Pride and Prejudice
Mr. Collins
The pompous cousin
A clergyman who will inherit Longbourn, and who cannot stop praising his patroness. He proposes as if reading from a list.
Mr. William Collins is Mr. Bennet's cousin, a young clergyman who will inherit Longbourn one day. He arrives bowing and talking, full of veneration for the Bennet family and, above all, for his patroness, Lady Catherine de Bourgh. He is stiff, pompous and completely without humor.
Collins has been told by Lady Catherine to find a wife, and he sets about it practically. When he hears Jane is likely to be engaged, he turns to Elizabeth without any pause. He is not a villain, only an absurd man who is very sure of himself, and he gives the story some of its funniest scenes.
“My reasons for marrying are, first, that I think it a right thing for every clergyman in easy circumstances... and second, that I am convinced it will add very greatly to my happiness.”
In the story
Contains spoilers.
At the Netherfield ball Collins steps on Elizabeth's toes through two dances, then introduces himself to Darcy without being asked. The next morning he proposes to Elizabeth with a list of reasons for marrying, and she refuses him firmly, though he is sure she is only being modest. When she persists, he is offended and quickly turns to Charlotte Lucas, who accepts.
At Hunsford Parsonage, he is as pleased with Lady Catherine as ever. When Lydia's disgrace becomes known, he writes to the Bennets advising them to cast her off forever, which is of no comfort at all.
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