Fitzwilliam Darcy and Charles Bingley (friendship)

The friendship between Fitzwilliam Darcy and Charles Bingley is one of the most consequential relationships in Pride and Prejudice, a bond of steady affection and marked contrast that shapes the romantic fates of both men. Darcy, haughty, reserved, and fastidious, is drawn to Bingley's easiness, openness, and ductility of temper, while Bingley relies on Darcy's judgement with the firmest confidence. Their friendship is tested when Darcy, believing Jane Bennet indifferent to Bingley, orchestrates their separation; it is redeemed when Darcy, having learned his own error, confesses his interference and clears the way for Bingley's happiness. The relationship thus becomes a vehicle for Darcy's moral education and a demonstration of the power—and the limits—of one friend's influence over another.

Character and Foundation of the Friendship

From the earliest pages, the friendship between Darcy and Bingley is presented as a study in opposites. Darcy is clever, haughty, reserved, and fastidious, his manners well-bred but not inviting; Bingley, by contrast, is sure of being liked wherever he appears, with a pleasant countenance and easy, unaffected manners. The narrator observes that between them there is a very steady friendship in spite of great opposition of character. Bingley is endeared to Darcy by the very qualities Darcy lacks: easiness, openness, and a ductility of temper that makes him readily guided. On the strength of Darcy's regard, Bingley has the firmest reliance, and of his judgement the highest opinion. In understanding, Darcy is the superior, and Bingley, though by no means deficient, defers to him. This dynamic—Darcy as the dominant, judging friend and Bingley as the amiable, trusting one—sets the stage for the central crisis of their friendship.

Darcy's Intervention in Bingley's Attachment to Jane

The most significant test of the friendship occurs when Darcy, observing Bingley's growing attachment to Jane Bennet at the Netherfield ball, decides that the match is imprudent. Darcy watches Jane's behaviour and concludes that her countenance and air show no symptom of peculiar regard; he believes her heart is not likely to be easily touched. He also objects to the impropriety of Jane's family, particularly her mother and younger sisters. Acting on this conviction, and in concert with Bingley's sisters, Darcy joins them in London and readily engages in pointing out to his friend the certain evils of such a choice. He goes further, concealing from Bingley that Jane is in town, a measure he later admits was beneath him. Darcy's influence proves decisive: Bingley, who has great natural modesty and a stronger dependence on Darcy's judgement than on his own, is persuaded that he has deceived himself about Jane's feelings, and he does not return to Netherfield. Darcy later reflects on this with satisfaction, stating, "I have no wish of denying that I did everything in my power to separate my friend from your sister, or that I rejoice in my success. Towards him I have been kinder than towards myself."

The Revelation and Reconciliation

The friendship is strained when Darcy, after his own rejected proposal to Elizabeth Bennet, writes her a letter that reveals his role in separating Bingley and Jane. Elizabeth, in turn, learns the truth from Colonel Fitzwilliam, who mentions that Darcy congratulated himself on having lately saved a friend from the inconveniences of a most imprudent marriage. When Darcy later meets Elizabeth at Pemberley, he is already beginning to change. He tells her that on the evening before going to London, he made a confession to Bingley, telling him of all that had occurred to make his former interference absurd and impertinent. He admits he was mistaken in supposing Jane indifferent, and that he could easily perceive Bingley's attachment to her was unabated. Bingley's surprise is great—he had never had the slightest suspicion—but his anger lasts no longer than his doubt of Jane's sentiments. Darcy's confession, and Bingley's forgiveness, restore the friendship on a new footing, one in which Darcy's judgement is no longer imposed but shared.

The Friendship's Role in the Resolution

With Darcy's blessing, Bingley returns to Netherfield and renews his courtship of Jane, leading to their engagement. Darcy himself becomes a daily visitor at Longbourn, and the two friends' marriages to the Bennet sisters bind them even more closely. The friendship, having survived its greatest trial, emerges stronger: Darcy has learned to respect the feelings of others, and Bingley has gained a wife. In the final settlement, Bingley purchases an estate in a neighbouring county to Derbyshire, so that Jane and Elizabeth are within thirty miles of each other. The friendship between Darcy and Bingley, which began as a contrast of temperaments and was nearly broken by Darcy's overreaching pride, ends as a model of mutual affection and support, its endurance a testament to the possibility of growth and forgiveness.