Elizabeth Bennet, later Elizabeth Darcy, is the protagonist in the 1813 novel Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. She is often referred to as Eliza or Lizzy by her friends and family.Elizabeth is the second eldest of the five Bennet sisters of the estate of Longbourn, situated near the fictional market village of Meryton in Hertfordshire, England. She is 20 years old at the beginning of the novel.] Elizabeth is portrayed as an intelligent young woman, with "a lively, playful disposition, which delighted in anything ridiculous". She often presents a playful good-natured impertinence that does not offend. Early in the novel she is depicted as being personally proud of her mental quickness and her acuity in judging the social behaviour and intentions of others.
Of her family, Elizabeth is her father's favourite, described by him as having "something more of quickness than her sisters". In contrast, she is the least dear to her mother, especially after Elizabeth refuses a marriage proposal from Mr. Collins. Elizabeth is also often upset and embarrassed by the behaviour of her mother and of her younger sisters.
Her father is a landowner, but his estate, Longbourn, is entailed away under English law from his children because he does not have a son, and upon his death, Longbourn will be inherited by his cousin, Mr. Collins, a clergyman. Within her neighbourhood, Elizabeth is considered a beauty and a charming young woman, with "fine eyes" to which Mr. Darcy is first drawn. He is later attracted more particularly to her "light and pleasing" figure, the "easy playfulness" of her manners, her mind and personality, and eventually considers her "one of the handsomest women" in his acquaintance.
Pride and Prejudice primarily focuses on Elizabeth and her experiences with Mr. Darcy, a wealthy, proud man who, on their first meeting, snubs her at a public dance in her home village. Her first impression, based on Darcy's studied aloofness and his refusal to dance...
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