Pride and Prejudice

• Mrs Bennet


  Her main purpose in life is to see her five daughters successfully married
• Mr Bingley, a single and rich young man, arrives at Netherfield Park
• Mr Bennet does not share Mrs Bennet's excitement about Mr Bingley's arrival and expresses reluctance to introduce himself
• Mr Bennet's visit to Netherfield Hall


  1. He keeps the family ignorant of the visit

  2. He then tells the family he has already visited Mr Bingley
• Mr Bingley returns Mr Bennet's visit
• At the Meryton assembly, Mr Bingley is judged to be agreeable and attractive, but his friend Mr Darcy is judged to be proud and unfriendly
• Elizabeth mocks Mr Darcy's attitude for refusing to dance with her
• Jane


  Has a kind, uncritical nature, ready to see only good in people
• Elizabeth


  More intelligent, more observant and more critical of people's failings
• Bingley enjoyed himself and thought the company at the ball was pleasant, while Darcy looks down on the type of person and entertainment offered
• Almost everyone except Jane agrees that Darcy's pride is unacceptable
• Charlotte Lucas feels that Darcy's social rank gives him the right to be proud
• Mary expresses an opinion that pride and vanity are different things
• Caroline Bingley declares the rest of the Bennet family to be 'intolerable'
• Charlotte Lucas warns that Jane must show her feelings if she wishes to encourage Bingley
• Charlotte Lucas


  Has a cynical view of marriage ('Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance')
• Elizabeth

  Believes that marriage should be based on mutual understanding
• Darcy begins to admire Elizabeth's looks and lively personality
• Elizabeth is surprised by Darcy's attention and refuses to dance with him, thus gaining revenge for his insult of her
• Miss Bingley is very jealous about Darcy's changed opinion of Elizabeth
• Mr Bennet's estate will not be left to the daughters on his death
• Mrs Bennet sends Jane to Netherfield on horseback in the rain so she will have to spend the night there
• The Bingley sisters' concern for Jane, who is quite poorly, is pretence, and they are critical of Elizabeth behind her back
• Caroline Bingley is jealous of Darcy's attention to Elizabeth and attempts to make him take notice of her
• Mrs Bennet embarrasses Elizabeth by engaging the Bingleys in a conversation which shows how vulgar, shallow, and small-minded she is
• Lydia impertinently asks Mr Bingley to hold a ball
• Caroline Bingley continues to try to attract Darcy's attention to herself but gets little response
• Darcy and Elizabeth discuss Bingley's compliant character, and Darcy meets his match in Elizabeth for witty repartee
• Caroline's jealousy leads to her making spiteful, sarcastic remarks about Elizabeth's whole family
• Darcy is glad to see the Bennet sisters go as his growing attraction to Elizabeth and the unwelcome emotions he experiences make him uncomfortable
• Elizabeth's negative opinion was formed by Repercutive opinion of society
• Lizzy


  • Considers marriage carefully, she is determined to marry for love
• Jane and Bingley's marriage


  Passes a “general similarity of feeling and taste”
• Mr Darcy's first marriage proposal to Elizabeth

  He assumes she will accept it because of his wealth and status, in contrast to Charlotte Lucas accepting Mr Collins' proposal for a sense of security
• The opening of the book presents marriage as an arduous task for the man despite the book being in favor of the struggles women faced in the 19th century
• Mr Bennet married a woman he found attractive without realising she had an unfavourable mind, and soon lost his respect and affection for her
• Lydia and Wickham's marriage


  Gradually disintegrates, Lydia becomes a regular visitor at her two elder sisters' homes
• “it’s a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife”


  this irony shows societal pressures in endorsing the economic advantages of marriage.

  ”must” shows that Austen intends to emphasise the following theme and present it in a merrier which comes across as satirical, this makes the ready feel intrigued and wonder the following events to elicit such an opening line.
• “his affection for her soon sunk into indifference“ 


  This quote portrays Lydia and Wickham’s marriage as similar to that of Mr and Mrs Bennet. Mrs Bennet shows favouritism towards Lydia and Wickham is Mr Bennet’s favourite son-in-law
• “one has got all the goodness, and the other all the appearance of it “


  Austen suggests that some reputations are given to people who do not deserve them.

  Darcy seemed unpleasant but proved to be a sincere, reliable person. The charming Wickham was revealed to be a scoundrel.