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Elizabeth 'Lizzy' Bennet (sometimes referred to as Eliza)is a fictional character and the protagonist of Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice. The novel centres around her attempts to find love and happiness within the society she lives in, particularly concerning her relationship with the apparently cold, proud and distant Mr. Darcy. She is generally considered both one of Austen's most popular and endearing heroines, and one of the most popular female characters in British literature.

The second of the five daughters in the Bennet family, Elizabeth is depicted in the novel as being the more well-read and ready-witted of her siblings. While her elder sister Jane is considered to be the beautiful one, Elizabeth is frequently referred to as her father's favourite - they are the most similar in intellect and personality, and she frequently shares his sardonic amusement at both the antics of her mother and younger sisters (Mary, Kitty and Lydia) and the social mores and absurdities of the time. She is also considered physically attractive, and much is made in the novel of her 'fine eyes'. She is also a loving and devoted friend, acting as counsel and confidante to Jane, who despite being elder and considered the 'beautiful' one is more shy and reserved. Elizabeth is also characterised as being more assertive and confident, and not easily cowed by those with higher social ranking then herself, such as Lady Catherine de Burgh and Mr. Darcy; she can, however, be stubborn, proud and judgemental.

The novel primarily centres around Elizabeth's relationship with Mr. Darcy, a wealthy yet proud young man who snubs her at a formal dance, criticising her appearance as being 'not handsome enough to tempt me'. This leads Elizabeth to taking a pronounced disliking of Darcy, and her disdain for him is also fueled by Darcy's presumptuous interference in the relationship between Jane and his friend Mr. Bingley, and the accounts of the charming and personable George Wickham, whom Elizabeth meets (and falls slightly in love with) soon after meeting Darcy and who has apparently been denied his rightful inheritance by Darcy. As a result, when Darcy (who, much to her surprise, has fallen in love with her) proposes marriage to her, she angrily refuses him, only to receive a letter from him revealing the motives for his interference in Jane and Bingley's relationship and, significantly, a full account of his dealings with Wickham, which reveal the conniving and dishonourable character hiding beneath Wickham's outward pleasantness. Over the course of the novel, Lizzy is forced to re-evaluate her opinions of and feelings for Darcy, and when he saves her sister Lydia from disgrace (by the hands of Wickham, no less) she realises that her feelings for him have come full circle, and she accepts his hand in marriage.

The enduring popularity of Pride and Prejudice has seen the novel frequently adapted for both television and the cinema. Among the actresses who have taken the role of Elizabeth Bennet are:

• Curigwen Lewis, in the first television adaptation of Pride & Prejudice in 1938.
• Greer Garson in a 1940 cinema adaptation.
• Ann Baskett in a 1952 UK television adaptation.
• Jane Downs in a 1958 UK television version.
• Celia Bannerman in a 1967 film version produced to mark the 150th anniversary of the death of Jane Austen. This adaptation is notable as being the first color adaptation of the novel.
• Elizabeth Garvie in a 1980 BBC television adaptation.
• Jennifer Ehle in a 1995 BBC television adaptation.
• Keira Knightley in a 2005 film adaptation for which she was nominated for an Academy Award

Whilst not strict adaptations of the original text, other notable versions of Elizabeth Bennet (or characters directly based on her) in productions based on Austen's text include:

• Renée Zellweger portrayed Bridget Jones in the 2001 feature film Bridget Jones' Diary, and its sequel, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason. The original novel by Helen Fielding was loosely inspired by Pride and Prejudice and follows a similar narrative, and Bridget Jones occupies the same role in the story held by Elizabeth Bennet in the original.
• Kam Heskin in a 2003 cinema adaptation set in a contemporary Mormon university.
• Aishwarya Rai portrayed Lalita Bakshi (a character based upon Elizabeth) in the 2005 film Bride and Prejudice, a Bollywood adaptation of Pride and Prejudice.

Laurence Olivier as Mr. Darcy and Greer Garson as Elizabeth Bennet in the Pride and Prejudice (1940 film) adaptation.

Colin Firth as Mr Darcy and Jennifer Ehle as Elizabeth Bennet in the Pride and Prejudice (1995 TV serial) adaptation.

Keira Knightley as Elizabeth in the Pride and Prejudice (2005 film) adaptation