Pride and Prejudice — Character Relationship Map
1. Family Structures
Bennet Family — Longbourn
Mr Bennet ─── Mrs Bennet (née Gardiner)
│
├── Jane Bennet (eldest) ──→ marries Mr Bingley
├── Elizabeth Bennet (second) ──→ marries Mr Darcy
├── Mary Bennet (third)
├── Kitty/Catherine Bennet (fourth)
└── Lydia Bennet (youngest) ──→ marries Mr Wickham
Mrs Bennet's Relatives
Mrs Bennet's younger brother ─── Mr Gardiner (London merchant)
│
└── Mrs Gardiner (connected to Derbyshire)
+ four children (two daughters, two sons)
Mrs Bennet's younger sister ─── Mrs Philips (lives in Meryton)
│
└── Mr Philips (attorney)
Darcy Family — Pemberley
The late Mr Darcy ─── Lady Anne Darcy
│ │
│ └── sister: Lady Catherine de Bourgh
│
├── Fitzwilliam Darcy ──→ marries Elizabeth
└── Georgiana Darcy (age 16)
[joint guardians: Darcy + Colonel Fitzwilliam]
de Bourgh Family — Rosings
The late Sir Lewis de Bourgh ─── Lady Catherine de Bourgh
│
└── Miss Anne de Bourgh
+ Mrs Jenkinson (companion/governess)
Bingley Family — Netherfield
The late Mr Bingley (father, northern merchant)
│
├── Charles Bingley ──→ marries Jane
├── Caroline Bingley
└── Louisa Bingley ─── Mr Hurst
(Mrs Hurst)
Lucas Family — Lucas Lodge
Sir William Lucas ─── Lady Lucas
│
├── Charlotte Lucas (age 27) ──→ marries Mr Collins
├── Maria Lucas
└── younger sons
Collins
Mr Collins (clergyman and distant cousin of Mr Bennet)
│
└── legal heir to the Longbourn estate under the entail
rector of Hunsford parish
receives Lady Catherine's patronage
2. Evolution of the Core Relationships (Event Order)
Darcy ↔ Elizabeth (the Novel's Central Axis)
EVT-003 [dislike begins] Darcy's “tolerable” insult → Elizabeth's dislike
EVT-004 [one-sided attraction] Darcy is drawn to her “fine eyes” (Elizabeth does not know)
EVT-009 [bewitched] Darcy is fully captivated → deliberately distances himself
EVT-016 [confrontation] dance at the ball + direct clash over Wickham
EVT-028 [rupture] first proposal/rejection: “last man in the world”
EVT-029 [turning point] Darcy's letter → truth revealed
EVT-030 [self-recognition] “Till this moment, I never knew myself”
EVT-035 [reassessment] Elizabeth rediscovers Darcy's character at Pemberley
EVT-036 [reunion] Darcy's completely changed manner
EVT-039 [recognition of love] “all love must be vain”—love named for the first time
EVT-042 [gratitude] Darcy's secret intervention revealed
EVT-046 [union] second proposal accepted
EVT-048 [marriage] mistress of Pemberley
Bingley ↔ Jane
EVT-003 [first meeting] dance twice at the ball → mutual attraction
EVT-006 [deepening] sincere concern during Jane's illness
EVT-010 [parting] Jane returns home; Bingley regrets her leaving
EVT-019 [separation] Darcy and Miss Bingley conspire to withdraw to London
EVT-021 [despair] Miss Bingley's letter extinguishes Jane's hope
EVT-023 [hypocrisy exposed] Miss Bingley's coldness in London → friendship ends
EVT-037 [reunion] at Pemberley, Bingley says he has not seen Jane “since the 26th of November”
EVT-043 [return] Darcy reverses the separation → return to Netherfield
EVT-044 [engagement] renewed proposal + acceptance
EVT-048 [marriage]
Wickham ↔ Multiple Characters
Wickham ↔ Darcy:
- childhood: raised together on the same estate (godson of the late Mr Darcy)
- voluntarily gives up a £3,000 living → dissipation → demands it again → refused
- attempts to seduce Georgiana (revealed in EVT-029)
- final confrontation after Lydia's flight (EVT-038–040)
Wickham ↔ Elizabeth:
EVT-014 gains her trust through false testimony
EVT-022 turns to Miss King → Elizabeth's illusion begins to dissolve
EVT-030 letter reveals his true nature → trust collapses completely
EVT-033 final meeting—Elizabeth detects his hypocrisy directly
Wickham ↔ Lydia:
EVT-038 flee from Brighton (with no intention of marrying)
EVT-040 Darcy's secret intervention brings about the marriage
Collins ↔ the Bennets ↔ Charlotte
EVT-011 Collins visits Longbourn (the personification of the entail)
EVT-012 intended bride: Jane → Elizabeth
EVT-017 Elizabeth rejects his proposal
EVT-018 Mr Bennet takes Elizabeth's side
EVT-020 Charlotte accepts Collins → rift in her friendship with Elizabeth
3. Class and Economic Relationship Map
Ranking by Wealth
[highest]
Mr Darcy £10,000 a year + Pemberley estate + London townhouse
Lady Catherine Rosings estate + immense fortune
[upper]
Mr Bingley approximately £100,000 inherited (£4,000–5,000 a year) / no estate purchased
Miss de Bourgh heiress to Rosings (amount unknown, immense)
Georgiana Darcy £30,000 dowry
[middle]
Mr Bennet £2,000 a year (the entail disadvantages his daughters)
Mr Collins income from Hunsford parish (quite secure)
[lower]
Mr Wickham penniless + in debt (rescued by Darcy)
each Bennet sister approximately £200 after their mother's death (4% government stock)
Patronage Relationships
Lady Catherine ──[right of presentation to a living]──→ Mr Collins
Mr Darcy ──[rights of presentation in several parishes]──→ various clergymen
Mr Darcy ──[purchases an ensign's commission]──→ Mr Wickham (secret intervention)
Entail Chain
Mr Bennet's estate (Longbourn)
│
└──[entail]──→ Mr Collins (male heir)
│
└──→ Charlotte Lucas Collins (future mistress)
※ Mrs Bennet and her five daughters are excluded from the inheritance
4. Character Distribution by Location
Hertfordshire
| Location |
Residents |
| Longbourn |
the entire Bennet family |
| Netherfield Park |
Bingley, Miss Bingley, Mr and Mrs Hurst (temporary) + Darcy (guest) |
| Lucas Lodge |
the entire Lucas family |
| Meryton |
Mr and Mrs Philips, the militia regiment (Wickham, Denny, Colonel Forster, and others) |
Kent
| Location |
Residents |
| Rosings Park |
Lady Catherine, Miss de Bourgh, Mrs Jenkinson |
| Hunsford Parsonage |
Collins, Charlotte |
Derbyshire
| Location |
Residents |
| Pemberley |
Darcy, Georgiana, Mrs Reynolds |
| Lambton |
Mrs Gardiner's former home area |
London
| Location |
Residents |
| Grosvenor Street |
the Hursts (where the Bingley sisters stay) |
| Gracechurch Street |
the Gardiner family |
| Darcy's London house |
Darcy, Bingley (guest) |
Other Locations
| Location |
Associated Characters |
| Brighton |
militia camp—Lydia, Wickham, Colonel and Mrs Forster |
| regular-army station in the north |
Wickham and Lydia (transferred after marriage) |
5. Classification by Emotional/Relational Type
Love and Marriage
| Relationship |
Nature |
Result |
| Darcy ↔ Elizabeth |
genuine love overcoming pride and prejudice |
marriage |
| Bingley ↔ Jane |
pure mutual affection tested by outside intervention |
marriage |
| Wickham ↔ Lydia |
impulse and imprudence, secured with money |
marriage (unhappy) |
| Collins ↔ Charlotte |
practical compromise, an unemotional contract |
marriage (stable but arid) |
| Mr Bennet ↔ Mrs Bennet |
a youthful mistake, long since extinguished |
marriage (cynical coexistence) |
Hostility and Rivalry
| Relationship |
Nature |
| Miss Bingley → Elizabeth |
one-sided jealousy and hostility over Darcy |
| Miss Bingley → Jane |
superficial friendship + covert separation |
| Lady Catherine → Elizabeth |
class contempt + defense of the planned marriage to Miss de Bourgh |
| Darcy ↔ Wickham |
childhood companions turned enemies (the Georgiana affair) |
Friendship and Trust
| Relationship |
Nature |
| Elizabeth ↔ Jane |
the deepest sisterly bond; confidantes |
| Elizabeth ↔ Charlotte |
fractured over conflicting views of marriage, then partially restored |
| Elizabeth ↔ Mrs Gardiner |
wise adviser and emotional supporter |
| Darcy ↔ Bingley |
opposite temperaments, but closest friends |
| Darcy ↔ Colonel Fitzwilliam |
cousins and Georgiana's joint guardians |
Patronage and Dependence
| Relationship |
Nature |
| Lady Catherine → Collins |
absolute patronage and flattery founded on the right of presentation |
| Darcy → Wickham |
his father's legacy → betrayal → secret rescue |
| Darcy → Bingley |
friendship in which Darcy claims superior judgment (separation/reversal) |
6. Core Timeline of Relationship Changes for Translators
Forms of address, tone, and attitude between characters change with events. Consult the timeline below when translating:
| Point |
Darcy → Elizabeth |
Elizabeth → Darcy |
Bingley → Jane |
Wickham → Elizabeth |
| Chapters 1–6 |
indifference → concealed attraction |
simple dislike |
attraction begins |
not yet appeared |
| Chapters 7–13 |
bewitched + restraint |
dislike maintained |
sincere concern |
not yet appeared |
| Chapters 14–17 |
distancing |
prejudice entrenched by Wickham's testimony |
attraction peaks |
charming victim |
| Chapters 18–23 |
painful attraction |
hostility maximized |
separated |
turns to Miss King |
| Chapters 24–34 |
restraint fails → proposal |
“last man in the world” |
separated + despairing |
relationship disappears |
| Chapters 35–40 |
self-defense through the letter |
recognizes prejudice + shame |
no change |
disillusionment complete |
| Chapters 41–45 |
completely changed manner |
respect + gratitude + unnamed attraction |
longing maintained |
contempt for Wickham |
| Chapters 46–54 |
secret rescue |
recognizes love + “all vain” |
return + renewed approach |
fugitive/fraud |
| Chapters 55–61 |
proposes again |
accepts |
engagement + marriage |
family disgrace |