Sunday, November 20, 2011

Elizabeth Bennet

Name: Elizabeth Bennet
Nicknames/Aliases: Lizzy, Eliza, Miss Eliza, Cousin Elizabeth, Miss Bennet, Miss Eliza Bennet, Miss Lizzy
Novel: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Role: Heroine
Age: 20
Appearance: Fine eyes, Dark Eyes (possibly dark hair also), Good Teeth, Pretty (but not as pretty as her sister, Jane), Tan skin, Shorter than Average Height
Occupation: Gentleman's Daughter
Talents/Hobbies: Reading, Playing the Pianoforte, Walking
Place of Residence: Longbourn, near Meryton in Hertfordshire
Virtues: Intelligent, Witty, Clever, Assertive, Stands by Her Convictions
Vices: Judgmental, Stubborn
Family:
Mrs. Bennet -- Formerly Miss Gardiner, Mrs. Bennet is the mother of Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty and Lydia, and the sister of Edward Gardiner. She is determined to get her daughters married to a rich man.
Mr. Bennet -- Mr. Bennet is the father of Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia, and the cousin of William Collins. Mr. Bennet retires from his silly wife and three youngest daughters by retiring to his library. Elizabeth is very close with her father.
Jane Bennet -- Elizabeth's oldest and most beloved sister, Jane has a very sweet disposition. Rich Mr. Bingley falls in love with Jane, much to the dismay of his sisters and his friend Mr. Darcy.
Mary Bennet -- Mary Bennet is the third daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet. Not good looking, Mary devotes her time to playing the piano (though poorly) and excessively reading.
Catherine "Kitty" Bennet -- Kitty is the fourth daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet. Closest with her sister, Lydia, Kitty spends a lot of time flirting with the local militia.
Lydia Bennet -- Lydia is the youngest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet. A determined flirt, Lydia and her sister Kitty spend much of their time looking for officers.
Spouse:
Fitzwilliam Darcy (future) -- Mr. Darcy did not make a good impression on Elizabeth: he said that she was only tolerable (wounding her pride), acted arrogant, and separated Jane from Mr. Bingley. Because of this, Elizabeth refused his first proposal. But Mr. Darcy improved himself since Elizabeth told him that he was arrogant, and they began to fall in love.
Friends:
Charlotte Lucas -- Charlotte is Elizabeth best friend outside of the family. At the beginning of Pride and Prejudice, she is 27 and unmarried. Charlotte is not romantic and only asks for a comfortable home from her husband.
Colonel Fitzwilliam -- Mr. Darcy's personable cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam is the younger son of an Earl. Since he does not have a fortune, he has to marry wisely.
Georgiana Darcy -- Mr. Darcy's shy sixteen year old sister, Georgiana is said to be extremely accomplished. She nearly eloped with George Wickham, but was talked out of it by her brother.
Enemies:
Mr. William Collins -- Mr. Collins is Mr. Bennet's pompous cousin. He is a clergyman and is honored to have Lady Catherine de Bourgh as his patroness (so honored that he constantly mentions her name)
George Wickham -- An officer in the militia, George Wickham grew up with Mr. Darcy. He claimed that Mr. Darcy robbed him of his inheritance.
Caroline Bingley -- Mr. Bingley's younger sister, Caroline is unmarried and has her eyes set on Mr. Darcy. She attempts to put Elizabeth down in front of Mr. Darcy, but it always fails.
Mrs. Louisa Hurst -- Mr. Bingley's older sister, Louisa Hurst is married to Mr. Hurst, who is not refined. Louisa and Caroline are almost always together.
Lady Catherine de Bourgh -- Mr. Darcy, Colonel Fitzwilliam, and Georgiana Darcy's aunt, Lady Catherine is determined to see her daughter, Anne, married to Mr. Darcy.
Portrayed By: Greer Garson (1940), Elizabeth Garvie (1981), Jennifer Ehle (1995), Keira Knightley (2005), Gemma Arterton (2008, Lost in Austen)
Quotes:
"Follies and nonsense, whims and inconsistencies, do divert me, I own, and I laugh at them whenever I can." (Chapter 11)
“There are few people whom I really love, and still fewer of whom I think well. The more I see of the world, the more am I dissatisfied with it; and every day confirms my belief of the inconsistency of all human characters, and of the little dependence that can be placed on the appearance of merit or sense.” (Chapter 24)
“There is a stubbornness about me that never can bear to be frightened at the will of others. My courage always rises at every attempt to intimidate me.” (Chapter 31)
“I am excessively diverted. ” (novel)
"Think only of the past as its remembrance gives you pleasure" (Chapter 57)
"Perhaps I didn't always love him as well as I do now, but in such cases as these a good memory is unpardonable." (1995 miniseries)
Biography:
   Elizabeth is the second oldest of five daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet. Since their home, Longbourn, is entailed and Mr. and Mrs. Bennet do not have any sons, the estate will go to Mr. Bennet's cousin, Mr. Collins, a clergyman. Since she and her daughters will be turned out of their home when her husband dies, Elizabeth's mother, Mrs. Bennet, is determined to marry off her daughters to rich men. With the news of Netherfield Park being let (at last), Mrs. Bennet is determined to see one of her daughters married to the rich Mr. Bingley. When the Bennets meet Mr. Bingley at a ball, Elizabeth notices that Mr. Bingley was quite taken by her sister Jane. Elizabeth also meets Mr. Bingley's rich friend, Mr. Darcy, who refused to ask Elizabeth to dance, saying, "She is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me." Because he wounded her pride, Elizabeth became prejudiced against Mr. Darcy and thought him an arrogant, proud man.
  One day, Mr. Bennet receives a letter from Mr. Collins that says that he will come to Longbourn to stay a while. At Longbourn, Mr. Collins proves himself to be pompous and odious. He wishes to marry one of Mr. Bennet's daughters: first he sets his eyes on Jane, but hearing that she may soon be engaged moves his eyes towards Elizabeth, much to Elizabeth's chagrin.
  While at a party at her Aunt Phillips's, Elizabeth meets the dashing George Wickham, a man who has just taken a commission in the militia. While talking to Mr. Wickham, Elizabeth hears that Mr. Darcy and Mr. Wickham grew up together at Mr. Darcy home, Pemberly, and that Mr. Darcy cheated Mr. Wickham out of his rightful inheritance. Hearing this, Elizabeth becomes even more prejudiced against Mr. Darcy.
  After staying with the Bennets for a while, Mr. Collins proposes to Elizabeth saying that it would be right for a clergyman to set the example of matrimony, that it would add to his happiness, and (though perhaps he should have mentioned this first) his patroness Lady Catherine de Bourgh said that he should marry. Since Elizabeth did not love him, she refused. However, Mr. Collins does not take her refusal seriously, leading Elizabeth to leave the room. Mrs. Bennet, hearing about this incident, pleads with Mr. Bennet to make Elizabeth marry Mr. Collins, but Mr. Bennet says that if Elizabeth does not marry Mr. Collins, her mother will not see her again, but he won't see her again if she does. This prompts Mr. Collins to leave Longbourn for Lucas Lodge to propose to Charlotte Lucas, Elizabeth's friend.
  Elizabeth visits Mr. and Mrs. Collins after they are married at their home Hunsford in Kent with Charlotte's father and sister. They visit Lady Catherine de Bourgh and meet Lady Catherine's daughter, Anne de Bourgh, who is a sickly girl. One day, it is announced that Mr. Darcy and his cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam, are visiting their aunt (Lady Catherine). Mr. Darcy took every opportunity of meeting with Elizabeth, which puzzles her. When walking one day with Colonel Fitzwilliam, Elizabeth learns that Mr. Darcy "saved [Mr. Bingley] from the inconveniences of a most imprudent marriage." Elizabeth realizes that Mr. Darcy separated Jane and Mr. Bingley. While Elizabeth is alone, Mr. Darcy visits her and proposes marriage, but references her lesser status than his. Elizabeth refuses him. When asked why she has rejected him, Elizabeth states that it was because he separated Mr. Bingley and Jane, from what she heard from Wickham, and because he was arrogant and proud. Mr. Darcy then leaves.
  The next day, Mr. Darcy happens upon Elizabeth during one of her walks and hands her a letter. In the letter, Mr. Darcy explains that he didn't feel that Jane was in love with Mr. Bingley and because the Bennets (except for Jane and Elizabeth) acted with impropriety, he separated Jane and Mr. Bingley. He states that he regretted concealing that Jane was in London from Mr. Bingley. The letter continues about Mr. Wickham. Mr. Darcy reveals that Mr. Wickham and him grew up together and was treated like a son by the late Mr. Darcy who intended Mr. Wickham for the church and would give him the parsonage when he died. When old Mr. Darcy died, Mr. Wickham declined going into the church and instead wanted to go into the law and was compensated for the parsonage. It also turned out that Mr. Wickham convinced Georgiana Darcy to elope with him, but when Mr. Darcy found out he broke it up. Elizabeth realizes that she was wrong in believing Wickham.
  Elizabeth later goes on a trip with Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner to Derbyshire. While staying at the inn at Lambton, the three visit Pemberly, the home of Mr. Darcy, while he is away. While touring Pemberly, Elizabeth encounters Mr. Darcy, who returned a day early. Mr. Darcy welcomes Elizabeth and Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner to Pemberly and shows them around. The next day, Mr. Darcy introduces Elizabeth to his sister, Georgiana; Elizabeth and Georgiana grow close and Elizabeth begins to fall in love with Mr. Darcy.
  Elizabeth receives a letter from Jane one day saying that Lydia had eloped with Wickham and are somewhere in London. Mr. Darcy happens upon Elizabeth when she discovers this news and says that he will keep the unhappy truth concealed. Elizabeth and Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner return to Longbourn.
  News of the scandal begins to spread and the Bennet girls' chance of getting married are dying. Mr. Bennet receives a letter from Mr. Gardiner that they have found Lydia and Wickham and are making arrangements for the wedding. After the wedding, the newlyweds visit Longbourn, and Lydia accidentally tells Elizabeth that Mr. Darcy was at the wedding. Elizabeth writes to Mrs. Gardiner to find out why Mr. Darcy was there; Mrs. Gardiner responds that Mr. Darcy found Lydia and Wickham, payed off Wickhams debts, and brought the wedding about. Elizabeth confronts Wickham and says that they should not quarrel about the past.
  News arrives that Mr. Bingley has returned to Netherfield and proposes to Jane. Lady Catherine soon after arrives at Longbourn to confront Elizabeth about whether her and Mr. Darcy are engaged. When Elizabeth says she is not, Lady Catherine asks if she promises not to be to which Elizabeth refuses to make the promise.
  On a walk one day, Elizabeth thanks Mr. Darcy for helping them with Lydia's wedding. Mr. Darcy says that he still feels the same way about Elizabeth when he proposed to her, but he won't say anything else about it if she says so. Elizabeth admits she loves him and they become engaged.
  After the wedding, Mr. and Mrs. Darcy live at Pemberly, and Mr. Bennet and Kitty visit them often. Mr. and Mrs. Bingley move a short distance away, so the two sisters can visit each other often.


Other Pictures (Click thumbnails for bigger picture. Click the headings for more pictures.)
1940 Movie


1981 Miniseries


1995 Miniseries


2005 Movie


2008 Series (Lost in Austen)

3 comments:

  1. Lizzie rocks!!
    I love her played by Jennifer Ehle the most.
    I like your blog.
    Beth xx

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you, Beth! The blog is still not quite done and we're working on more profiles, but I'm glad you like it! :-)

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  3. Lovely blog! I'm glad I found it. :D

    ReplyDelete