Why did George Wickham try to elope with Georgiana Darcy?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy and Jennifer Ehle as Elizabeth Bennet in period costumes stand outdoors in a scene from the 1995 television series Pride and Prejudice. — Pride and Prejudice Colin Firth as Darcy and Jennifer Ehle as Elizabeth Bennet in the BBC TV miniseries *Pride and Prejudice* (1995).

In Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, George Wickham attempted to elope with Georgiana Darcy—who was only 15 years old at the time—primarily to gain possession of her substantial fortune.1

After squandering his own inheritance, Wickham sought to secure his financial future by marrying the young heiress. This predatory behavior highlights his character as a scoundrel, a trait further evidenced later in the novel when he elopes with Lydia Bennet, causing a scandal that threatens the reputation of the entire Bennet family.12