Character analysis :

As is the pattern for Ms . Jane Austen most characters in her novel “Pride and Prejudice” are non titled
landowners and part of small population in a small country – a social structure Jane Austen loves to
observe and write about in all her novels. While this novel has a lot of well rounded characters mainly
the main characters such as Elizabeth , Jane , Bingley and Darcy , it also has characters such as Mr.Collins
, Mrs Bennet and Lydia for comedic relief as well as to contrast and highlight how well rounded the
main characters mainly Elizabeth, Jane ,Darcy even Mr.Bingley by their ridiculous ad uncouth actions.

In this book report the characters will be sequentially analyzed based on the significance of their roles
within the book.

Elizabeth Bennet – The protagonist

Introduction : Lauded as the most charming character to have come to print by Ms.Jane Aunten herself
Elizabeth is the main protagonist and the moving spirit of the book. The 2nd eldest daughter of the
bennet family Elizabeth (also referred to as Lizzie) has the most balanced character traits in the book
with pride being her only significant flaw.

Key Traits :

Physical Description: While Jane Austen does not explicitly provide any details it is alluded that Elizabeth
Bennet is an attarctive young lady though perhaps not a renowned Beauty like her sister Jane Bennet

A sound mind and good judge of character : Except for Darcy and Mr. Wickham – to characters she
grossly misjudged blinded by her pride and prejudice against darcy , throughout the book Elizabeth has
been a good judge of character. This was perfectly depicted as she discerns the merits and pitfalls of the
Bingley’s on the very first meeting especially the Bingley sisters whom she views with distrust and even
dislike due to their haughty demeanor despite Jane claiming they’re charming when one gets to know
them intimately. She also correctly deduces Collins is a fool and also correctly Judges Lady Catherin upon
their first meeting.

Affable , kind and selfless : Elizabeth is also a outgoing and well liked character who maintains friendly
relations and rapport even with those she actively dislikes like Mr.Darcy and even Ms. Bingley – retorting
with humor rather than with malice whenever Ms.Bingley made an unkind remark towards her or her
family.

Witty and able to make a joke at her own expense- This was particularly evident when Darcy callously
commented that she was “ tolerable but not pretty enough to tempt him”. While her pride was bruised
that didn’t stop her from turning it into an amusing story she told her sister and friend. Her wit and and
intelligence is one of the reasons she became desirable to Darcy who did not deem to be “pretty
enough” for him .
Courageous, knows what she wants and is not afraid to stand up for it – Evident when she refused
Collin’s proposal despite her mother’s pressure and later Darcy’s proposal as she wasnted to marry for
love . This was especially courageous for Elizabeth’s father estate is entailed to Collins , her connections
low which meant it was unlikely she would ever get such attractrive proposals in future.

Pride : Pride or her vanity is her only pitfalls. It was only her pride that was wounded by Darcy in their
first meeting causes her to form a prejudice against Darcy and grossly misjudge Wickham and Darcy
which costs her dearly at the end.

Fitzwilliam Darcy – The male protagonist of the book.

Introduction : A wealthy landowner with ties to an aristocratic bloodline Mr.Darcy is generally
characterized by netizens throughout the book as “haughty” though later he is discovered to be largely
misunderstood. He was also an antagonist to the main Character Elizabeth until one point

Character traits:
Antisocial and haughty – Darcy throughout the book comes across as a reserved man unwilling to
interact with strangers particularly those beneath in him in terms of stature. Particularly , visible when
he refuses to dance with anyone other than Mrs.Hurst and Ms.Bingley. This makes him across as cold
and unfeeling.

Classist – Very much aware of the class hierarchy Darcy in the first half of the book depicts a lack of
desire to engage with those beneath him. This was acutely visible when he remarks about how much the
differences in their class tormented him while he started to form romantic feelings for Elizabeth. His
remark “any savage can dance “ in the ball by the Lucases and even his suspicion that Jane simply
wanted to marry Bingley for his money also allude to the same.

Truthful to a fault - This is evident as openly talking about how much he struggled with Lizzie’s “low
connections” whilst he was proposing to her.

Has high standards for whom he deems to be accomplished women.

Kind and generous – These characteristics are revealed first during Elizabeth’s visit to Pemberley with
Mr and Mrs Gardner where the housekeeper could not stop singing praises of Mr.Darcy and then upon
unexpectedly meeting them in his estate Darcy treats Elizabeth and the Gardners with utmost kidness
and respect. He also prevented Lydia from being ruined by paying Wickham a hefty sum of money.

Jane Bennet – The eldest Bennet offspring Jane Bennet was a renowned beauty and had a meek and
angelic disposition. She was also a bit naïve often seeing good in everyone.

Key traits :
Renowned Beauty – Jane was well known for her incredible beauty even garnering praise from Mr.Darcy
in the Meryton ball.
She has a meek disposition and is very naïve when it comes to people – Jane seeing the best in
everyone is explicitly stated by Elizabeth when she remarks Jane has given her approval to many who
did not deserve it. Her naivity is also visible when she asses the Bingley sisters to be kind women once
one gets to intimately know them.

Does not express her emotions outwardly – Jane’s inability to openly express her feelings put her
relationship with Mr.Bingley in jeopardy who despite harboring strong feelings for her does not propose
to Jane due to lack of outward display of her feelings to Mr.Bingley.
She also silently suffers as evident when depite having raging fever Jane does not complain about her
health but rather praises the Bingleys for their kindness. After her separation from Mr.Bingley she does
not explicitly express her disappointment .

Charles Bingley
A wealthy young man Mr.Bingley was known for his jovial friendly temperament.

Key traits :
A wealthy Handsome young man

A jovial friendly temperament – His amicable and engaging natured endeared him to everyone he met
and was a sharp contrast against the taciturn and antisocial nature of his friend Darcy.

A bit naive and depends significantly on Darcy’s opinion – His naivety is explicitly visible as he continues
to treat the Bennets with respect despite the vast class divide between them, the various uncouth
remarks by Mrs.Bennet and the lack of manners displayed by Kitty and Lydia especially around officers.
His dependence on Darcy’s opinion is what makes Bingley withdrew from courting Jane further despite
his strong feelings for her.

William Collins
Nephew to Mr.Bennet , William Collins is a clergyman and stands to inherit the Bennet estate up
Mr.Bennet’s demise as the estate is entailed – meaning the estate will be inherited by the nearest male
relative. William Collins is one of the most ridiculously comical characters created by Jane Austen and a
caricature that comes to life and makes us feel like we have known him all our lives.
Key traits -
A spineless toady who has lost all sense of self respect . His character is used by Jane Austen to make
fun of clergymen who despite the sacredness of their position fawn over and bootlick powerful people
for money and position . Particularly visible as Collins treats anything related to Lady Catherine
Deborough obsequiousness - a sentiment he extended to all people of wealth.

He is also socially awkward and deeply irritating – This is visible when he forces his company on others
ignoring all social decorum as visible in the Netherfield ball where he introduces himself to Darcy simply
because he is nephew of Lady Catherine Deboruogh .

Strange mix of servility and self importance – Mr.Collins throughout the novel uses excessive flattery
towards anyone he comes in contact with to gain their favor. However , he is also completely full of
himself bragging about his various accomplishments whenever he can.This was very visible during his
courtship of Elizabeth when while overwhelming her with praise he also makes sure that she is aware
that he is socially above her and she would be lucky to marry him. He also refuses to accept Elizabeth’s
refusal of his marriage proposal and takes him a remarkable amount of time to accept that she is
unwilling to marry him.

George Wickham
The main antagonist of the book George Wickham is one of the few “villains” by Jane Austen who
throws into relief the virtues of the leads – Darcy in this case for how bad he is.
Key traits –
A handsome man with a polished demeanor – His physical beauty is well established in the book as well
as his polished mannerisms that can charm anyone including Elizabeth.
Completely crooked , dishonest and a master manipulator – His dishonest and malicious nature comes
to light when Darcy reveals to Elizabeth how he tried to trap Miss Darcy for money and left her as soon
as Darcy refused to give a dime to them in the event that they marry . This exposed the lies he had said
about Darcy including the lie that Darcy refused to give him the living allowance Darcy’s father had left
for him when in reality Wickham had voluntarily given up the living promised in exchange for a
handsome amount from Darcy. His manipulative nature is also revealed to Elizabeth though she might
have not fallen prey to it had it not been for her prejudice against Darcy.
Selfish ,unfeeling and greedy - Despite expressing romantic admiration for Elizabeth he how quickly he
transfers his affect to Miss King for her endowment and later goes on to marry Lydia after blackmailing
Mr.Bennet for money.This exposes how selfish Mr.Wickham is and how low he would stoop to satisfy his
greed.
No sense of shame – His shamelessness is revealed when he tries to act as the injured party even after
entrapping Lydia and tries to behave with Elizabeth as if nothing had happened as he accepts the
invitation to Longbourn after his nuptials.
Caroline Bingley –
Sister to Mr. Bingley she is calculating , class conscious and capable of malice – the complete opposite to
Mr.Bingley.
Key traits:
Class Conscious and haughty – Her proud nature and class consciousness is revealed in the first Meryton
ball itself by her open disdain and unkind remarks against the local gentry who are visibly beneath them.
Capable of Malice – Caroline Bingley has expressed an acute ability to act maliciously first when tries to
turn Darcy against Elizabeth with disdainful remarks about her clothes and later her physical
appearance. She also convinced her brother of Jane Bennet’s lack of romantic feelings for him in order
to prevent the marriage between her and Jane Bennet.
Caroline Bingley also expresses acute jealousy towards Elizabeth particularly due to Darcy’s romantic
inclination to her. Driven by jealousy she stoops as low as trying to prevent Mr.Bingley from marrying
Jane to keep Elizabeth as far from Darcy as possible.

Kitty and lydia - Air heads who loved gossip and handsome men and were materialistic and silly just like
their mother .” As stated by Mr. Bennet - they are the two silliest girls in the country”
Key traits:
Lydia :
A born flirt who loves to shop and gossip. Her flirtatious nature is evident as se
outrageously flirts with the officers. Throughout the novel Lydia also expresses a desire to
go shopping and relays all gossip she has heard across town to her sister and mother.
 Ill mannered - There are several instances including when she asked Mr. Bingley for a ball
or when she rudely interrupted Mr.Collins when he was trying to entertain his cousins by
reading some divine book.

She’s also shameless - particularly evident when she on her first visit to the Bennet house
after marriage boasts about being married before her older sisters rather than being
ashamed of the turmoil she put her family through

Kitty : Given kitty’s entire personality was molded by Lydia’s influence and is by default
has the same traits as Lydia she doesn’t merit a special mention. After Lydia’s marriage ,
however, Kitty seems to be improving in the company of her two elder sisters.
Lady Catherine Deborough – The mistress to the Rosings and aunt to Fitzwilliam Darcy , she is the only
aristocratic individual as opposed to a land owner.
Character traits-
Arrogant – Her arrogant demeanor is visible in all her interactions especially when Elizabeth is invited to
Rosings Park where Lady Catherine very much above not only Elizabeth but her whole family simply
because of her class stature.
Orders people around and expects to get her way on every issue – Her bossy nature comes to to during
Elizabeth’s first visit to the Rosings Park as she orders Collins around even asking him to change seats on
the dinner table. She also attempts to order Elizabeth around and expects to get her way which is why
Elizabeth’s self assured nature grates her badly. She also attempts to interfere in Darcy’s love life when
she orders Elizabeth to cut all ties with Darcy fully expecting Elizabeth to bow down to her demands.

Mr and Mrs . Bennet – The patriarch and matriarch of the Bennet family.
Mrs.Bennet – Obsessed with getting her daughter married Mrs. Bennet is an extremely materialistic
person. This is evidenced by her constant appreciation of finer clothes the Bingley sisters adorned and
endeavor to maary her daughters off to well off suitors – regardless of their feelings to the suitors. It is
evident when she pressurizes to Elizabeth to accept Collins proposal despite her constant rejection of his
suit.

Loud and crass and lacks social cues. This is evidenced in her lack of decorum , her uncouth remarks in
the earshot of the Bingleys particularly when she loudly remarks about expecting a marriage between
Jane and Mr.Bingley . Furthermore despite Elizabeth’s attempt to silence Mrs.Bennet , the latter also
loudly expresses disdain for Darcy. Her lack of decorum works to prevent a union between Mr.Bingley
and Jane.
Mr Bennet –
Mr.Bennet acts as a specter of this novel as it seems Jane Austen views her characters through his eyes.
He is also a philosopher in this novel and departs a lot of significant truths of life through his novel.
Mr Bennet also loves to find humor in the oddities of life as is apparent during the 1 st visit by Mr.Collins
when he is visibly amused by his ridiculous actions. This desire to derive and appreciate the
ridiculousness of situations probably stems from dealing with leading a life with Mrs.Bennet and not be
in a constant state of disappointment .
Mr.Bennet can also be extremely blasé and irresponsible when it comes to his duties as a father. This is
evident when he allows Lydia Brighton with Mrs. Fosters despite Elizabeth imploring how irresponsible
allowing Lydia to go would be. This is what ultimately leads to Lydia eloping with Wickham.
Marry Bennet – Marry one of the 5 Bennet sisters. While Mr.Bennet called Lydia and Kitty the silliest
girls in the country this applies to Marry as well though Marry is an educated fool.
 Most serious and socially reserved – unlike her vivaciously spirited sisters she’s more
serious and lacks the sociability of her other siblings.

She thinks she is a great scholar and a gifted musician – both of these turn out to be false
especially her talents in music which often make her a laughing stock as was the case in
the ball thrown by the Bingleys.

She’s completely conservative in contrast to her quite liberal sisters Lydia and Kitty.
Elizabeth and Jane are the more balanced character amongst the five siblings.

She lacks common sense and social cues – Example the Netherfield ball when she does
not realize her music has turned her into a laughing stock and would have continued
making a fool of herself if Mr.Bennet had not intervened.

Charlotte Lucas – Amidst so many characters with various shades of pride and the prejudices that stem
from it , we now discuss Charlotte Lucas who has displayed a lack of pride in favor of practicality . This is
evidenced when she driven by practicality given her unmarried status and lack of marriage proposals
accepts Mr.Collins proposal right after Elizabeth rejects him. Her practicality and pragmatism is also
evident when she advises Elizabeth that women should express more affection than they feel in order to
secure a marriage proposal.