# Mrs. Bennet — Pride and Prejudice character guide > Mrs. Bennet in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. **Role:** supporting **Also known as:** Bennet **First appearance:** 0000-i ## Snapshot A woman of mean understanding and uncertain temper whose entire business in life is marrying off her five daughters before the entail strips them of home. ## Who they are Mrs. Bennet reads every ball, visit, and new neighbour as a matrimonial opportunity, and her nerves flare whenever fortune seems to stall. Her obsession is not mere silliness: with no son and an entailed estate, her daughters' futures genuinely depend on good matches, which makes her frantic scheming both comic and poignant. Her loud misjudgments—pushing Jane at Bingley, championing Collins for Elizabeth—repeatedly embarrass her family and complicate the very courtships she means to advance. ## Relationships ### [Elizabeth Bennet](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pride_and_prejudice_se/characters/elizabeth_bennet) _family_ Elizabeth is frequently embarrassed by her mother's vulgar matchmaking and lack of decorum. ### [Lydia Bennet](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pride_and_prejudice_se/characters/lydia_bennet) _family_ Mrs. Bennet indulges Lydia's wild behavior, and Lydia is her favorite, sharing a love of gossip and flirting. ### [Jane Bennet](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pride_and_prejudice_se/characters/jane_bennet) _family_ Mrs. Bennet is proud of Jane's beauty and pushes her toward Bingley, while Jane remains gentle and dutiful. ### [Mr. Collins](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pride_and_prejudice_se/characters/mr_collins) _social_ Mr. Collins is a sycophantic relative who seeks Mrs. Bennet's approval while planning to inherit Longbourn. ### [Lady Catherine de Bourgh](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pride_and_prejudice_se/characters/lady_catherine_de_bourgh) _social_ Lady Catherine looks down on Mrs. Bennet's low social standing and vulgarity, treating her with contempt. ### [Elizabeth Bennet](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pride_and_prejudice_se/characters/elizabeth_bennet) _family_ Elizabeth is frequently embarrassed by her mother's vulgar matchmaking and lack of decorum. ### [Jane Bennet](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pride_and_prejudice_se/characters/jane_bennet) _family_ Mrs. Bennet is proud of Jane's beauty and pushes her toward Bingley, while Jane remains gentle and dutiful. ### [Lydia Bennet](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pride_and_prejudice_se/characters/lydia_bennet) _family_ Mrs. Bennet indulges Lydia's wild behavior, and Lydia is her favorite, sharing a love of gossip and flirting. ### [Lady Catherine de Bourgh](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pride_and_prejudice_se/characters/lady_catherine_de_bourgh) _social_ Lady Catherine looks down on Mrs. Bennet's low social standing and vulgarity, treating her with contempt. ### [Elizabeth Bennet](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pride_and_prejudice_se/characters/elizabeth_bennet) _family_ Elizabeth is frequently embarrassed by her mother's vulgar matchmaking and lack of decorum. ### [Mr. Collins](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pride_and_prejudice_se/characters/mr_collins) _social_ Mr. Collins is a sycophantic relative who seeks Mrs. Bennet's approval while planning to inherit Longbourn. ### [Lady Catherine de Bourgh](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pride_and_prejudice_se/characters/lady_catherine_de_bourgh) _social_ Lady Catherine looks down on Mrs. Bennet's low social standing and vulgarity, treating her with contempt. ## In the story ### [Chapter I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pride_and_prejudice_se/chapters/i) Eagerly discusses Mr. Bingley's arrival and insists Mr. Bennet visit him to secure a match for one of their daughters. ### [Chapter II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pride_and_prejudice_se/chapters/ii) Expresses resentment and anxiety about meeting Mr. Bingley, then joy upon learning of the visit. ### [Chapter III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pride_and_prejudice_se/chapters/iii) Delighted with Bingley and his admiration for Jane; violently dislikes Darcy for slighting Elizabeth; recounts the ball with enthusiasm to Mr. Bennet. ### [Chapter V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pride_and_prejudice_se/chapters/v) Animatedly discusses Mr. Bingley's preference for Jane and criticizes Mr. Darcy's pride. ### [Chapter VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pride_and_prejudice_se/chapters/vii) Schemes to keep Jane at Netherfield by sending her on horseback in likely rain, delighted at the success of her plan. ### [Chapter IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pride_and_prejudice_se/chapters/ix) Visits Netherfield, praises Jane excessively, criticizes Darcy, and is delighted by Lydia's bold request for a ball. ### [Chapter XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pride_and_prejudice_se/chapters/xiii) Initially distressed by the entailment, but softened by Mr. Collins's letter and compliments. ### [Chapter XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pride_and_prejudice_se/chapters/xiv) Inquires about Lady Catherine and Miss de Bourgh, and later apologizes for Lydia's interruption. ### [Chapter XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pride_and_prejudice_se/chapters/xv) Encourages Mr. Collins to pursue Elizabeth after hinting that Jane is soon to be engaged. ### [Chapter XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pride_and_prejudice_se/chapters/xviii) Loudly boasts about Jane's future marriage to Mr. Bingley, causing Elizabeth great embarrassment. ### [Chapter XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pride_and_prejudice_se/chapters/xix) Eagerly facilitates the proposal by leaving Elizabeth alone with Mr. Collins. ### [Chapter XX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pride_and_prejudice_se/chapters/xx) Furious at Elizabeth's refusal, she pressures her daughter and seeks Mr. Bennet's intervention. ### [Chapter XXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pride_and_prejudice_se/chapters/xxi) Bewails the departure of the Netherfield ladies but consoles herself with the hope of Mr. Bingley's return. ### [Chapter XXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pride_and_prejudice_se/chapters/xxii) Mrs. Bennet mistakenly believes Mr. Collins intends to court one of her younger daughters, showing her persistent matchmaking hopes. ### [Chapter XXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pride_and_prejudice_se/chapters/xxiii) Reacted with disbelief and anger to Charlotte's engagement; blames Elizabeth and remains resentful for months; distressed by Mr. Bingley's absence. ### [Chapter XXIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pride_and_prejudice_se/chapters/xxiv) Continues to repine over Bingley's absence, hoping he will return in the summer. ### [Chapter XXV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pride_and_prejudice_se/chapters/xxv) Complains to Mrs. Gardiner about Jane's lost match and Elizabeth's refusal of Mr. Collins, and laments the entail. ### [Chapter XL](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pride_and_prejudice_se/chapters/xl) Complains about Bingley's departure and speculates on the Collinses' inheritance of Longbourn. ### [Chapter XLI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pride_and_prejudice_se/chapters/xli) Shares Lydia's delight and encourages her to enjoy herself; dismisses Elizabeth's concerns. ### [Chapter XLII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pride_and_prejudice_se/chapters/xlii) Her weak understanding and illiberal mind are highlighted; she is restored to querulous serenity after Lydia's departure. ### [Chapter XLVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pride_and_prejudice_se/chapters/xlviii) Distraught and anxious, she worries about Mr. Bennet's safety and Lydia's marriage. ### [Chapter XLIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pride_and_prejudice_se/chapters/xlix) Overjoyed upon hearing the news of Lydia's impending marriage, she bursts into exuberant plans for wedding clothes and visits, showing no remorse for Lydia's misconduct. ### [Chapter L](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pride_and_prejudice_se/chapters/l) Overjoyed at Lydia's impending marriage, she plans lavish nuptials and searches for a suitable house, ignoring the scandal. ### [Chapter LI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pride_and_prejudice_se/chapters/li) Overjoyed at Lydia's marriage, she welcomes the couple with rapture and eagerly plans visits. ### [Chapter LIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pride_and_prejudice_se/chapters/liii) Embarrasses her daughters with her effusive civility toward Bingley and coldness toward Darcy, unaware of Darcy's service to the family. ### [Chapter LIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pride_and_prejudice_se/chapters/liv) Mrs. Bennet is in high spirits, convinced that Bingley will propose to Jane, and she boasts about the dinner's success. ### [Chapter LV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pride_and_prejudice_se/chapters/lv) Schemes to leave Jane and Bingley alone, overjoyed at the engagement. ### [Chapter LVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pride_and_prejudice_se/chapters/lvi) Receives Lady Catherine with flustered politeness, unaware of the true purpose of the visit. ### [Chapter LIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pride_and_prejudice_se/chapters/lix) Overjoyed by Darcy's wealth upon learning of the engagement, though she still calls him 'disagreeable'. ### [LXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pride_and_prejudice_se/chapters/lxi) Happy to have married off her two most deserving daughters; still occasionally nervous and silly. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pride_and_prejudice_se/characters/mrs_bennet - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pride_and_prejudice_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pride_and_prejudice_se/characters