Who Elizabeth Bennet is
Elizabeth Bennet lives with her parents and four sisters at Longbourn in the English countryside. She is quick, teasing and independent, and her father favours her. Her wit helps her laugh at awkward encounters, but it can also make her too certain of other people's faults.
What Elizabeth Bennet wants
Elizabeth wants respect in marriage, rather than accepting a husband simply for a comfortable home. Her family's estate must pass to a male cousin, so her mother's concern about marriage has a practical cause. Even under that pressure, Elizabeth refuses Mr Collins when he proposes.
Elizabeth Bennet and the others in the story
Elizabeth cares deeply for her older sister, Jane Bennet, and walks through muddy fields to nurse her when she falls ill. With Fitzwilliam Darcy, her teasing becomes sharper after she overhears his dismissive remark at a dance. She readily believes George Wickham's account of Darcy because it agrees with her own dislike.
How Elizabeth Bennet changes
Elizabeth's confidence begins to falter when Darcy gives her a letter answering her accusations. As she reconsiders what she knows, she starts to recognise how wounded vanity has shaped her judgment.
Questions
Who is Elizabeth Bennet?
Elizabeth Bennet is the central character of Pride and Prejudice, known for her wit, independence and confidence in reading people.
What does Elizabeth Bennet want in marriage?
She wants a husband she can respect, not merely the financial safety a marriage might offer.
Why does Elizabeth Bennet dislike Darcy?
She initially dislikes him because he insults her at a dance. Wickham's story then strengthens the unfavourable opinion she already holds.