How does Pride and Prejudice end?

Darcy proposes a second time and Elizabeth accepts. Jane is also engaged to Bingley, and the two couples marry in a joint celebration. Lydia and Wickham are already married, thanks to Darcy's quiet intervention.

Do Elizabeth and Darcy end up together?

Yes. After Elizabeth rejects his first proposal and reads his letter, they both change, and she accepts when he asks again.

When and where is Pride and Prejudice set?

It takes place in Regency England, in the Hertfordshire countryside and the village of Meryton, with scenes in Kent at Rosings Park and Hunsford, in London, and in Derbyshire at Pemberley.

Why does Elizabeth dislike Darcy at first?

She overhears him call her only tolerable at the Meryton ball, and then Wickham tells her Darcy treated him cruelly. She takes both as proof of Darcy's pride.

Who is the villain in Pride and Prejudice?

Wickham is the closest to a villain. He deceives Elizabeth, tried to elope with Georgiana for her fortune, and runs off with Lydia. Caroline Bingley and Lady Catherine are obstacles, but not dangerous.

Story summary

Pride and Prejudice summary

When a rich bachelor and his proud friend arrive in a Hertfordshire village, a quick-witted young woman has to decide how much of her own first impression to trust.

Pride and Prejudice is set in Regency-era England, among the country families of Hertfordshire. Mrs. Bennet has five daughters and an estate that will pass to a distant cousin, so she is determined to marry them off well. When wealthy Mr. Bingley rents Netherfield Park and arrives with his friend Mr. Darcy, the whole neighborhood begins to hope. Elizabeth, the second daughter, is sharp-eyed and independent, and she takes an immediate dislike to Darcy.

This is a comedy of manners and a love story, full of balls, proposals, family embarrassments and sharp conversation. It follows how first impressions can mislead, how pride gets in the way, and how two people who are certain they understand each other must learn to look again. Readers who like romance with wit, and stories about people changing their minds, will feel at home.

Main characters

The plot

Spoilers from here on, including the ending.

A new neighbor at Netherfield

Mrs. Bennet tells her husband that Netherfield Park has been let to a single man of large fortune. Mr. Bennet has already called on him, and soon the family meets Mr. Bingley at the Meryton assembly. Bingley is delightful and dances twice with Jane, the eldest Bennet sister. His friend Mr. Darcy refuses to dance and says within Elizabeth's hearing that she is only tolerable. Elizabeth tells the story with good humor, but she does not forget it.

Netherfield, Mr. Collins and Mr. Wickham

Jane catches a fever after riding to Netherfield in the rain, and Elizabeth walks there to nurse her. Darcy begins to find himself drawn to Elizabeth and is troubled by it. Back home, the Bennets are visited by their cousin Mr. Collins, a pompous clergyman who will inherit Longbourn. At Meryton, they meet the charming officer George Wickham, who tells Elizabeth that Darcy cheated him of a church living. She believes him easily.

Proposals and disappointments

At the Netherfield ball Darcy asks Elizabeth to dance, and the evening is full of family embarrassments. The next morning, Mr. Collins proposes, and Elizabeth refuses him. Her friend Charlotte Lucas accepts him instead, for the sake of a comfortable home. Meanwhile, the Netherfield party leaves for London, and Jane is left sad and confused. Elizabeth blames Darcy and Bingley's sister.

Hunsford and the letter

In the spring, Elizabeth visits Charlotte at Hunsford, near Rosings Park, where she meets Darcy's formidable aunt Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Darcy and his cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam arrive for Easter. Elizabeth learns that Darcy had a hand in separating Bingley and Jane, and when Darcy proposes, she refuses angrily. He gives her a letter the next morning. It explains his actions and reveals Wickham's attempt to elope with Darcy's young sister Georgiana. Elizabeth realizes how badly she has misjudged both men.

Pemberley and Lydia's elopement

Lydia goes to Brighton, despite Elizabeth's warning to her father. That summer, Elizabeth tours Derbyshire with her aunt and uncle and visits Pemberley, believing Darcy to be away. He arrives early and greets her with great courtesy, and introduces her to Georgiana. Then letters arrive from Jane: Lydia has run off with Wickham. Elizabeth tells Darcy, and he leaves quickly. She thinks she has lost him.

Settlements, a visit and a second proposal

Uncle Gardiner reports that the couple has been found and will marry. Lydia lets slip that Darcy was at the wedding, and Mrs. Gardiner's letter explains that he found them and paid for everything in secret. Bingley returns to Netherfield, visits Longbourn, and proposes to Jane. Lady Catherine then storms in to demand that Elizabeth promise never to marry Darcy, and Elizabeth refuses. When Darcy visits, Elizabeth thanks him for what he did for Lydia, and he asks again. This time she says yes. Mr. Bennet is astonished, then moved, and the two weddings take place together.

Themes

Pride and first impressions: Both Elizabeth and Darcy are certain they have read each other correctly, and both are wrong. Darcy's pride makes him look down on a lively family, and Elizabeth's pride in her own judgment makes her believe the first man who flatters her. Each has to learn humility.
Marriage, money and choice: The Bennet daughters face real consequences if they do not marry, because Longbourn is entailed. The story shows a range of answers: Charlotte marries for security, Lydia for excitement, and Jane and Elizabeth for love and respect. Elizabeth insists that happiness is worth waiting for.
Family and reputation: A family's behavior reflects on everyone in it. Mrs. Bennet's boasting, Mary's singing and Lydia's elopement all put the sisters' prospects at risk. Mr. Bennet's careless humor has consequences, and the Gardiners show a steadier example.
Character and change: Darcy proves to be kinder than he first seems, and Wickham proves to be worse. The story rewards people who act well when no one is watching, as Darcy does when he rescues Lydia in secret.

Questions about Pride and Prejudice

How does Pride and Prejudice end?: Darcy proposes a second time and Elizabeth accepts. Jane is also engaged to Bingley, and the two couples marry in a joint celebration. Lydia and Wickham are already married, thanks to Darcy's quiet intervention.
Do Elizabeth and Darcy end up together?: Yes. After Elizabeth rejects his first proposal and reads his letter, they both change, and she accepts when he asks again.
When and where is Pride and Prejudice set?: It takes place in Regency England, in the Hertfordshire countryside and the village of Meryton, with scenes in Kent at Rosings Park and Hunsford, in London, and in Derbyshire at Pemberley.
Why does Elizabeth dislike Darcy at first?: She overhears him call her only tolerable at the Meryton ball, and then Wickham tells her Darcy treated him cruelly. She takes both as proof of Darcy's pride.
Who is the villain in Pride and Prejudice?: Wickham is the closest to a villain. He deceives Elizabeth, tried to elope with Georgiana for her fortune, and runs off with Lydia. Caroline Bingley and Lady Catherine are obstacles, but not dangerous.