analyse mrs bennet's character in pride and prejudice?

Question

Analyse Mrs Bennet’s character by looking closely at her attitude and behaviour. Comment on what you think of her actions, also what Mr Darcy, Mr Bennet and Elizabeth think of her and why.

Answer 1

Mrs. Bennet is a miraculously tiresome character. Noisy and foolish, she is a woman consumed by the desire to see her daughters married and seems to care for nothing else in the world. Ironically, her single-minded pursuit of this goal tends to backfire, as her lack of social graces alienates the very people (Darcy and Bingley) whom she tries desperately to attract. Austen uses her continually to highlight the necessity of marriage for young women. Mrs. Bennet also serves as a middle-class counterpoint to such upper-class snobs as Lady Catherine and Miss Bingley, demonstrating that foolishness can be found at every level of society. In the end, however, Mrs. Bennet proves such an unattractive figure, lacking redeeming characteristics of any kind, that some readers have accused Austen of unfairness in portraying her—as if Austen, like Mr. Bennet, took perverse pleasure in poking fun at a woman already scorned as a result of her ill breeding.

Answer 2

Mrs. Bennett is totally obsessed with having her daughters "marry well" although she is very common. She wants to be part of high society, although she has no sense of class or style, yet has no idea that she doesn't fit in with those around her. (There's a Brit-Comedy called Keeping Up Appearances that's based on this character). Her behavior betrays her true upbringing in a merchant-class family in Britain.

Mr. Darcy is of a high-society upbringing, of the same lineage as Lady Katherine. He finds Mrs. Bennett to be a tremendous bore and is constantly irritated by her outragous behavior. Only for the sake of Elizabeth does Mr. Darcy refrain from telling Mrs. Bennett what he thinks. In fact, even though Mr. Darcy is very much in love with Elizabeth, he at first refuses to act on the love because he is concerned about marrying into her family and how an association with Mrs. Bennett (as well as the outragous younger sisters) might diminish his status.

Mr. Bennett sees Mrs. B for what what she is, but he is not pretentous and simply allows her to be.

Elizabeth also sees the outragous nature of her mother's behavior and tries to suppress the outbursts (recall Mrs. Bennett's visit to Netherfield for the Ball, when she loudly expresses her opinion of Mr. Darcy, even though he's sitting across the table, and Elizabeth tries in vain to quiet her Mother). Elizabeth is a more sensible woman than her Mother, and despite the behavior of Mrs. Bennett, Elizabeth has educated herself in the proper mannerisms of the upper class society in which they are trying to live.

Answer 3

http://www.novelguide.com/prideandprejudice/index.html

http://www.pemberley.com/janeinfo/ppdrmtis.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pride_and_Prejudice

Answer 4

She's a twit, and they all know it.