Emma Summary: Plot, Characters and Ending
Emma follows Emma Woodhouse, a clever, rich and confident young woman in the village of Highbury who loves arranging other people's marriages. Her schemes keep going wrong, and only after hurting the people around her does she understand her own heart.
Jane Austen called Emma a heroine whom no one but herself would much like.
| Character | Who they are |
|---|---|
| Emma Woodhouse | Clever young matchmaker |
| Mr. Woodhouse | Her anxious, kindly father |
| Mr. Knightley | Family friend who is honest with Emma |
| Harriet Smith | Sweet, naive young friend |
| Mr. Elton | Ambitious young gentleman |
| Frank Churchill | Charming son of Mr. Weston |
| Jane Fairfax | Accomplished, reserved young woman |
| Miss Bates | Talkative, poor spinster |
| Robert Martin | Respectable young farmer |
How does Emma start matchmaking?
Emma's governess, Miss Taylor, has married Mr. Weston, and Emma takes credit for the match. Bored, she takes up Harriet Smith, a pretty girl of unknown parents, and persuades her to turn down a proposal from the farmer Robert Martin, whom Emma thinks beneath her. Emma tries to match Harriet with Mr. Elton. Mr. Knightley warns her she is wrong.
↑ Back to the topWhat goes wrong with Mr. Elton?
In a carriage after a Christmas party, Mr. Elton proposes to Emma herself; he was never interested in Harriet. Emma refuses, and Harriet is crushed. Mr. Elton soon returns married to a vulgar, self-important woman who annoys everyone.
↑ Back to the topWho is Frank Churchill?
Frank Churchill, Mr. Weston's son, finally visits and flirts openly with Emma. Emma suspects Jane Fairfax, Miss Bates's niece, of a secret romance with a married man, and gossips about it with Frank. A piano arrives for Jane from an unknown giver. At a ball, Mr. Knightley rescues Harriet from being snubbed by Mr. Elton by dancing with her.
↑ Back to the topWhat happens at Box Hill?
On a picnic at Box Hill, Emma makes a cruel joke at the expense of Miss Bates. Mr. Knightley tells her plainly how unkind it was, and Emma, ashamed, visits Miss Bates the next day to make amends.
↑ Back to the topHow does Emma end?
Frank and Jane reveal they have been secretly engaged all along. Harriet then confides that she is in love with Mr. Knightley, and Emma realizes with a shock that she wants him herself. Mr. Knightley, who has always loved Emma, proposes, and she accepts. Harriet happily accepts Robert Martin after all. Because Mr. Woodhouse cannot bear change, Mr. Knightley moves into his house so Emma can stay with her father.
↑ Back to the topMore about Emma
This summary reveals the whole plot, including the ending.