Pride And Prejudice Character Quotations edexcel 3-19th-Century-Novel

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GCSE English Literature exam questions usually focus on a theme, a character or a relationship between two or more characters. Examiners reward responses that track the development of characters or themes through the text.

When revising, try to consider quotes in terms of their dramatic effects — how the words are spoken, what attitudes or relationships are presented and why these ideas have been shown to the audience.

We’ve included the best Pride and Prejudice quotes — with detailed analysis — to help you to revise and organised them by the following characters:

Elizabeth Bennet
Fitzwilliam Darcy
Jane Bennet
Charles Bingley

Examiners don’t want you to remember lots of long lines, but rather to consider how a character’s dialogue represents a theme. The best answers consider what feelings or philosophies are behind the words, or what the character’s words imply (Austen’s characters never just say what they mean). Remember, the characters’ communication style tells readers a lot about the society, and therefore illustrates many of Austen’s ideas.

Here, we’ve included a “key word or phrase” from every one of our longer quotations to help you keep your focus on the most important parts of each quotation.

Elizabeth Bennet

“People themselves alter so much, that there is something new to be observed in them for ever” – Elizabeth Bennet, Chapter 9

Elizabeth Bennet	Key word or phrase to memorise: “alter” and “new”	What the quotation means: Elizabeth says that studying someone’s character is pointless, as they change so much	Theme: Social class
Challenging Darcy’s complaints about his “unvarying” social life, Elizabeth offers a positive perspective: Austen shows how Elizabeth’s outlook contrasts with Darcy’s pessimism Elizabeth emphatically offers his opinion that people should not be harshly judged: The words “alter” and “new” illustrates her magnanimous attitude Her tolerance for others conveys Austen’s challenge to pride and prejudice, and foreshadows Elizabeth’s later attitudes

“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” – Elizabeth Bennet, Chapter 24

Illustration of Elizabeth Bennet with curly hair looking to the side. — **Elizabeth Bennet**

Key word or phrase to memorise: “few” and “more”

What the quotation means: Elizabeth tells Jane that her world is beyond her understanding, and that she finds it challenging to like or trust people because they are inconstant

Theme: Love and marriage

Elizabeth tells Jane that she believes Charlotte’s marriage is impossible to explain
Elizabeth’s rhetoric presents her as passionate:
- Anaphora emphasises her belief that the world is confusing
- Austen uses juxtaposition to contrast the words “few” and “more”
- This highlights Elizabeth’s tendency to be extreme and contrary

“What are men to rocks and mountains?” – Elizabeth Bennet, Chapter 27

Illustration of a person with curly hair looking to the side, wearing a green blouse. The image is circular with a white background. — **Elizabeth Bennet**

Key word or phrase to memorise: “men” and “mountains”

What the quotation means: Elizabeth is ecstatic to be travelling to the Lake District, and tells her aunt that she is very pleased to be going to see rocks and mountains instead of the men in Derbyshire

Theme: Gender roles

Elizabeth’s uneasy attitude to romance is clear when she tells her aunt that nature is about “life and vigour”:
- She contrasts this with an emotive description of men (“disappointment and spleen”)
- Her attitude to love and marriage contradicts the attitudes of other female characters
The alliterative “men” and “mountains” draws attention to the strong and constant nature of mountains:

This highlights the conflict between humans and nature, a Romantic philosophy

“There is a stubbornness about me that never can bear to be frightened at the will of others. My courage always rises with every attempt to intimidate me” – Elizabeth Bennet, Chapter 31

Elizabeth Bennet	Key word or phrase to memorise: “courage” and “stubbornness”	What the quotation means: Elizabeth replies to Mr Darcy’s request that she play piano, saying she is aware of his attempts to humiliate her	Theme: Social class
Elizabeth’s emotive language portrays her strong feelings about the conduct of her society: She also equates bravery with “stubbornness” Austen highlights Elizabeth’s boldness with extreme statements: She says she will “never” be “frightened” by others, even Mr Darcy Through Elizabeth, Austen presents a challenge to snobbery

Fitzwilliam Darcy

“I have been meditating on the very great pleasure which a pair of fine eyes in the face of a pretty woman can bestow” – Fitzwilliam Darcy, Chapter 6

Illustration of Darcy as a man with light brown hair, wearing a high-collared white cravat and black coat. — **Fitzwilliam Darcy**

Key word or phrase to memorise: “pleasure” and “pretty”

What the quotation means: When Darcy is accused of being bored, he rejects this, saying that he takes “pleasure” in watching Elizabeth, who is “pretty”

Theme: Gender roles

Darcy’s attraction to Elizabeth is met with shock as he often takes pleasure in challenging Elizabeth:</p

English Literature GCSE EDEXCEL

Pride And Prejudice Character Quotations edexcel 3-19th-Century-Novel

Elizabeth Bennet

Fitzwilliam Darcy

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