167 pages • 5-hour read
Jane AustenA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Summary
Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Volume 1, Chapters 1-3
Volume 1, Chapters 4-6
Volume 1, Chapters 7-10
Volume 1, Chapters 11-15
Volume 1, Chapters 16-18
Volume 1, Chapters 19-23
Volume 2, Chapters 1-6
Volume 2, Chapters 7-11
Volume 2, Chapters 12-15
Volume 2, Chapters 16-19
Volume 3, Chapters 1-3
Volume 3, Chapters 4-10
Volume 3, Chapters 11-14
Volume 3, Chapters 15-19
Character List
Character Analysis
Themes
Symbols & Motifs
Important Quotes
Essay Topics
Book Club Questions
Tools
Meet the key characters, with insights into their roles, motivations, and relationships—spoiler-free.
Elizabeth is the second eldest of the five Bennet daughters living at the Longbourn estate. She possesses a quick wit and keen observation skills. This sets her apart from her mother's nervous energy and her younger sisters' frivolity. She firmly believes in marrying for love rather than financial convenience. Her independent mindset sometimes causes her to rely too heavily on her initial impressions of others.
Sister and confidante of Jane Bennet
Older sister of Mary Bennet
Older sister of Kitty Bennet
Older sister of Lydia Bennet
Favorite daughter of Mr. Bennet
Daughter of Mrs. Bennet
Complicated romantic interest of Fitzwilliam Darcy
Sympathetic acquaintance of Mr. Wickham
Best friend of Charlotte Lucas
Fitzwilliam Darcy is a wealthy gentleman who owns the massive Pemberley estate in Derbyshire. He presents a proud and reserved exterior to the residents of Hertfordshire, preferring the company of his own party over provincial society. His high social standing dictates his strict sense of propriety, though this behavior masks a more thoughtful and honorable interior.
Drawn to Elizabeth Bennet
Protective brother of Georgiana Darcy
Close friend and advisor of Mr. Bingley
Nephew of Lady Catherine de Bourgh
Harbors animosity toward Mr. Wickham
Cousin and co-guardian with Colonel Fitzwilliam
Jane is the eldest Bennet daughter and is universally acknowledged as the most beautiful woman in the neighborhood. She has a gentle, optimistic disposition and consistently sees the good in others. Her calm and compliant demeanor sometimes masks the true depth of her feelings.
Older sister and confidante of Elizabeth Bennet
Older sister of Mary Bennet
Older sister of Kitty Bennet
Older sister of Lydia Bennet
Daughter of Mr. Bennet
Daughter of Mrs. Bennet
Romantic interest of Mr. Bingley
Acquaintance of Miss Bingley
Mrs. Bennet is the nervous and excitable matriarch of the Bennet family. Her primary life goal is to secure advantageous marriages for her five daughters to save them from future poverty. She frequently embarrasses her older daughters with her lack of tact and unfiltered opinions.
Wife of Mr. Bennet
Mother of Jane Bennet
Mother of Elizabeth Bennet
Mother of Mary Bennet
Mother of Kitty Bennet
Mother of Lydia Bennet
Sister of Mrs. Philips
Sister of Mr. Gardiner
Mr. Bennet is the patriarch of the Longbourn estate. He uses sarcasm and dry humor to distance himself from his wife's nervous energy and his younger daughters' silliness. He prefers the quiet of his library over the demands of social and family management.
Husband of Mrs. Bennet
Father of Jane Bennet
Father of Elizabeth Bennet
Father of Mary Bennet
Father of Kitty Bennet
Father of Lydia Bennet
Cousin of Mr. Collins
Mr. Bingley is a wealthy bachelor from the north of England. He possesses a cheerful and outgoing personality, and he quickly becomes popular in Meryton. He relies heavily on the advice of his close friend regarding social matters, sometimes at the expense of his own desires.
Romantic interest of Jane Bennet
Close friend of Fitzwilliam Darcy
Brother of Miss Bingley
Brother of Mrs. Hurst
Mr. Wickham is a handsome and charismatic militia officer. He possesses excellent conversational skills and quickly gains the sympathy of the townspeople with his easy manners. He readily shares tales of his troubled history with the Darcy family to anyone willing to listen.
Friendly with Elizabeth Bennet
Estranged from Fitzwilliam Darcy
Flirts with Lydia Bennet
Pursues financially Mary King
Charlotte is a 27-year-old neighbor and close friend of Elizabeth. She maintains a highly practical view of marriage. She views matrimony primarily as a means of financial security rather than romantic fulfillment, and she acts deliberately to secure her future.
Best friend of Elizabeth Bennet
Daughter of Sir William Lucas
Daughter of Lady Lucas
Older sister of Maria Lucas
Courted by Mr. Collins
Mr. Collins is a pompous clergyman who stands to inherit the Bennet estate. He feels a deep sense of self-importance combined with extreme subservience toward his wealthy patron. He visits the Bennets with the practical goal of selecting a wife to set a good example in his parish.
Suitor of Charlotte Lucas
Subordinate to Lady Catherine de Bourgh
Heir to Mr. Bennet
Suitor of Elizabeth Bennet
Lydia is the fifteen-year-old youngest daughter of the Bennet family. She focuses entirely on attending dances, shopping for ribbons, and flirting with officers. Her parents' lack of discipline allows her to act on every impulsive whim without considering the consequences.
Favorite daughter of Mrs. Bennet
Daughter of Mr. Bennet
Younger sister of Jane Bennet
Younger sister of Elizabeth Bennet
Younger sister of Kitty Bennet
Infatuated with Mr. Wickham
Friend of Mrs. Forster
Miss Bingley is the wealthy and fashionable sister of Mr. Bingley. She looks down on the provincial society of Hertfordshire and mocks the Bennet family's lower status. She actively seeks to capture Mr. Darcy's attention for herself and tries to eliminate any competition.
Sister of Mr. Bingley
Sister of Mrs. Hurst
Admirer of Fitzwilliam Darcy
False friend to Jane Bennet
Rival of Elizabeth Bennet
Lady Catherine is a wealthy aristocratic woman who rules her parish with an iron fist. She demands strict deference from everyone she meets and freely offers unsolicited advice on how others should manage their households. She is deeply concerned with preserving the distinctions of social rank.
Mr. Gardiner is Mrs. Bennet's brother who works in trade in London. Despite his profession, he is educated, well-mannered, and provides a stabilizing influence for the Bennet family during times of crisis. He quietly handles matters that Mr. Bennet neglects.
Mrs. Gardiner is Mrs. Bennet's sensible and well-bred sister-in-law. She serves as a voice of logic and reason for her nieces, recognizing the dangers of their romantic attachments and offering gentle warnings when necessary.
Kitty is the fourth Bennet daughter. She closely follows Lydia's lead in chasing the militia officers around town. She is easily influenced and prone to complaining when excluded from social events.
Follower and sister of Lydia Bennet
Daughter of Mr. Bennet
Mary is the middle Bennet daughter and the only one considered plain. She attempts to compensate for her lack of beauty by dedicating herself to reading and practicing the piano, though she lacks both natural talent and social grace.
Daughter of Mr. Bennet
Younger sister of Elizabeth Bennet
Mrs. Hurst is Mr. Bingley's married sister. She shares her younger sister Caroline's haughty attitude and preference for wealthy society, frequently joining in the mockery of the Bennet family.
Sister of Miss Bingley
Sister of Mr. Bingley
Miss de Bourgh is the frail and sickly daughter of Lady Catherine. She speaks very little and lives entirely under her mother's domineering shadow.
Daughter of Lady Catherine de Bourgh
Cousin of Fitzwilliam Darcy
Colonel Fitzwilliam is a friendly and amiable military man. As a younger son of an earl, he lacks a vast fortune but compensates with excellent conversational skills and easy manners.
Cousin of Fitzwilliam Darcy
Friendly with Elizabeth Bennet
Georgiana is Fitzwilliam Darcy's much younger sister. She is exceptionally skilled at the piano and possesses a large fortune. Despite rumors of her being proud, she is remarkably timid and seeks the approval of her older brother.
Sister and ward of Fitzwilliam Darcy
Shares history with Mr. Wickham
Sir William is a former tradesman who received a knighthood. He is excessively proud of his title and maintains a polite but somewhat obsequious demeanor toward higher-ranking individuals like Mr. Darcy and Lady Catherine.
Husband of Lady Lucas
Father of Charlotte Lucas
Lady Lucas is the wife of Sir William and a close neighbor to the Bennets. She actively competes with Mrs. Bennet in the quest to secure advantageous marriages for her daughters.
Wife of Sir William Lucas
Rival of Mrs. Bennet
Maria is Charlotte Lucas's younger sister. She is easily intimidated by high society and finds herself completely awed when visiting the imposing Rosings estate.
Younger sister of Charlotte Lucas
Companion of Elizabeth Bennet
Mrs. Philips is Mrs. Bennet's sister who lives in the nearby town. She frequently hosts the younger Bennet girls and shares their fascination with the local militia officers, eagerly passing along town gossip.
Sister of Mrs. Bennet
Aunt of Lydia Bennet
Mrs. Reynolds is the long-serving housekeeper at Pemberley. She holds deep affection for her employer and surprises visitors with her glowing reports of his generous nature.
Employee of Fitzwilliam Darcy
Colonel Forster is the commanding officer of the regiment. He is a responsible man who attempts to manage his soldiers and ultimately helps track down deserters.
Husband of Mrs. Forster
Commander of Mr. Wickham
Mrs. Forster is the young wife of the regiment's colonel. She shares Lydia's love for frivolous entertainment and invites her to travel with the military camp.
Wife of Colonel Forster
Friend and chaperone of Lydia Bennet
Mary King is a young woman who inherits ten thousand pounds. Her sudden wealth makes her an immediate target for opportunistic suitors in the neighborhood.
Pursued by Mr. Wickham