The Character of Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudice In her novel, Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen portrays Elizabeth Bennet as "strong and intelligent, but bewitching in a thoroughly feminine way" . Elizabeth's possession of these attributes: strength of character and moral integrity, great intelligence and an attractive personality, make her an admirable person. Yet Elizabeth has flaws, which make her more human. Austen's portrayal of Elizabeth is realistic and masterful, often juxtaposing her with characters lacking her attributes to heighten our appreciation of her. The claim that Elizabeth is strong is indisputable. The strength of her personal integrity is very evident in her rejection of Darcy's first marriage proposal. At the time, he believed Darcy to be arrogant and selfish, based on Wickham's account of Darcy's disgraceful behavior towards him. She was also furious with him for ruining Jane's chances at happiness (by marrying Bingley). However, it would have been prudent for her, a girl receiving only £1,000 and 4% annual interest, to marry Darcy, whose estate is worth £10,000 a year. She, however, never wavers: "her intentions have not changed for an instant." The strength of her convictions and loyalty to her sister made her reject his offer, and with it, probably any chance of marrying "well" and securing a comfortable future. Furthermore, she was not intimidated by Darcy's wealth and high social status, daring to tell him exactly what she thought of him and risking his anger by offending him: "You could not have made me the offer of your hand in any possible way that would have induced me to accept it." It is very clear that Elizabeth's principles are uncompromising. Elizabeth ...... middle of paper ......on & Company, 1966. 374-388. Litz, A. Walton, Jane Austen: A Study of Her Artistic Development. Oxford University Press, 1965, p. 198.Moler, Kenneth. Pride and Prejudice: A Study in the Arts Economy. Boston, MA: Twayne Publishers, 1989.Mullane, Janet & Wilson, Robert Thomas, Nineteenth-Century Literary Criticism. Detroit, MI: Gale Research Inc., 1988, vol. 19, pp. 2, 4-8, 14, 17, 32, 42, 55-6, 58 and 66-7. "A Review of 'Pride and Prejudice,'" Critical Review, Vol. 3, no. 3, March 1813, pp. 318-24. Southam, BC, (ed.), Jane Austen: The Critical Heritage. Landon, NY: Routledge and Kegan Paul - Barres & Nobel Inc., 1968. Weldon, Fay. Readings on Jane Austen Taplinger Publishing Co. Inc, 1984 in. Ed.Wright, Andrew H. “Sentiment and Complexity in Pride and Prejudice.” Ed. Donald Gray. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1966. 410-420.