I think Charlotte Lucas is underrated. Do you agree? Readers of Pride and Prejudice tend to overlook Charlotte as a minor character who serves little purpose but in my opinion this is a mistake. Charlotte is a strong character in her own right, and she also serves as a warning and as a plot device. Simply put, without Charlotte Lucas there would be no Pride and Prejudice! Let’s take a closer look at this secondary but crucial character.
First, Charlotte is set up almost as an anti-heroine to Elizabeth. She is rather plain in appearance and she is twenty seven years old, so she’s an old maid in regency terms, unlike Elizabeth, who is both attractive and young. Charlotte’s father is a bit of a name dropper and social climber, so her continuing singlehood is probably somewhat disappointing. Unless something changes, all she can look forward to is a lifetime of being a burden on her family.
Charlotte is a keen observer of her surroundings and a good judge of character. She notices Darcy’s interest in Elizabeth long before Elizabeth does, while they are still in Meryton, and she suspects it again at Hunsford. She is also the one who realizes that Jane is not doing enough to encourage Bingley and predicts that her reticence may have dire consequences.
Despite the friendship between Elizabeth and Charlotte they look at love and marriage entirely differently. Elizabeth is still young and idealistic, and she insists that she will only marry someone she is in love with. But Charlotte, being older and more cynical, knows that love might never happen. Her unmarried state has driven her to extreme practicality, so she will accept any husband who is respectable and can provide a decent living, even if she doesn’t care for the man personally. In this way Charlotte serves as a warning. She is the woman in the mirror, the image of who Elizabeth may become if she does not find someone who meets her high standards. 
But Charlotte is also critical to the entire plot of Pride and Prejudice! Think about what would change in the story if Charlotte did not exist:
- We would have very little idea that Darcy admires Lizzy in Meryton. We might wonder what he is thinking, but without Charlotte’s astute observations we would be as clueless as Elizabeth.
- Mr. Collins would still propose to Elizabeth, and she would still turn him down. But then, in all likelihood, Collins would propose to Mary. The Bennet’s financial worries would be over!
- With no married friend to visit, Elizabeth would never go to Hunsford. She and Darcy would likely never see each other again.
Most importantly, without Charlotte there would be no window into what life looks like when one marries respectably but without affection. One of the main themes in the novel is the idea of marrying for love versus marrying for more practical considerations. In Charlotte’s marriage we see that the ideal marriage should unite both.
What do you think of Charlotte? Did anything written here make you think differently about her? Please tell me below!
Interesting
Thank you, Elaine, for posting your observations about Charlotte Lucas. I realized I hadn’t looked closely at her and her personality, etc. I may have her play a different role in at least one future book. And, I may take closer looks at other characters in ‘Pride and Prejudice.” 🙂
That’s quite a compliment, thank you! As a writer I had to sympathize with Austen’s dilemma in plotting the story. She had to come up with a way for E & D to meet again after D leaves Meryton, in a setting that would allow them to spend time together over the course of several weeks. She managed to do it with a character who adds dimension to the story in her own right. Brilliant!
Excellent observations about her crucial role in the story! I hadn’t considered those before.
I’m glad you like it! Thanks.
I love Charlotte. She’s definitely an underrated character. She is our baseline for the woman who has been out for too many seasons and has Regency expectations regarding marriage; a home, money, and protection. Even though our beloved Lizzie is smart, she’s not realistic when it comes to her family’s financial situation. The idealistic notion of love educated young ladies consumed from the day’s literature and poetry must have vexed many a father trying to secure the future of daughters and wives they knew would not be provided for after their passing. Before we know that Jane will marry into money, Elizabeth should also be concerned about improving the circumstances of her sisters and (awful) mother before the inevitable death of her father. She’s a bit selfish. Charlotte is what we call a good egg and would be an excellent friend, especially since she is Rosings Park adjacent!
She would be a wonderful friend, wouldn’t she? Despite the differences in their personalities it’s not surprising that Charlotte and Elizabeth are friends. I wonder if Jane Austen had a Charlotte in her own life.
I like the character of Charlotte, she is obviously intelligent, but she must marry Collins as I don’t like the alternatives I have read of Mary and Collins, or Charlotte and the Colonel
I rather like the idea of Charlotte and the colonel. They would be a good match, being less “valuable” members of their respective families, practical and pragmatic, and of average appearance. They would probably go into a relationship with realistic expectations and be able to make each other very happy.
I see what an important character she is! She is very central to P+P!
Yes, to a surprising degree! I hadn’t fully appreciated her crucial role until writing this article.
Totally agree Charlotte Lucas is a fierce pragmatist… Those familiar with both Cassandra and Jane Austen’s real life stories recognise that the situation Charlotte finds herself in is one that the Author was very familiar. Mr Collins certainly is No Harris Bigg-Whither whose money & estate could have kept Jane Austen her sister and widowed mother in comfort for the rest of her days.
Mr Collins Is the pragmatic realists choice and Charlotte takes it. What she represents is not the antithesis of Elizabeth Bennet but rather she forces Lizzie to acknowledge that in fact she will not settle for anything less than real love and passion she is stubborn and won’t compromise her values by settling for Less. She could never have married Mr Collins but she can see that for Charlotte it is a situation not to be envied but certainly to be respected
I think it’s interesting that Elizabeth recognizes that Charlotte is reasonably content in her marriage despite not caring much for her husband. Charlotte’s choice is respectable if not ideal.