Fitzwilliam Darcy, generally referred to as
Mr. Darcy, is one of the two central
characters 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 protagonist. The story's narration is almost exclusively from Elizabeth's perspective; she is portrayed as the sympathetic figure, and Darcy hardly so until the later chapters of the novel—as knowledge and ironic events are revealed to Eliza (Elizabeth). Usually referred to only as "Mr. Darcy" or "Darcy" by characters and the narrator, his first name is mentioned twice in the novel.