Famous Characters in English Literature | English Literature Notes
Absolute, Sir Anthony;
A famous character in Sheridan’s The Rivals. He is an old gentleman with a warm heart. He is one of the most popular characters in English comedy.
Adams, Parson
A village parson in Fielding’s Joseph Andrews. He is a very pious and simple-hearted fellow. He is utterly ignorant of the ways of the world and is the chief source of humour in the novel.
Admirable Crichton
A butler in J. M. Barrie’s famous fantasy play of the same title.
Achilles
The hero of Shakespeare’s Troilus and Cressida. He became lazy and devoted to the love of Patroclus.
Agamemnon
The general leader of the Greek forces, in Shakespeare’s Troilus and Cressida.
Agnes
The daughter of Mr. Wickfield, the lawyer, in Dickens’s David Copperfield. After Dora’s death she becomes David Copperfield’s wife.
Alice
A little girl in Lewis Carol’s Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass.
Allworthy
A charitable gentleman in Fielding’s Tom Jones. He brings Tom Jones up and discovers later that he is the son of his sister.
Almayer
The hero of Joseph Conrad’s novel Almayers’s Folly. He is an English man in Malaya.
Amelia
The heroine of Fielding’s novel of the same title. She is also a character in Thackery’s Vanity Fair.
Ancient Mariner
The hero of Coleridge’s famous poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. He brings a curse upon himself and his ship-mates by killing an Albatross. He possesses a hypnotising personality.
Andrews, Joseph
The hero of Fielding’s novel Joseph Andrews.
Antonio
The merchant in Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice. He stands a trial for ‘a pound of flesh’ demanded by Shylock.
Arden, Enoch
The hero of Tennyson’s famous poem of the same title. He returns home after a long absence on sea-voyages and finds his wife happily married to another person. He keeps the secret in his heart and dies broken-hearted.
Ariel
A spirit in Shakespeare’s The Tempest whom the witch Sycorax had imprisoned in a clover pine and whom Prospero by his magic released and employed to carry out his doings and orders.
Ashton Lucy
The heroine of Scott’s The Bride of Lammermoor.
Backbite, Sir Benjamin
A scandalmonger in Sheridan’s The School for Scandal.
Banquo
The thane in Shakespeare’s Macbeth. He is murdered on Macbeth’s instigation and his ghost haunts Macbeth.
Barabas
The protagonist of Cristopher Marlowe’s Jew of Malta. He is a Jewish merchant who only cares for his daughter Abigail and his vast personal fortune.
Barkis
A coach driver in Dickens’s David Copperfield. He marries Pegotty. He is a very miserly fellow.
Bassanio
The person who marries Portia in Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice.
Beatrice
The heroine of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. She falls in love with Benedick.
Bede, Adam
The hero of George Eliot’s novel of the same title.
Belch, Sir Toby
One of the minor characters of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. He is Olivia’s uncle and is given to drinking. He marries Maria for her cleverness.
Belinda
The beautiful heroine of the Rape of the Lock by Alexander Pope.
Benedick
The chief character in Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. He marries Beatrice.
Bennet, Elizabeth
The young and charming heroine of Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice.
Bobadil, Captain
A cowardly braggart in Every Man in His Humour by Ben Jonson.
Bottom, Nick
The chief comic character in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Bridehead Sue
The heroine of Hardy’s novel Jude the Obscure.
Brown Father
The Roman Catholic priest in G. K. Chesterton’s Wisdom of Father Brown. His hobby is criminology.
Brutus, Marcus
A Roman patriot in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. He is one of the noblest characters in English drama.
Caesar, Julius
A title character of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. He is an emperor of Rome who is stabbed in the Capitol, on the Ides of March.
Caliban
A malignant monster in Shakespeare’s The Tempest. He is the servant of Prospero.
Calphurnia
The wife of Caesar in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, whose dream predicts the death of her husband.
Candida
The heroine of Shaw’s play of the same name. She is the wife of Morell.
Carker, James
The head-clerk of Mr. Dombey in Dickens’ Dombey and Son. He elopes with his master’s wife, but is accidentally killed.
Carton, Sydney
The hero of Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities who sacrifices his life for the sake of his beloved Lucy Manette.
Cassio
An important character in Shakespeare’s Othello whom Othello suspects to be in love with his wife Desdemona.
Cassias
One of the conspirators in Julius Caesar by Shakespeare.
Chatterley, Lady
The heroine of D. H. Lawrence’s famous novel Lady Chatterley’s Lover. She is a woman of passionate nature.
Childe Harold
The hero of Byron’s poem of the same title.
Christabel
The heroine of Coleridge’s incomplete poem of the same title.
Chuzzlewit, Martin
The hero of Dickens’s novel of the same name.
Clare, Humphrey
The hero of Hardy’s novel Tess of D’Urbervilles.
Claudius
Hamlet’s uncle and king of Denmark who usurps his brother’s kingdom and marries his wife after murdering him.
Cleopatra
The beautiful heroine of Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra, Dryden’s All for Love and Shaw’s Caesar and Cleopatra. She is the Queen of Egypt.
Clinker, Humphrey
The hero of Smollett’s novel Humphrey Clinker.
Copperfield, David
The hero of Dickens most famous novel David Copperfield. His character has several affinities with that of Dickens himself.
Cordelia
The youngest daughter of King Lear in Shakespeare’s famous tragedy King Lear. She is the symbol of devotion and unselfish love.
Coverley, Sir Roger de
The famous old gentleman representing the countryside in the Spectator by Addison and Steele.
Creakie, Mr
The famous cruel Headmaster of a school in Dickens’s novel David Copperfield.
Cymbeline
King of England in Shakespeare’s dramatic romance of the same name.
Darcy, Fitzwilliam
An aristocratic young man of strong prejudices in Jane Austen’s famous novel Pride and Prejudice.
D’Urberville, Alec
The man who seduces Tess in Hardy’s famous novel Tess of D’Urbervilles.
Defarge, Madame
An important female character in Dickens historical novel A Tale of Two Cities.
Denrward, Quentin
The hero of Scott’s famous romance of the same name.
Desdemona
The young and beautiful heroine of Shakespeare’s great tragedy Othello. She is the wife of Othello who strangles her, in the mistaken belief that she is unfaithful.
Dick, Mr
A solicitor in Dickens novel David Copperfield.
Dishart, Gavin
The hero of J. M. Barrie’s play Little Minister.
Dobbin William
A shy young man in Thackeray’s novel Vanity Fair.
Dombey, Mr
A money-loving and cruel merchant in Dickens novel Dombey and Son.
Dora
The child wife of David Copperfield in Dickens famous novel of that name.
Duncan
The king of Scotland, murdered by Macbeth in Shakespeare’s Macbeth.
Emilia
Iago’s wife in Shakespare’s Othello.
Emily, Little
Pegotty’s niece who is betrothed to Ham but elopes with Steerforth in Dickens David Copperfield.
Esmond, Batrix
The beautiful heroine of Thackeray’s novel Henry Esmond.
Estella
The beautiful, callous young heroine of Dickens novel Great Expectations.
Everdene, Bathsheba
The heroine of Hardy’s novel Far From the Madding Crowd.
Eyre Jane
The heroine of Charlotte Bronte’s novel of the same title.
Faithful
The companion of Christian in Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress.
Flastaff, Sir John
The most famous comic character in Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part I and Part II.
Faustus Dr
The hero of Marlowe’s famous play of the same name. He sells his soul to the Devil.
Ferdinand
The hero of Shakespeare’s The Tempest. He marries Prospero’s daughter Miranda.
Feveral, Richard
The hero of Meredith’s novel Ordeal of Richard Feveral.
Flanders, Moll
The heroine of Defoe’s novel of the same name. She is a notorious harlot and jail bird.
Friday Man
A savage servant of Robinson Crusoe in Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe.
Galahad, Sir
One of the knights of King Aurthurs Round Table. Tennyson has written a poem ‘Sir Galahad and the Holy Grail.’
Gamp, Mrs. Sarah
A nurse in Dickens novel Martin Chuzzlewit. She always carries an umbrella with her.
Gertrude, Queen
The mother of Hamlet in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. She marries Claudius.
Grandison, Sir Charles
The hero of Richardson’s novel of the same name.
Gray Dorian
An accomplished sensualist in Oscar Wilde’s Picture of Dorian Gray.
Grey, Vivian
A clever young man in Disraeli’s novel of the same title.
Guinevere
King Arthur’s wife who loves another knight, Sir Launcelot. She appears in most of the Arthurian legends and in Tennyson’s Idylls of the King.
Gulliver, Lemuel
The hero of the Swift’s famous satirical novel Gulliver’s Travels.
Hamlet
The hero of Shakespeare’s famous tragedy of the same name.
Hardcastle, Mr and Mrs
The husband and wife in Goldsmith’s hilarious comedy She Stoops to Conquer.
Harlowe, Clarissa
The heroine of Richardson’s novel of the same name.
Hasting
The lover of Miss Neville in Goldsmith’s famous comedy She Stoops to Conquer.
Havisham, Miss
An old spinster in Dickens novel Great Expectations. She adopted Estella to break the hearts of young men.
Hawkin’s, Jim
The hero of Stevenson’s novel The Treasure Island.
Heathcliff
The hero of Emile Bronte’s famous novel Wuthering Heights.
Heep, Uriah
The villain and hypocrite in Dickens’s novel David Copperfield.
Henchard, Michael
The hero of Hardy’s great tragic novel The Mayor of Casterbridge.
Holmes, Sherlock
The famous detective in Arthur Conan Doyle’s novels and detective stories.
Hook, Captain
The chief pirate in J. M. Barrie’s famous fantasy play Peter Pan.
Horatio
Hamlet’s devoted friend in Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
Hyde, Mr
The baser half of the duel personality of Dr. Jekyll in R. L. Stevensons’ famous novel The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Iachimo
The villain in Shakespeare’s tragedy Cymbeline.
Iago
The famous villain in Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello. He is considered to be one of the most sinister villains of all times.
Imogen
The unhappy wife of Posthumous in Shakespeare’s Cymbeline.
Ishmael
A character of Herman Melville’s novel Moby Dick. His role as a narrator varies widely. In the novel’s first sentence he famously declares, “Call me Ishmael”.
Ivanhoe
The hero of Scott’s novel of the same title.
Jacques
A melancholy lord in Shakespeare’s play As You Like It.
Jekyll, Dr
The noble doctor in R. L. Stevenson’s novel The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
Jessica
Shylock’s daughter who elopes with Lorenzo in Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice.
Jim, Lord
The hero of Joseph Conrad’s novel of the same name.
Jones, Tom
The hero of Fielding’s famous novel Tom Jones.
Jude, Fawley
The hero of Hardy’s novel Jude the Obscure.
Juliet
The heroine of Shakespeare’s famous love tragedy Romeo and Juliet.
Katherine
(sometimes ‘Kate’ or ‘Katerina Minola’) is the “Shrew” from the title of The Taming of the Shrew by Shakespeare. She is tamed by Petruchio.
Kim
An orphan of an Irish soldier. He is the hero of Kipling’s novel of the same name.
Kipps
The hero of H. G. Wells’ novel of the same name.
Lady of the Lake, The
A beautiful enchantress in Tennyson’s poem Idylls of the King.
Lady of Shallot, The
The heroine of Tennyson’s poem of the same title.
Languish, Lydia
The romantic young heroine of Sheridan’s comedy The Rivals.
Lear, King
The hero of Shakespeare’s famous tragedy King Lear.
Little Dorrit
The heroine of Dickens’ novel of the same name.
Little Nell
The child heroine of Dickens’ novel Old Curiosity Shop.
Lovelace, Robert
The heartless hero of Richardsons’s novel Clarissa Harlowe.
Lumpkin, Tony
The mischievous young man in Goldsmith’s comedy She Stoops to Conquer.
Macbeth
The hero of Shakespeare’s great tragedy of the same name.
Macbeth, Lady
The wife of Macbeth is a central character of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. She conspires with her husband to murder Duncan. She later goes mad and dies, probably through suicide.
Machevill
The narrator of the prologue of the play. Machevill is based on Machiavelli, but he is more of an ironic than a genuine characterization of this author.
Mad Hatter
An interesting character whom Alice meets in Lewis Carrole’s novel Alice in Wonderland.
Malaprop, Mrs.
A lady notorious for misusing words in Sheridan’s comedy The Rivals.
Malvolio
Olivia’s steward in Shakespeare’s famous comedy Twelfth Night.
Markheim
The hero of R. L. Stevenson’s psychological story of the same title.
Marner, Silas
The hero of George Eliot’s novel of the same name.
Mephistopheles
An attendant devil Dr Faustus in Marlowe’s famous play Dr Faustus.
Merlin
The famous magician in the legends connected with King Arthur.
Micawber, Mr Wilkins
A humorous character in Dicken’s novel David Copperfield. He is always waiting for ‘something to turn up’.
Mitty, Walter
An extreme day-dreamer in a popular James Thurber’s story.
Mowgli
A little Hindu boy in the hero of Kipling’s Jungle Books.
Murdstone, Edward
Step-father of David Copperfield in Dickens’s novel of the same name.
Nickleby, Nicholas
The hero of Dickens novel of the same title.
Olivia
An aristocratic young lady in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. She falls in love with Viola (in disguise), whereas the Duke is in love with her.
Ophelia
The heroine of Shakespeare’s play Hamlet. She is Hamlet’s beloved who goes mad and dies broken-hearted.
Orlando
The lover of Rosalind in Shakespeare’s comedy As You Like It.
Othello
The Moor in Shakespeare’s great tragedy of the same name. He is aroused to jealousy and strangles his own wife to death.
Pamela
A virtuous maidservant, the heroine of Richardson’s novel of the same title.
Patterne, Sir Willoughby
A perfect egotist. Who is the hero of Meredith’s novel The Egotist.
Pecksniff, Mr.
A rogue in Dickens Martin Chuzzlewit. He is the personification of Hypocrisy.
Pegotty, Clara
The nurse of David Copperfield in Dickens’ novel of the same name. She marries Barkis.
Peregrine, Pickle
The hero of Smollett’s novel Adventures of Peregrine Pickle.
Peter Pan
The boy who did not grow up in J. M. Barrie’s famous play Peter Pan.
Pickwick Samuel
A genial and good-hearted fellow, President of the Pickwick Club in Dickens Pickwick Papers.
Poirot, Hercule
A clever detective in Mrs. Agatha Christie’s crime novels.
Polonius
Ophelia’s father in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. He is killed by Hamlet.
Portia
The heroine of Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice.
Primrose
Dr. A good-natured vicar in Goldsmith’s famous novel The Vicar of Wakefield.
Prospero
The magician and exiled Duke of Milan in Shakespeare’s The Tempest.
Puck
A mischievous spirit in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Random, Roderick
The hero of Smollett’s novel of the same name.
Rasselas
The Abyssinian prince, hero of Dr. Johnson’s moral tale Rasselas.
Rebecca
The beautiful Jewess who falls in love with Ivanhoe in Scott’s novel Ivanhoe.
Reynard the Fox
The hero of John Mansfield poem of the same name.
Romeo
The romantic young lover of Shakespeare’s love-tragedy Romeo and Juliet.
Rosalind
The heroine of Shakespeare’s famous comedy As You Like It.
Sawyer, Tom
A mischief-maker in Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawywer. He always manages to find a way out of trouble.
Shandy, Tristram
The hero of Sterne’s novel of the same title.
Sharp, Becky
The beautiful adventuress in the Thackeray’s Vanity Fair.
She
A mystical African queen in Rider Haggard’s novel She.
Shylock
The famous Jew in Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice.
Squeer, Mr Wackford
The cruel schoolmaster in Dickens novel David Copperfield.
Teazle, Lady
The heroine of Sheridan’s The School for Scandal.
Tess
The young and innocent heroine of Hardy’s tragic novel Tess of D’Urbrevilles.
Toby, Uncle
An old wounded soldier in Sterne’s novel Tristram Shandy.
Touchstone
A famous witty clown in Shakespeare’s As You Like It.
Trotwood, Betsy
The grand aunt of David Copperfield in Dickens novel of this name.
Troy Francis
One of the three lovers of Bathsheba Everdine in Hardy’s novel Far From the Madding Crowd.
Twist, Oliver
A poor orphan-boy; hero of Dickens most famous novel of the same name.
Viola
The young, beautiful heroine of Shakespeare’s comedy Twelfth Night.
Vye, Eustacia
A beautiful and enchanting heroine of Hardy’s novel The Return of the Native.
Weller, Sam
One of the greatest humorous creations of Charles Dickens in the Pickwick Papers.
Wendy
The heroine of Peter Pan, a play by J. M. Barrie.
Wildeve, Demon
A romantic young man who secretly makes love with Eustacia Vye in Hardy’s The Return of the Native.
Woodhouse, Emma
The heroine of Jane Austen’s novel Emma.
Yeobright, Clym
The hero of Hardy’s novel The Return of the Native.
