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Characters Jane Austen Novel Pride and Prejudice Romantic Hero Elizabeth Bennet

Mr. Darcy is the wealthy male protagonist in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. He first meets Elizabeth Bennet at a ball but insults her by refusing to dance and making rude remarks. Darcy grows attracted to Elizabeth but struggles with feelings of superiority. He interferes with the relationship between Elizabeth's sister Jane and his friend Mr. Bingley. After Darcy proposes to Elizabeth but she refuses, he writes her a letter defending his actions and revealing the untruths of Mr. Wickham. Darcy tracks down Lydia Bennet when she runs off with Wickham, forcing them to marry and saving the family from disgrace. Darcy proposes again to Elizabeth and this time she

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113 views3 pages

Characters Jane Austen Novel Pride and Prejudice Romantic Hero Elizabeth Bennet

Mr. Darcy is the wealthy male protagonist in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. He first meets Elizabeth Bennet at a ball but insults her by refusing to dance and making rude remarks. Darcy grows attracted to Elizabeth but struggles with feelings of superiority. He interferes with the relationship between Elizabeth's sister Jane and his friend Mr. Bingley. After Darcy proposes to Elizabeth but she refuses, he writes her a letter defending his actions and revealing the untruths of Mr. Wickham. Darcy tracks down Lydia Bennet when she runs off with Wickham, forcing them to marry and saving the family from disgrace. Darcy proposes again to Elizabeth and this time she

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Mr.

Darcy
Fitzwilliam Darcy, generally referred to as Mr. Darcy, is one of the two
central characters in Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice. He is an archetype
of the aloof romantic hero, and a romantic interest of Elizabeth Bennet, the
novel's protagonist. The story's narration is almost exclusively from Lizzy's
(Elizabeth Bennet) perspective; she is portrayed as the sympathetic figure, and
Darcy hardly so until the later chapters of the novelas knowledge and ironic
events are revealed to Lizzy. Usually referred to only as "Mr. Darcy" or "Darcy"
by characters and the narrator, his first name is mentioned twice in the novel.[1]
Character

Mr. Darcy by C. E. Brock, 1895


In the novel, Mr. Darcy is a wealthy gentleman with an income exceeding
10,000 a year,[2] and the proprietor of Pemberley, a large estate in Derbyshire,
England. Darcy first meets Elizabeth Bennet at a ball, where he slights her by
refusing to dance with her, and by making rather demeaning remarks about her
while she was within earshot. Gradually he becomes attracted to her, and later
attempts to court her while simultaneously struggling against his continued
feelings of superiority. Ironically, Darcy disapproves when his friend Bingley
develops a serious attachment to Elizabeth's elder sister Jane, and subtly
persuades Bingley that Jane does not return his feelings (which he honestly
believes). He later explains this seeming hypocrisy by asserting "I was kinder to
[Mr. Bingley] than to myself". Although he doesn't realize it, Elizabeth's
discovery of Darcy's interference in Bingley and Jane's budding relationship,

and Mr. Wickham's tale of how Darcy mistreated him, has caused her to dislike
him intensely.
Eventually Mr. Darcy declares his love for Elizabeth, and offers her a proposal
of marriage. He reminds her of the large gap in their social status. Elizabeth is
offended and vehemently refuses him, expressing her reasons for disliking him,
including her knowledge of his interference with Jane and Bingley and the
account she received from Mr Wickham of Darcy's alleged unfair treatment
toward him. Insulted by Darcy's arrogant retorts, Elizabeth claims that the 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 and that night writes a letter to Elizabeth in
which he defends his wounded honour, reveals the motives for his interference
in Jane and Bingley's relationship, and gives a full account of his lifelong
dealings with Wickham, who attempted to seduce and elope with Darcy's
younger sister, Georgiana, the previous summer.
Although initially angered by Elizabeth's vehement refusal and harsh criticism,
Darcy is shocked to discover the reality of how his behaviour is perceived by
others, particularly Elizabeth, and commits himself to re-evaluate his actions. A
few months later, Darcy unexpectedly encounters Elizabeth when she is visiting
his estate in Derbyshire with her aunt and uncle Gardiner. Elizabeth is first
embarrassed to be discovered at Pemberley, having only visited on the belief
that Darcy was absent, however she is surprised to discover a marked change in
Darcy's manner. Having responded to Elizabeth's criticism, Darcy is now
determined to display the "gentlemanlike manner" she accused him of lacking
and astonishes her with his kindness towards both her and her relations.
On discovering that Elizabeth's youngest sister Lydia, has fallen prey to and run
off with Mr Wickham, Darcy tracks them down and induces Wickham to marry
Lydia, thus saving both Lydia and her family from social disgrace. Darcy's
intervention was done not to win Elizabethhe attempted to keep her from
knowing of his involvementbut rather to ease her distress (the narrator hints
through Mr. Bennet that Darcy's intervention to help Elizabeth may have cost
him as much as a year's income "Wickham's a fool if he takes [Lydia] with a
farthing less than ten thousand pounds"). Darcy also felt himself partially
responsible in failing to warn Elizabeth's family and the public of Wickham's
true character.
His behavior contrasts sharply with that of another Jane Austen character, Mr.
Crawford from Mansfield Park. Mr. Crawford attempts to obligate Fanny Price

to him by securing one of her fondest hopes, a naval officer's commission for
her brother, immediately before proposing to her, which commission costs
Crawford essentially nothing.
Darcy then releases Mr. Bingley to return to Longbourn and woo Jane, accepting
his misjudgement of her character. Accompanying his friend to Longbourn,
Darcy proposes to Elizabeth again, who accepts him. The couple reflect on their
mistakes made, and Darcy thanks Elizabeth for showing him the error of his
ways: "by you, I was properly humbled".

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