Chapter 1
This chapter introduces us to the Bennet family of Hertfordshire and their main characteristics. It opens with Mrs. Bennet pleading with her husband to call on Mr.Bingley, a wealthy young man who is new to the neighborhood. This introduces her need to marry her daughters and Mr. Bennet's love of sarcasm and of winding up his wife. This chapter serves primarily to introduce us to Elizabeth's parents and to Longbourn (the Bennet's estate).
Chapter 2
At the beginning of the chapter, Mr. Bennet goes to call on Mr. Bingley without telling his wife. He seems to do this for his own amusement rather than for any practical purpose. Just when Mrs. Bennet declares that she is sick of Mr. Bingley, Mr. Bennet tells her that that is too bad, since he has already met him. This news makes her and her two youngest daughters extremely excited, and they begin to fret again about their next meeting with Mr. Bingley.
Chapter 3
The next news that the family receives of Bingley comes from their neighbor, Lady Lucas, with whom they are close friends. Lady Lucas' daughter, Charlotte, is Elizabeth's best friend aside from Jane. The news for Lady Lucas is that Bingley is both handsome and loves to dance. This information only serves to further excite the silliest of the family. The rumor mill also produces the information that Bingley has left to London to collect a party for the next ball, causing Mrs. Bennet to be nervous. It turns out that he has only gone to pick up his sisters, brother-in-law, and his single friend. At the ball, Bingley is discovered to be very agreeable and handsome. His sisters are snobby, but fashionable. His friend, Mr. Darcy is found to be incredibly wealthy, but unfortunately Mr. Darcy is very proud and the general consensus is that he is quite disagreeable. Mr. Bingley, however, is much admired and he soon promises to throw his own ball at Netherfield, the house he is renting in Hertfordshire (the local neighborhood). When Elizabeth has to sit out a couple dances, due to a lack of partner, Bingley, who is dancing with Jane, presses Darcy to dance with Elizabeth. Darcy soon pronounces Elizabeth not handsome, which the latter overhears, furthering lowering her opinion of him. Meanwhile, the rest of the ball discovers that Bingley is quite interested in Jane. When the Bennet family arrives home, Mrs. Bennet proceeds to tell him about the events of the evening, of which his little interest.
Chapter 4
When Jane and Elizabeth are alone, Jane expresses to Elizabeth that she really admires Mr. Bingley, although it would be hard to tell, since she is so kind to everybody. Here we, the readers, are introduced to the true character of Jane and we see its first failing. She always thinks high of others, but never of herself, causing her to miss out on many opportunities for advancement in society. This conversation is followed by a description of Bingley and Darcy, that informs us that Mr. Darcy is so proud, that he is generally disliked. Their characters are contrasted, which helps us understand their opposing actions later in the book.
Chapter 5
This chapter introduces us to the Lucas family. Elizabeth is very close to Charlotte, the oldest daughter. Charlotte is sensible, intelligent, and realistic. She is in her late twenties and is very near losing all chances to marry, which explains the disagreeable match she accepts later in the novel. The two families meet to gossip after the ball, an opportunity which Mrs. Bennet takes to brag about Jane. They also discuss how abominable Mr. Darcy's behavior is, especially concerning how he slighted Lizzy. They also hit on the important theme of pride versus vanity, declaring pride to be acceptable, while vanity is a horrible fault to them, although they themselves are guilty of it.