| Full Name: | Miss Elizabeth Bennet |
|---|---|
| Gender: | Female |
| Age: | 20 |
| Occupation: | none; daughter of an English gentleman. |
| Primary Residence: | Longbourn Manor, near Meryton in Hertfordshire. |
| Family | |
| Romantic Interest(s): | Fitzwilliam Darcy; George Wickham; Colonel Fitzwilliam. |
| Parents: | Mr Bennet and Mrs Bennet (formerly Miss Gardiner). |
| Sibling(s): | Jane Bennet Mary Bennet Catherine (Kitty) Bennet Lydia Bennet |
| Film Adaptations | |
Elizabeth Bennet (sometimes referred to as Eliza or Lizzy) is a fictional character and the main protagonist of Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice. The novel is centred on her attempts to find love and happiness within the constraints and proprieties of her society, particularly concerning her evolving relationship with the seemingly proud and cold Mr. Darcy. Jane Austen herself considered Elizabeth Bennet "as delightful a character as ever appeared in print".[1] She is generally considered one of Austen's most popular and endearing heroines, and one of the most popular female characters in British literature.
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Character information
In Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth is the second eldest of the five Bennet sisters of the estate of Longbourn, situated near the fictional market village of Meryton in Hertfordshire, England. She is twenty years old at the beginning of the novel.[2] Elizabeth is portrayed as an intelligent young woman, with "a lively, playful disposition, which delighted in any thing ridiculous". She often presents a playful good natured impertinence, that does not offend. Early in the novel she is depicted as being personally proud of her mental quickness and her acuity in judging the social behaviour and intentions of others.
Of her family, Elizabeth is her father's favourite, described by him by having "something more of quickness than her sisters". In contrast, she is the least dear of her mother's children, especially after Elizabeth refuses a marriage proposal from the foolish and pompous Mr. Collins. Elizabeth is also often upset and embarrassed by the behaviour of her mother and of her younger sisters. Her father is a gentleman and a landowner, but his estate, Longbourn, is entailed away under English law from his children because he does not have a son, and upon his death, Longbourn will be inherited by his cousin Mr. Collins, a sycophantic and foolish clergyman. Within her neighbourhood, Elizabeth is considered a beauty and a charming young woman, with "fine eyes", which is the first feature Mr. Darcy is drawn to. He is later drawn more particularly to her "light and pleasing" figure, the "easy playfulness" of her manners, her mind and personality, and eventually considers her to be "one of the handsomest women" in his acquaintance.
Novel biography
The novel primarily focuses on Elizabeth and her reactionary experiences with Mr. Darcy, a wealthy, proud man who, on their first meeting, snubs her at a public dance in her home village. Her first impression, based on Mr Darcy's studied aloofness and his refusal to dance with her because she was "not pretty enough to tempt [him]" leads Elizabeth to form a negative opinion of Mr. Darcy. This dislike is reinforced when she meets the handsome and attentive Lieutenant George Wickham, whom she considers charming and personable. Led on by Wickham's alluring personality, an apparent mutual regard develops between them. Wickham leads Elizabeth and the neighbourhood to believe that he has been unfairly treated by Darcy. He claims that Darcy denied him a living as a clergyman that was promised to him by Darcy's late father. Elizabeth's dislike of Darcy is further fueled when she learns from his cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam, that he disrupted the courtship of her beloved sister Jane and Charles Bingley, Darcy's friend. Elizabeth is persuaded that her prejudice against Mr. Darcy is well-founded, both on available evidence and upon what she considers her superior judgment of human character.
Elizabeth is thus surprised when Mr. Darcy declares his love for her, and offers her a heavy-handed proposal of marriage. While expressing his ardent love, he reminds her of the large gap in social status between them, remarking that Elizabeth could hardly expect him to "rejoice" in her "inferior connexions". Elizabeth is offended and vehemently refuses him. She sharply details her reasons for disliking him, not the least being his role in separating Jane and Mr. Bingley; and, she relays the account of him received from Mr. Wickham. Finally, on his complaint of her apparent bitterness, she replies: the arrogant way by which he proposed to her prevented her from feeling concerns for him she "might have felt... had you behaved in a more gentlemanlike manner".
Darcy departs in anger and mortification. That same night he writes a letter to Elizabeth in which he defends his wounded honour and reveals the motives for his interference in Jane and Bingley's relationship, giving a full account of his lifelong dealings with Wickham. He delivers the letter by hand to Elizabeth the following morning. After much thought, Elizabeth recollects inconsistencies in Wickham's story, and now suspects he is not the honourable character she first judged. She begins to recognize her own prejudices and her errors in judgment, as well as re-evaluates her opinions of Mr. Darcy. Mr. Darcy, likewise, also commits to some significant re-evaluation of his own actions and general behaviour towards others.
A few months later, Elizabeth is invited by her aunt and uncle Gardiner to accompany them on a pleasure tour of Derbyshire. While there, they persuade Elizabeth to visit Darcy's estate of Pemberley. Elizabeth is reluctant to do so but when she learns that Darcy is apparently absent, she decides to visit. She finds the mansion and gardens beautiful and impressive - an indication of the sound character of Darcy. She is shocked and embarrassed when Mr. Darcy returns home unexpectedly, and meets them on the grounds of his estate. He astonishes Elizabeth by his kindness and courtesy not only to her but also to her relatives, whom he had previously considered socially inferior. Later, Elizabeth is introduced to Georgiana Darcy, Mr. Darcy's sister. Elizabeth observes that Georgiana's disposition, which has been described as proud, is a mere shyness. She also realizes that her feelings for Darcy have come full circle and that she is in love with him. She begins to entertain hopes of reciprocation and a renewal of Darcy's earlier proposals of marriage.
A bombshell drops; Elizabeth receives a panicked letter from Jane explaining that their youngest sister, Lydia, has run away with Mr. Wickham. It appears that the couple do not plan to marry, which would leave Lydia in a desperate position - either as a prostitute or banished to a distant part of the country; the shame would also extend to her sisters. Whilst very upset about Lydia's position, Elizabeth cannot help but think that her hopes for Darcy are now over - he can hardly be expected to connect himself with their family. Unbeknownst to Elizabeth and her family, Darcy, who considers himself guilty in the affair for not revealing to the public Wickham's true character, travels to London to find Wickham and Lydia, intervenes and at significant expense saves Lydia from disgrace; he also encourages Bingley to resume his romantic attentions towards Jane Bennet. Soon after Jane becomes engaged to Mr. Bingley, Darcy proposes a second time to Elizabeth, who accepts. The novel ends with a brief account of Elizabeth's future life at Pemberley.
Depictions in film and television
- Curigwen Lewis in Pride and Prejudice in 1938.
- Greer Garson in a 1940 cinema adaptation
- Daphne Slater in a 1952 UK television adaptation.
- Jane Downs in a 1958 UK television version.
- Celia Bannerman in a 1967 film version produced to mark the 150th anniversary of the death of Jane Austen.
- Elizabeth Garvie in a 1980 BBC television adaptation.
- Jennifer Ehle in a 1995 BBC television adaptation, for which she received a BAFTA Award.
- Keira Knightley in a 2005 film adaptation, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award.
Related characters in other works
While not strict adaptations of the original text, other notable versions of Elizabeth Bennet (or characters directly based on her) in productions based on Austen's text include:
- Renée Zellweger portrayed Bridget Jones in the 2001 feature film Bridget Jones' Diary, and its sequel, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason. The original novel by Helen Fielding was very loosely inspired by Pride and Prejudice and follows a similar narrative; Bridget Jones occupies the same role in the story held by Elizabeth Bennet in the original. Jones' character, by contrast, is not quite as dignified, and neither does she share a strong sense of independence and resourcefulness with Elizabeth.
- Aishwarya Rai portrayed Lalita Bakshi (a character based upon Elizabeth) in the 2005 film Bride and Prejudice, a Bollywood adaptation of Pride and Prejudice.
- Gemma Arterton in Lost in Austen, a four-part television series in which a girl from the 21st century is sent back into Pride and Prejudice, swapping places with Elizabeth.
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Pride and Prejudice |
- ^ Bloom, Harold (2007). Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. University of California: Bloom's Literary Criticism. p. 108. ISBN 0-791-09437-5.
- ^ Pride and Prejudice. Chapter 29.
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