Fitzwilliam Darcy

Darcy and Bennet by C. E. Brock (1895) She is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me.
Full Name:	Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy
Gender:	Male
Age:	28
Income:	£10,000+/year
Carriage(s) Owned:	Curricle at Pemberley
Primary Residence:	Pemberley House, in Derbyshire
Family
Romantic Interest(s):	Elizabeth Bennet
Parents:	Mr. Darcy and Lady Anne Darcy (formerly Anne Fitzwilliam)
Sibling(s):	Georgiana Darcy
Film Adaptations
Portrayed By:	1940 Movie: Lord Laurence Olivier 1952 TV adaptation: Andrew Osborn 1952 TV serial: Peter Cushing 1958 TV serial: Alan Badel 1967 TV serial: Lewis Fiander 1980 TV serial: David Rintoul 1995 TV serial: Colin Firth 2005 Movie: Matthew Macfadyen

Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy is a fictional character and one of two protagonists in Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice. He is an archetype of the aloof romantic hero, and a romantic interest of Elizabeth Bennet, the novel's other protagonist. Elizabeth Lizzy Bennet (sometimes referred to as Eliza or Lizzy) is a fictional character and the protagonist of Jane Austens novel Pride and Prejudice. ... Charles Edmund Brock (1870 - 1938) was a widely published English line artist and book illustrator, who signed his work . ... A curricle was a smart light two wheeled chariot large enough for the driver and a passenger and— most unusual for a vehicle with a single axle—drawn by a carefully-matched pair. ... Pemberley is the name of the estate and country house owned by Fitzwilliam Darcy in Jane Austens novel Pride and Prejudice. ... Pemberley is the name of the estate and country house owned by Fitzwilliam Darcy in Jane Austens novel Pride and Prejudice. ... Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. ... Elizabeth Lizzy Bennet (sometimes referred to as Eliza or Lizzy) is a fictional character and the protagonist of Jane Austens novel Pride and Prejudice. ... Jane Austens novel Pride and Prejudice (1813) has been the subject of numerous television and film adaptations. ... Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM, (IPA: ; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an Academy Award, Golden Globe, BAFTA and four-time Emmy winning English actor, director, and producer. ... Peter Wilton Cushing, OBE, (26 May 1913-11 August 1994) was an English actor, known for his many appearances in Hammer Films, in which he played Baron Frankenstein and Dr. Van Helsing, amongst many other roles, often appearing opposite his close friend Christopher Lee. ... Alan Badel (1923-1982) The barnstorming actor Alan Badel was born in Rusholme, Lancashire on 10 September 1923. ... Pride and Prejudice is a 1980 BBC miniseries, faithfully adapted by British novelist Fay Weldon from Jane Austens novel of the same name, originally published in 1813. ... David Rintoul is an actor from the UK. Born David Wilson on 29 November 1948 in Aberdeen, Scotland. ... This article is about the 1995 TV serial. ... Colin Andrew Firth (born 10 September 1960) is an English film, television and stage actor. ... Movie Poster Jane Austens novel Pride and Prejudice (1813) has been the subject of numerous television and film adaptations. ... Matthew Macfadyen Matthew Macfadyen (born 1974) is a British theatre and film actor, best known for his role as MI5 agent Tom Quinn in the BBC television drama series Spooks. ... 1870 engraving of Jane Austen, based on a portrait commissioned by her nephew for his 1870 Memoir of Jane Austen Jane Austen (16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist whose works include Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, Northanger Abbey, and Persuasion. ... This article is about the literary concept. ... For films named Pride and Prejudice, see Pride and Prejudice (film). ... Elizabeth Lizzy Bennet (sometimes referred to as Eliza or Lizzy) is a fictional character and the protagonist of Jane Austens novel Pride and Prejudice. ...

Character

In the novel, Mr. Darcy is a wealthy gentleman with an income of at least £10,000 a year, and the owner of Pemberley, a large estate in Derbyshire, England. When his friend, Mr. Bingley, begins courting Elizabeth Bennet's older sister, Jane, Darcy disapproves of the relationship and convinces Bingley that Jane does not care about him. However, Darcy --having previously slighted Elizabeth at their first meeting which, combined with his interference in Bingley and Jane's budding relationship, has caused her to dislike him intensely-- eventually becomes attracted to Elizabeth, and begins to court her, in his own way, while struggling against his continued feelings of superiority. Pemberley is the name of the estate and country house owned by Fitzwilliam Darcy in Jane Austens novel Pride and Prejudice. ... Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Elizabeth Lizzy Bennet (sometimes referred to as Eliza or Lizzy) is a fictional character and the protagonist of Jane Austens novel Pride and Prejudice. ...

When she turns down his proposal of marriage however, Darcy is stunned, and shocked into a new reality of how his behaviour is perceived by others, particularly Elizabeth Bennet. Now he reconsiders all, and then commits to go out of his way to demonstrate his respect and devotion for her. He tempers his pride, reevaluates his feelings on the relationship between Bingley and Jane, and, acts to save Elizabeth's youngest sister Lydia from disgrace at the hands of his bitter enemy, George Wickham: after these two have run away together, Darcy convinces him to marry her. Darcy's second proposal to Elizabeth, against the express wishes of his Aunt Lady Catherine, completes the novel's climax; she accepts him, much to the delight of her mother, and the novel concludes with her becoming Mrs. Darcy. For films named Pride and Prejudice, see Pride and Prejudice (film). ... Look up Climax in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Darcy is depicted within the novel as a seemingly cold and aloof man with a large sense of personal pride that frequently expresses itself as arrogance. His apparently distant manner and contempt for those around him leads to his becoming the focus of the disdain of both Elizabeth and many of the other characters over the course of the narrative, particularly in light of the claims of George Wickham, who insists that Darcy has wronged him in the past and who, because of his approachable and charming nature, is automatically given the benefit of the doubt over Darcy. It is eventually revealed, however, that these first impressions are erroneous, as Darcy's seemingly arrogant character masks a sincerely generous, compassionate and loving nature, and that it was in fact he who was wronged by Wickham, whose own character is revealed to be untrustworthy and duplicitous. Even such matters as his interference in the relationship between Jane and Bingley are presented and re-interpreted as being motivated by genuine concern for the feelings of his friend rather than out of malicious intent.

Noted portrayals of Mr. Darcy

Further information: List of artistic depictions of and related to Pride and Prejudice

Colin Firth as Mr.Darcy in the 1995 BBC adaptation.

• Laurence Olivier portrayed Darcy in the classic 1940 version of Pride and Prejudice.
• David Rintoul portrayed Darcy in the 1980 BBC adaptation.
• Colin Firth portrayed Darcy in the 1995 BBC version of Pride and Prejudice. Firth's portrayal of Darcy inspired Helen Fielding to create the character Mark Darcy in her novels Bridget Jones' Diary and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason. Firth then played Mark Darcy in the films based on Fielding's novels.
• Orlando Seale portrayed Will Darcy in the 2003 film Pride & Prejudice: A Latter-Day Comedy a modern version of Pride and Prejudice.
• Martin Henderson portrayed Will Darcy in the 2005 film Bride and Prejudice, a Bollywood adaptation of Pride and Prejudice.
• Matthew Macfadyen portrayed Darcy in the 2005 film Pride and Prejudice.

The following is a list of artistic depictions of and related to the classic novel, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, which was originally published in 1813. ... Colin Andrew Firth (born 10 September 1960) is an English film, television and stage actor. ... This article is about the 1995 TV serial. ... Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM, (IPA: ; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an Academy Award, Golden Globe, BAFTA and four-time Emmy winning English actor, director, and producer. ... American cinema has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. ... Jane Austens novel Pride and Prejudice (1813) has been the subject of numerous television and film adaptations. ... David Rintoul is an actor from the UK. Born David Wilson on 29 November 1948 in Aberdeen, Scotland. ... Pride and Prejudice is a 1980 BBC miniseries, faithfully adapted by British novelist Fay Weldon from Jane Austens novel of the same name, originally published in 1813. ... Colin Andrew Firth (born 10 September 1960) is an English film, television and stage actor. ... This article is about the 1995 TV serial. ... Helen Fielding (born February 19, 1958 in Morley, West Yorkshire) is a British author, best known as the author of the novel Bridget Joness Diary and its sequel Bridget Jones: The Edge Of Reason The Bridget Jones books had their origins in a column published in The Independent and... Mark Darcy and Bridget Jones Mark Darcy is a supporting character in the novels Bridget Joness Diary and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason by Helen Fielding, both of which have been made into Hollywood movies starring Renée Zellweger, Colin Firth, and Hugh Grant. ... Bridget Joness Diary is a novel by Helen Fielding. ... Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason is a book by Helen Fielding as well as movie based on the book. ... Martin Henderson (born October 8, 1974) is a New Zealand actor. ... This article is about the 2004 Bollywood style film. ... Bollywood (Hindi: , Urdu: ) is the informal term popularly used for Mumbai-based Hindi-language film industry in India. ... Matthew Macfadyen Matthew Macfadyen (born 1974) is a British theatre and film actor, best known for his role as MI5 agent Tom Quinn in the BBC television drama series Spooks. ... Movie Poster Jane Austens novel Pride and Prejudice (1813) has been the subject of numerous television and film adaptations. ...

Cultural influence and legacy

The character of Fitzwilliam Darcy has appeared and inspired numerous works. Both Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet feature as part of science fiction author Philip Jose Farmer's 'Wold Newton family' concept, which links numerous fictional characters (such as Tarzan and Sherlock Holmes) together via an interconnected family tree of people and events.^{[citation needed]} According to Farmer's works, both were recipients of radiation resulting from a meteorite that struck Wold Newton in Yorkshire in the 1790s (this event actually occurred). This allowed them to be the ancestors of many other famous literary characters, some of whom possessed unusual or even superhuman gifts and abilities. American writer Pamela Aidan has written a trilogy called Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman (former title was The Chronicles of Pemberley), which explores Darcy's perspective on the events of Pride and Prejudice - in particular focusing on his developing relationship with and feelings for Elizabeth Bennet.^{[citation needed]} Elizabeth Lizzy Bennet (sometimes referred to as Eliza or Lizzy) is a fictional character and the protagonist of Jane Austens novel Pride and Prejudice. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... For other uses, see Author (disambiguation). ... Philip José Farmer (born January 26, 1918) is an American author, principally known for his science fiction and fantasy novels and short stories. ... The Wold Newton family. ... For other uses, see Tarzan (disambiguation). ... A portrait of Sherlock Holmes by Sidney Paget from the Strand Magazine, 1891 Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, who first appeared in publication in 1887. ... Wold Newton is a small Yorkshire Wolds village in the East Riding of Yorkshire. ... Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England. ... Pamela Aidan is an author. ... Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman is the collective name given to a trilogy of historical romance novels written by Pamela Aidan. ... For films named Pride and Prejudice, see Pride and Prejudice (film). ...

Helen Fielding has admitted she "pillaged her plot"^[1] for Bridget Jones's Diary from Pride and Prejudice. In Bridget Jones's Dairy and its sequel Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, Bridget Jones is constantly mentioning the 1995 BBC adaptation and watches the scene in the fourth episode where Darcy (Colin Firth) comes out of a pond wearing a wet white shirt numerous times,^[2] and refers to the Darcy and Elizabeth of the TV series as "my chosen representatives in the field of shagging, or, rather, courtship".^[3] When in The Edge of Reason Bridget becomes a journalist, she is flown to Italy where she is to interview Firth about his (then upcoming) film Fever Pitch, but finds herself only asking him questions about Mr.Darcy and the filming of the "pond scene".^[2] This scene was shot but not included in the film adaptation of Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason because Colin Firth portrayed Mark Darcy, Bridget's love interest. This scene can be seen in the DVD's extra features. Colin Firth's Mr.Darcy in the BBC adaptation has been called the “definitive” Darcy,^[4] and his "pond scene" made it into Channel 4's Top 100 TV Moments.^[5] Colin Firth has found it hard to shake off the Darcy image,^[6] and he thought that playing Bridget Jones’s Mark Darcy, a character inspired by the other Darcy, would ridicule and liberate himself once and for all from the character.^[7] Colin Firth has also played the role of a "Mr Darcy" In the 2007 film St Trinnians. Helen Fielding (born February 19, 1958 in Morley, West Yorkshire) is a British author, best known as the author of the novel Bridget Joness Diary and its sequel Bridget Jones: The Edge Of Reason The Bridget Jones books had their origins in a column published in The Independent and... Bridget Joness Diary is a 1996 novel by Helen Fielding. ... Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason is a book by Helen Fielding as well as movie based on the book. ... Bridget Jones is a fictional character created by English writer Helen Fielding. ... This article is about the 1995 TV serial. ... Colin Andrew Firth (born 10 September 1960) is an English film, television and stage actor. ... Fever Pitch is a 1997 film starring Colin Firth based loosely on the book Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby. ... This article is about the British television station. ...

Footnotes

1. ^ Penguin Reading Guides - Bridget Jones's Diary Retrieved on January 4-2008.
2. ^ ^{a b} "Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason" Helen Fielding. Penguin Books, 1999. (ISBN 014303443X)
3. ^ MTV.com - 'Pride & Prejudice': The Way They Were (Nov 23 2005) Retrieved on January 4-2008.
4. ^ Entertainment Magazine - The Timelessness of Jane Austen’s Classic Romance Retrieved on January 4-2008.
5. ^ The Independent - There's no escaping Mr Darcy (9 June 2000) Retrieved on January 4-2008.
6. ^ BBC News - Star takes pride in new Prejudice Retrieved on January 4-2008.
7. ^ Vanity Fair (Italy) - Me Sexy? only to that crazy Bridget Jones (Oct 16, 2003) Retrieved on January 4-2008.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Pride and Prejudice

v • d • e Jane Austen
General:	Timeline of Jane Austen · Reception history of Jane Austen · Jane Austen in popular culture · Janeite · Jane Austen Centre
People:	Catherine Hubback · Francis Austen · Cassandra Austen · Thomas Langlois Lefroy
Published novels:	Sense and Sensibility (1811) · Pride and Prejudice (1813) · Mansfield Park (1814) · Emma (1815) · Northanger Abbey (1817) · Persuasion (1817)
Incomplete novels:	Lady Susan · Sanditon · The Watsons
Juvenilia:	Love and Freindship · The Beautifull Cassandra
Characters:	Fitzwilliam Darcy · Elizabeth Bennet · Elinor Dashwood