---
type: Person
title: Charlotte Lucas
description: Eldest daughter of Sir William Lucas, Elizabeth Bennet's pragmatic friend
  who marries Mr. Collins.
resource: raw/pride-and-prejudice.txt
tags:
- hertfordshire
- gentry
- longbourn
aliases:
- Eliza's friend
timestamp: '2026-07-16T18:15:29Z'
citadel_version: 0.3.0
---

Charlotte Lucas is the eldest daughter of [Sir William Lucas](../persons/sir-william-lucas.md), "a
sensible, intelligent young woman, about twenty-seven," and [Elizabeth Bennet](../persons/elizabeth-bennet.md)'s
intimate friend.[^s1] She holds a pragmatic view of marriage, telling Elizabeth "happiness in
marriage is entirely a matter of chance" and that it is better to know as little as possible of a
future spouse's defects beforehand.[^s2]

Days after [Mr. Collins](../persons/mr-collins.md) is refused by Elizabeth, Charlotte secures
his proposal for herself "solely from the pure and disinterested desire of an establishment."[^s3]
Reflecting afterward, the narration notes that "without thinking highly either of men or of
matrimony, marriage had always been her object: it was the only honourable provision for
well-educated young women of small fortune."[^s4] She tells Elizabeth directly: "I am not romantic,
you know... I ask only a comfortable home," and considers her prospects with Collins as fair as
most people's.[^s5] Elizabeth is dismayed by the engagement.[^s6]

After [Lady Catherine de Bourgh](../persons/lady-catherine-de-bourgh.md) is angered by news of
[Darcy](../persons/fitzwilliam-darcy.md)'s engagement to Elizabeth, Charlotte and
[Mr. Collins](../persons/mr-collins.md) come to stay at Lucas Lodge until the storm blows over;
Charlotte, "really rejoicing in the match," is anxious only to avoid Lady Catherine's anger, not
disapproving of the marriage herself.[^s7]

## See also

- [Sir William Lucas](../persons/sir-william-lucas.md)
- [Mr. Collins](../persons/mr-collins.md)
- [Elizabeth Bennet](../persons/elizabeth-bennet.md)
- [Lady Catherine de Bourgh](../persons/lady-catherine-de-bourgh.md)
- [Fitzwilliam Darcy](../persons/fitzwilliam-darcy.md)

## Sources

[^s1]: [raw/pride-and-prejudice.txt](../../raw/pride-and-prejudice.txt), lines 1261-1264 — Charlotte's age and friendship with Elizabeth (ingested 2026-07-16)
[^s2]: [raw/pride-and-prejudice.txt](../../raw/pride-and-prejudice.txt), lines 1444-1447 — Charlotte's view of marriage as chance (ingested 2026-07-16)
[^s3]: [raw/pride-and-prejudice.txt](../../raw/pride-and-prejudice.txt), lines 5163-5167 — Charlotte's motive for accepting Collins (ingested 2026-07-16)
[^s4]: [raw/pride-and-prejudice.txt](../../raw/pride-and-prejudice.txt), lines 5193-5197 — the narrator on Charlotte's view of matrimony (ingested 2026-07-16)
[^s5]: [raw/pride-and-prejudice.txt](../../raw/pride-and-prejudice.txt), lines 5287-5291 — Charlotte explains herself to Elizabeth (ingested 2026-07-16)
[^s6]: [raw/pride-and-prejudice.txt](../../raw/pride-and-prejudice.txt), lines 5266-5268 — Elizabeth's dismay at the engagement (ingested 2026-07-16)
[^s7]: [raw/pride-and-prejudice.txt](../../raw/pride-and-prejudice.txt), lines 14354-14359 — Charlotte and Collins's removal to Lucas Lodge (ingested 2026-07-16)
