part 1: A Fortune Moves In, a Slight Lands Hard; Part 2: A Slander Takes Root, a Proposal Falls Flat; Part 4: A Secret Debt Repaid, a Refusal Turned to Yes
Themes:: Parental failure has a price

Mrs. Bennet

Frivolous, nervous hypochondriac with one mission: marry off five daughters before the entail strips them of their home. She gets two splendid matches and never grasps the cost.

Appears in:: Part 1: A Fortune Moves In, a Slight Lands Hard; Part 2: A Slander Takes Root, a Proposal Falls Flat
Themes:: Marriage as economics; Parental failure has a price

Jane Bennet

The eldest and most beautiful sister, inclined to see only good in others. Bingley's departure breaks her heart; his return mends it.

Appears in:: Part 1: A Fortune Moves In, a Slight Lands Hard; Part 2: A Slander Takes Root, a Proposal Falls Flat; Part 3: A Letter Cuts Deep, an Elopement Threatens Ruin; Part 4: A Secret Debt Repaid, a Refusal Turned to Yes

Lydia Bennet

The spoiled youngest, wild for militia officers. Her elopement with Wickham nearly ruins the family and is bought back at Darcy's expense.

Appears in:: Part 3: A Letter Cuts Deep, an Elopement Threatens Ruin; Part 4: A Secret Debt Repaid, a Refusal Turned to Yes
Themes:: Parental failure has a price

George Wickham

Charming, deceitful militia officer, the steward's son, who lies about Darcy and elopes with Lydia for money. Bribed into marriage, he remains a permanent embarrassment.

Appears in:: Part 2: A Slander Takes Root, a Proposal Falls Flat; Part 3: A Letter Cuts Deep, an Elopement Threatens Ruin; Part 4: A Secret Debt Repaid, a Refusal Turned to Yes
Themes:: First impressions mislead; Parental failure has a price; Pride and prejudice as mutual flaws

Mr. Collins

Obsequious clergyman and heir to Longbourn, devoted to Lady Catherine. Refused by Elizabeth, he marries Charlotte Lucas within a day.

Appears in:: Part 2: A Slander Takes Root, a Proposal Falls Flat; Part 3: A Letter Cuts Deep, an Elopement Threatens Ruin
Themes:: Marriage as economics

Charlotte Lucas

Elizabeth's practical twenty-seven-year-old friend who marries Collins for a comfortable home, not love: 'I am not romantic, you know.'

Appears in:: Part 1: A Fortune Moves In, a Slight Lands Hard; Part 2: A Slander Takes Root, a Proposal Falls Flat; Part 3: A Letter Cuts Deep, an Elopement Threatens Ruin
Themes:: Marriage as economics

Lady Catherine de Bourgh

Darcy's overbearing aunt, widow of Sir Lewis, plotting to unite Rosings and Pemberley by marrying Anne to Darcy. Her bullying intervention only gives Darcy hope.

Appears in:: Part 2: A Slander Takes Root, a Proposal Falls Flat; Part 3: A Letter Cuts Deep, an Elopement Threatens Ruin; Part 4: A Secret Debt Repaid, a Refusal Turned to Yes

Charles Bingley

Amiable, wealthy, and easily led. He abandons Jane under pressure, returns, and proposes to a joyous yes.

Appears in:: Part 1: A Fortune Moves In, a Slight Lands Hard; Part 2: A Slander Takes Root, a Proposal Falls Flat; Part 3: A Letter Cuts Deep, an Elopement Threatens Ruin; Part 4: A Secret Debt Repaid, a Refusal Turned to Yes

Also in the story

Supporting characters

Georgiana Darcy

Darcy's shy sixteen-year-old sister with a £30,000 dowry, once nearly eloped with Wickham at fifteen. Introduced to Elizabeth at Pemberley, she becomes a bridge between them.

Appears in:: Part 3: A Letter Cuts Deep, an Elopement Threatens Ruin

How they are connected

Key relationships

Mr. Bennet Elizabeth Bennet
Sarcastic, detached squire of Longbourn on £2,000 a year, favoring Elizabeth and Jane.
Mr. Bennet Jane Bennet
Sarcastic, detached squire of Longbourn on £2,000 a year, favoring Elizabeth and Jane.
Mr. Bennet Lydia Bennet
His indolence helps doom Lydia, a failure he comes to regret.
Jane Bennet Charles Bingley
Bingley's departure breaks her heart; his return mends it.
Lydia Bennet George Wickham
Her elopement with Wickham nearly ruins the family and is bought back at Darcy's expense.
Mr. Collins Lady Catherine de Bourgh
Obsequious clergyman and heir to Longbourn, devoted to Lady Catherine.
Mr. Collins Elizabeth Bennet
Refused by Elizabeth, he marries Charlotte Lucas within a day.
Mr. Collins Charlotte Lucas
Refused by Elizabeth, he marries Charlotte Lucas within a day.
Charlotte Lucas Elizabeth Bennet
Elizabeth's practical twenty-seven-year-old friend who marries Collins for a comfortable home, not love: 'I am not romantic, you know.
Georgiana Darcy George Wickham
Darcy's shy sixteen-year-old sister with a £30,000 dowry, once nearly eloped with Wickham at fifteen.
Georgiana Darcy Elizabeth Bennet
Introduced to Elizabeth at Pemberley, she becomes a bridge between them.

Go deeper

Pride and Prejudice themes & symbols

First impressions mislead · Marriage as economics · Parental failure has a price · Pride and prejudice as mutual flaws

Themes explained

Read the full Pride and Prejudice summary

The full story act by act, the ending explained and a quick quiz.

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