Roleplay through the Classics discussion

The Bennets:


Elizabeth Bennet

Elizabeth Darcy (née Bennet): The reader sees the unfolding plot and the other characters mostly from her viewpoint. The second of the Bennet daughters, she is twenty years old and is intelligent, lively, playful, attractive, and witty—but with a tendency to judge on first impression (the "prejudice" of the title) and perhaps to be a little selective of the evidence on which she bases her judgments. As the plot begins, her closest relationships are with her father, her sister Jane, her aunt Mrs Gardiner, and her best friend Charlotte Lucas. As the story progresses, so does her relationship with Mr Darcy. The course of Elizabeth and Darcy's relationship is ultimately decided when Darcy overcomes his pride, and Elizabeth overcomes her prejudice, leading them both to surrender to their love for each other. ~Ruth

Mr. Bennet

Mr. Bennet, Esquire is a late-middle-aged landed gentleman of a modest income of £2000 per annum, and the patriarch of the now-dwindling Bennet family (a family of Hertfordshire landed gentry), with five unmarried daughters (at the beginning of the story); Jane, Elizabeth ("Lizzy"/"Eliza"), Mary, Catherine ("Kitty"), and Lydia Bennet. Mr. Bennet is described in his first appearance in the book as "so odd a mixture of quick parts, sarcastic humour, reserve, and caprice, that the experience of three and twenty years had been insufficient to make his wife understand his character", and this ironic, sarcastic, cynical sense of humour irritates his wife. Though his indolent parenting style and manners are suggested to be questionable at several times in the novel, he loves his daughters (Elizabeth in particular), and ultimately, Mr Bennet blames himself for having been insufficiently disciplining with his daughters, which ultimately had enabled Lydia to run away with Mr Wickham, (and nor does he resent Elizabeth for her having advised him against letting Lydia go to Brighton with Colonel Forster's regiment (as the newly-married Mrs. Forster's "particular friend" (who was barely older than Lydia)) in the first place).

Although Mr. Bennet possesses inherited property, the estate of Longbourn, the estate is entailed, that is, it can only pass to male heirs, so Mr. Bennet's daughters will not inherit the estate upon his death. In addition, having allowed his income to be spent frivolously by his wife, he has failed to put aside money for his daughters' dowries, and therefore all that his five daughters will be left on his death is a 1/5 share of their mother's dowry). Mr. Bennet's current heir presumptive is a distant second cousin of sorts, Mr William Collins (the son of a late distant cousin of Mr. Bennet's).

Later in the story (Volume 2, Chapter 19), it is revealed by the narrator that Mr Bennet had married his wife based on an initial and rather superficial attraction to her ("[Mr Bennet], captivated by youth and beauty, and that appearance of good humour which youth and beauty generally give, had married a woman whose weak understanding and illiberal mind, had very early in the marriage put an end to any real affection for her. Respect, esteem, and confidence, had vanished for ever; and all of his views of domestic happiness were overthrown. But Mr. Bennet was not of a disposition to seek comfort for the disappointment which his own imprudence had brought on, in any of those pleasures which too often console the unfortunate of their folly or vice.") It is safe to say that, when he speaks of "[living] for making sport for [one's] neighbours, and laughing at them in our turn", he is also saying the same of himself and his folly, for having married Mrs. Bennet in the first place.

Mrs. Bennet

Mrs. Bennet (née Gardiner) is the middle-aged wife of her social superior, Mr. Bennet, and the mother of their five daughters; Jane, Elizabeth ("Lizzy"/"Eliza"), Mary, Catherine ("Kitty"), and Lydia Bennet. Mrs Bennet is shameless, childish, frivolous, excitable, temperamental, officious, indecorous, greedy and grasping, illogical, loquacious, invasive, artless, and attention seeking. She is a hypochondriac, who imagines herself susceptible to attacks of tremors and palpitations ("[her] poor nerves"), whenever she is displeased because things are not going her way. She is very much a child still, emotionally, but in an adult's body.
Her public manners and social-climbing are a source of constant embarrassment to both Jane and Elizabeth. Her pastimes are shopping, 'socializing', and gossiping & boasting. Her favourite daughter is her youngest, Lydia, who takes very much after her younger self. Next she values her eldest, Jane, though only for Jane's great physical beauty, and never considers Jane's feelings, virtue or reputation. Her least-favourite daughter is Elizabeth (closely followed by Mary) whom she does not understand at all.
Her main ambition in life is to marry her daughters off to wealthy men. Whether or not any such matches will give her daughters happiness is of little concern to her.

Jane Bennet
Jane Bingley (née Bennet) is the eldest Bennet sister. Twenty-two years old when the novel begins, she is considered the most beautiful young lady in the neighbourhood. Her character is contrasted with Elizabeth's as sweeter, shyer, and equally sensible, but not as clever; her most notable trait is a desire to see only the good in others. As Anna Quindlen wrote, Jane is "sugar to Elizabeth's lemonade".[7] Jane is closest to Elizabeth, and her character is often contrasted with that of Elizabeth's.

She falls in love with Charles Bingley, a rich young gentleman recently moved to Hertfordshire and a close friend of Mr. Darcy. Their love is initially thwarted by Mr. Darcy and Caroline Bingley, who are concerned about Jane's low situation in society, and have other plans for Bingley. Mr. Darcy, aided by Elizabeth, eventually sees the error of his ways, and is instrumental in bringing Jane and Bingley back together.

Mary Bennet

Mary Bennet is the only plain Bennet sister, and rather than join in some of the family activities, she mostly reads and plays music, although she is often impatient to display her accomplishments and is rather vain about them. She does work hard for knowledge and accomplishment, but has neither genius nor taste. Like her two younger sisters, Kitty and Lydia, she is seen as being silly by Mr Bennet. Mary is not very intelligent but thinks of herself as being wise. When Mr Collins is refused by Elizabeth, Mrs Bennet hopes Mary may be prevailed upon to accept him and we are led to believe that Mary too has some hopes in this direction, but neither of them knows that he is already engaged to Charlotte Lucas by this time. Mary does not appear often in the novel. She is said to be the "sister of Elizabeth Bennet who prefers to reason than feel."
According to James Edward Austen-Leigh's A Memoir of Jane Austen, Mary ended up marrying one of her Uncle Philips' law clerks (name not mentioned), and moving into Meryton with him.

Catherine Bennet
Catherine "Kitty" Bennet is the fourth daughter at 17 years old. Though older than Lydia, she is her shadow and she follows her in pursuits of the 'Officers' of the regiment. She appears but little, although she is often portrayed as envious of Lydia and also a "silly" young woman. However, it is said that she has improved by the end of the novel.

According to James Edward Austen-Leigh's A Memoir of Jane Austen, Kitty later married a clergyman (name not mentioned) who lived near Pemberley/Derbyshire.

Lydia Bennet

Lydia Wickham (née Bennet) is the youngest Bennet sister, aged 15 when the novel begins. She is frivolous and headstrong. Her main activity in life is socializing, especially flirting with the officers of the militia. This leads to her running off with George Wickham, although he has no intention of marrying her. She dominates her older sister Kitty and is supported in the family by her mother. Lydia shows no regard for the moral code of her society as Ashley Tauchert says "Lydia who feels without reasoning." She feels no remorse for the disgrace she causes her family.

The Darcys:


Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy

Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, Esquire is initially presented as the wealthy friend of Mr. Bingley. A newcomer to the village, he is ultimately Elizabeth Bennet's love interest. Mr. Darcy is the twenty-eight year old wealthy owner of the renowned family estate of Pemberley in Derbyshire, and is rumoured to be worth at least £10,000 a year. This is equivalent to anywhere from around £200,000 ($290,120 USD) a year to around £10 million ($14.5 million USD) a year in 2014, depending on the method of calculation, but such an income would have put him among the 400 wealthiest families in the country at the time, also meaning that the inheritance he has from his family's accumulated fortune totals £200,000 minimum (likewise, Mr. Bingley's inheritance totals £100,000, giving him £5,000 a year from the interest).
While being handsome, tall, and intelligent, Darcy lacks the ease and social graces that comes so naturally to his closest friend, Charles Bingley, his cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam, and even to his former childhood friend-turned-antagonist George Wickham (who abuses them). Others frequently mistake his aloof decorum and rectitude as further proof of excessive pride (which, in part, it is; thus he is often considered the "pride" of the title). While he makes a poor first impression on strangers, such as the landed gentry of Meryton, Darcy is greatly valued by those who know him well.
As the novel progresses, Darcy and Elizabeth are repeatedly forced into each other's company, resulting in each altering their feelings for the other through better acquaintance and changes in environment. At the end of the work, both overcome their differences and first impressions to fall in love with each other.

Georgiana Darcy

Georgiana Darcy is Mr Darcy's quiet, amiable (and shy) younger sister, with a dowry of £30,000 (giving her an additional Interest of £1500 per annum from her £30,000 inheritance), and aged barely 16-years-old when the story begins. When still 15, Miss Darcy almost eloped with Mr Wickham, having been made to believe that the two of them were in-love, who in reality sought her out for her £30,000 dowry. Miss Darcy is first introduced to Elizabeth at Pemberley and is later delighted at the prospect of becoming her sister-in-law. Georgiana is extremely timid and gets embarrassed fairly easily. She idolises her brother, Mr. Darcy (Fitzwilliam Darcy), and the two share an extremely close sibling bond, much like Jane and Elizabeth. Thanks to years of tutorage under masters, she is accomplished at the piano, singing, playing the harp, and drawing, and modern languages. She is also very modest. ~Rhedyn


George Wickham

George Wickham has been acquainted with Mr Darcy since infancy, being the son of Mr Darcy's father's steward. An officer in the militia, he is superficially charming and rapidly forms an attachment with Elizabeth Bennet. He spreads tales about the wrongs Mr Darcy has done him, adding to the local society's prejudice, but eventually he is found to have been the wrongdoer himself. He runs off with Lydia, with no intention of marrying her, which would have resulted in her complete disgrace, but for Darcy's intervention to bribe Wickham to marry her by paying off his immediate debts.

The Bingleys:
Charles Bingley

Charles Bingley, Esquire is a handsome, affable, amiable, good-natured and wealthy young gentleman (a parvenu/nouveau riche) of 23-years-old at the beginning of the novel, who leases Netherfield Park, an estate 3 miles from Longbourn, with the hopes of purchasing it. The Bingleys are a respectable family with roots in the north of England, their entire fortune is derived from trade; Charles Bingley's late father, Mr. Bingley Sr., wished to purchase an estate in order to raise his family to the ranks of the gentry, but died before he could do so, so his only son, Charles (inheriting his father's £100,000 fortune, giving him an income of £5,000 per annum from the Interest), seeks to make this wish a reality by buying his own country manor and surrounding estate. At the beginning of the novel, Charles Bingley is leasing Netherfield Park with the hope that it will prove perfect for his plans. He is contrasted with his friend Mr Darcy as being more kind and more charming, and having more generally pleasing manners, although not quite so clever and experienced. He lacks resolve and is easily influenced by others (practically led around the nose by his sisters); his two sisters, Miss Caroline Bingley and Mrs. Louisa Hurst, both disapprove of Bingley's growing affection for Miss Jane Bennet

Caroline Bingley

Caroline Bingley is the vainglorious, snobbish sister of Charles Bingley, with a dowry of £20,000 (giving her an additional Interest of £1000 per annum from her £20,000 inheritance). Miss Bingley harbours designs upon Mr Darcy , and therefore is jealous of his growing attachment to Elizabeth. She attempts to dissuade Mr Darcy from liking Elizabeth by ridiculing the Bennet family and criticising Elizabeth's comportment. Miss Bingley also disapproves of her brother's esteem for Jane Bennet, and it is acknowledged later that she, with Darcy's agreement, attempted to separate the couple, both by attempting to dissuade Jane of the attachment and by concealing from her brother Jane's presence in London. Jane, who is always determined not to find fault with anybody, is finally forced to admit that she had been deceived in thinking she had a genuine friendship with Caroline Bingley, the realisation of which she relays to Elizabeth in a letter.

She is described in the novel, along with her sister, as a "fine women, with an air of decided fashion", and also distainful of society in Meryton, Hertfordshire ("[Louisa (and Caroline's)] behaviour at the assembly had not been calculated to please in general; and with more quickness of observation and less pliancy of temper than her sister, and with a judgment, too, unassailed by any attention to herself, she was very little disposed to approve them. They were in fact very fine ladies, not deficient in good humour when they were pleased, nor in the power of being agreeable where they chose it; but proud and conceited. They were rather handsome, had been educated in one of the first private seminaries in town, had a fortune of £20,000, were in the habit of spending more than they ought, and of associating with people of rank; and were therefore in every respect entitled to think well of themselves, and meanly of others. They were of a respectable family in the north of England; a circumstance more deeply impressed on their memories than that their brother's fortune and their own had been acquired by trade.").

Louisa Hurst

Louisa Hurst (née Bingley) is the older sister to Caroline Bingley and Charles Bingley, and wife of Mr Hurst, coming into the marriage with a £20,000 dowry (giving her an additional Interest of £1000 per annum from her £20,000 inheritance). She is described in the novel, along with her sister, as a "fine women, with an air of decided fashion", and also distainful of society in Meryton, Hertfordshire ("[Louisa (and Caroline's)] behaviour at the assembly had not been calculated to please in general; and with more quickness of observation and less pliancy of temper than her sister, and with a judgment, too, unassailed by any attention to herself, she was very little disposed to approve them. They were in fact very fine ladies, not deficient in good humour when they were pleased, nor in the power of being agreeable where they chose it; but proud and conceited. They were rather handsome, had been educated in one of the first private seminaries in town, had a fortune of £20,000, were in the habit of spending more than they ought, and of associating with people of rank; and were therefore in every respect entitled to think well of themselves, and meanly of others. They were of a respectable family in the north of England; a circumstance more deeply impressed on their memories than that their brother's fortune and their own had been acquired by trade."). She is (arguably) the nicer of the two sisters, but like Caroline, she does not encourage her brother's admiration of Jane Bennet because of her lack of connections, placing her (and Caroline's) personal chances of social advancement over her brother's happiness, and co-conspired with Caroline and Mr. Darcy to keep Charles and Jane apart.

Mr. Hurst

Mr. Hurst is the husband of Louisa Hurst, and thus the brother-in-law of Charles Bingley and Caroline Bingley. He is described as 'a man of more fashion than fortune' (although his social status and consequences are never elaborated upon this, whenever his background was originally in trade like his wife's, etc., although he would have to have a sufficiently large enough fortune in to order to entice the then-Miss Louisa Bingley into marrying him), and as an indolent man, often drunk, who lives only to eat, sleep/pass-out drunk, drink, and play at cards, and who, when he hears Miss Elizabeth Bennet say that she preferred a plain dish of fresh fruit over a heavily-seasoned ragout dish, had nothing to say to her.

Other Characters:
William Collins

Mr./Rev. William Collins, aged 25-years-old as the novel begins, is Mr Bennet's distant second cousin, a clergyman, and the current heir presumptive to his estate of Longbourn House. While he is the current heir presumptive to Longbourn, the estate of his distant, gentry cousin, Mr Bennet, as Mr Bennet has no sons to inherit Longbourn; but if, before his death, one of Mr Bennet's daughters should be able to present him with a grandson, said-grandson would then become the new heir presumptive of the entailment, a grandson taking precedence over a distant cousin, by virtue of being his closest living male blood relative. This is likely why Mr Collins' late father, Mr Collins Sr, before his death, urged his son to "mend the rift" with the Bennets; for if his son were to be the husband of one of Mr Bennet's daughters, it would reinforce Collins' claim to Longbourn (making Collins' inheriting Longbourn less objectionable to the Bennets), and furthermore if he were to be the father of said-grandson.

Born to a father, Mr. Collins Sr., who is described as an "illiterate and miserly father", the son, William Collins is not much better (sans the miser part)', the greatest part of his life having been spent under his father's guidance, the younger Collins is "not a sensible man, and the deficiency of nature had been but little assisted by education or society", further described as although having "belonged to one of the universities" (either Oxford or Cambridge), and that he'd "merely kept the necessary terms, without forming at it any useful acquaintance", nor accomplishments; he is an insensible man, obsequious and lacking in common sense, and all too easily defers and kowtows to his social superiors. His father passes away some point not too long prior to events at the beginning of the novel. His physical appearance is described as being "tall, heavy looking young man of five and twenty. His air was grave and stately, and his manners were very formal".

Austen writes that prior to his entry into the novel, his circumstances in early life, the 'subjection' in which his father had brought him up in had "originally given him great humility of manner". However, this characteristic has now been "now a good deal counteracted by the self-conceit of a weak head, living in retirement", altered greatly and been replaced with arrogance and vanity due to "early and unexpected prosperity"; this early prosperity having come by chance, at the hands of Lady Catherine de Bourgh, when a vacancy arose for the living of the Hunsford parish, "and the respect which he felt for her high rank and his veneration for her as his patroness, mingling with a very good opinion of himself, of his authority as a clergyman, and his rights as a rector, made him altogether a mixture of pride and obsequiousness, self-importance and humility", and "conceited, pompous, narrow-minded, silly man".

Elizabeth's rejection of Mr Collins's marriage proposal is welcomed by her father, regardless of the financial benefit to the family of such a match. Mr Collins then marries Elizabeth's friend, Charlotte Lucas. Mr. Collins is usually considered to be the foil to Mr. Darcy, who is grave and serious, and acts with propriety at all times. On the other hand, Mr. Collins acts with impropriety and exaggerated humility, which offers some comedic relief.

Lady Catherine de Bourgh
Lady Catherine de Bourgh (née Fitzwilliam), the daughter and sister of an earl and widow of Sir Lewis de Bourgh (either a Knight or a Baronet), of Rosings Park, Hunsford, Kent (their daughter is Miss Anne de Bourgh), and who possesses wealth and social standing from birth and by marriage, is haughty, pompous, domineering, and condescending, (although her manner is seen by some as entirely proper and even admirable; Mr Collins, for example, is shown to admire these characteristics by deferring to her opinions and desires). She "likes to have the distinction of rank preserved". Elizabeth, by contrast, is duly respectful, but not intimidated. Lady Catherine's nephew, Mr. Darcy, is embarrassed by her lack of manners, especially towards Elizabeth, and he later courts her disapproval by marrying Elizabeth in spite of her numerous objections, Lady Catherine having long since planned to marry-off her own sickly daughter, Anne, to Darcy, to 'unite their two great estates', claiming it to be the dearest wish of both her AND her late sister, Lady Anne Darcy (née Fitzwilliam).

Mr and Mrs Gardiner

Mr E. and Mrs M. Gardiner: Edward Gardiner is Mrs Bennet's brother and a successful tradesman of sensible and gentlemanly character. Aunt Gardiner (her first name, though never revealed, is hinted at in a letter she wrote to Elizabeth, she signs it off as "M. Gardiner") is close to her nieces Jane and Elizabeth. Jane stays with the Gardiners in London for a period, and Elizabeth travels with them to Derbyshire, where she again meets Mr Darcy. The Gardiners are quick in their perception of an attachment between Elizabeth and Mr Darcy, and judge him without prejudice. They are both actively involved in helping Mr Darcy arrange the marriage between Lydia and Mr Wickham.


Charlotte Lucas

Charlotte Collins (née Lucas) is Elizabeth's friend who, at 27 years old (and thus past prime marriage age), fears becoming a burden to her family and therefore agrees to marry Mr Collins, whom she does not love and who had merely a few days previously proposed to Elizabeth, to gain financial security. Though the novel stresses the importance of love and understanding in marriage (as seen in the anticipated success of Elizabeth–Darcy relationship), Austen never seems to condemn Charlotte's decision to marry for money. Austen uses Lucas as the common voice of early 19th Century society's views on relationships and marriage. Austen uses Charlotte to convey how women of her time would adhere to society's expectation for women to marry even if it is not out of love, but convenience. She is the daughter of Sir William Lucas and Lady Lucas, friends of Mrs Bennet.

And finally....
Mr and Mrs Phillips
Mr Philips is an attorney and has a practice in and lives in Meryton which he inherited from his late father-in-law, having formerly been one of his law clerks before marrying his boss's daughter. Mrs Philips (née Gardiner) is much like her sister Mrs Bennet, silly, unintelligent, and a gossip. Like her sister, Mrs. Bennet, Mrs. Phillips will have inherited a £4,000 dowry from her father. She often entertains her nieces and other guests in her parlour at her and her husband's residence in Meryton.