Online Shakespeare

Contents  Glossary A - L  Glossary M - Z  Poems  Comments

CHARACTER PROFILES

Aaron - the main villain in Titus Andronicus. A Moor, the lover of Tamora, Queen of the Goths. He plans the rape of Lavinia for Tamora's two sons. A Machiavellian character, gloating in his own villainy

Antonio - the title character in The Merchant of Venice. Antonio borrows money on behalf of his friend Bassanio from Shylock, the Jewish usurer, who hates Antonio. Antonio is sentimental and moody. On forfeit of the debt, a pound of Antonio's flesh would be required

Antony, Mark - leading roles in two plays:

Banquo - major character in Macbeth. Encounters three witches with Macbeth. Their friendship deteriorates as the witches' prophecy that Mcbeth will become King of Scotland, although Banquo's heirs will rule

Bassanio - romantic lead in The Merchant of Venice. Falls in love with Portia. Accepts a loan from his friend Antonio, who borrowed the money from Shylock, the Jewish usurer

Benvolio - cousin and friend to Romeo in Romeo and Juliet. Encourages Romeo to forget Rosaline and to examine other beauties in Act I. In Act III, he informs the Prince of the deaths of Tybalt and Mercutio

Brutus, Marcus - major character in Julius Caesar. Seen as honourable, but is also the lead assassin of Caesar. The assassination causes civil war in Rome. Famous last words of Caesar to Brutus, "Et tu Brute? Then fall Caesar"

Caesar, Julius - perceived as one of the great world leaders in Shakespeare's days. The title character in Julius Caesar, he is murdered in Act III, Scene I in a very dramatic moment. Caesar is seen later in the play as a ghost by Brutus, his murderer. Caesar is portrayed as a wise, arrogant, tyrannical but strong leader

Cassio - important secondary character in Othello. A Florentine officer serving under Othello, incurring the hatred of Iago, the villain, because Cassio has been given the post of Lieutenant in place of Iago. Iago wrongfully implicates Othello's wife, Desdemona, with Cassio, leading to the ultimate tragedy

Cloten - uncouth son of the Queen in Cymbeline. He is rejected by Imogen, the heroine. He plans to rape her and kill her husband, but is basically a comic villain. Shakespeare kills off Cloten when he is no longer needed

Coriolanus, Martius - title character in Coriolanus. A famous Roman soldier whose arrogance leads to his downfall and death. He refuses to compromise in the ruling of Rome. His relationship with his mother is very complex

Cymbeline - title character of Cymbeline, King of Britain. Father to Imogen, the heroine in the play. His character is influenced by his wicked queen, Imogen's step-mother

Desdemona - leading female character in Othello. She marries Othello, the Moor, and he becomes exceedingly jealous of her. Othello finally kills his new wife. She is intelligent and imaginative

Duncan - King of Scotland. Important character in Macbeth. A good king, his murderer, Macbeth, even reflects on his better qualities

Emilia - the wife of the villain Iago in Othello. A friend to the heroine Desdemona, she gives Desdemona's handkerchief to Iago. She denounces Iago, whereupon he stabs her

Falstaff, Sir John - great comic character. Appears in two plays:

Falstaff is witty, amoral, and popular with the audience. Usually cowardly, irresponsible, and physically obese, Falstaff is larger-than-life on stage

Frederick, Duke - younger brother and deposer of Duke Senior in As You Like It. The two Dukes are the fathers of the two heroines, Rosalind and Celia. Frederick is cast as a conventional villain

Gertrude, Queen - major character in Hamlet. Mother of the hero Hamlet, whose love for her is obsessive. She marries Claudius, the new king, and dies by poison from Claudius, which was intended for Hamlet

Hamlet - title character in the tragedy Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Melancholy young man in mourning for his father, King Hamlet. One of Shakespeare's longer plays with a great many popular quotations

Helena - the heroine of All's Well That Ends Well. She is the daughter of a famous physician who has died and left her in charge of Countess Rossillion. Helena loves the Countess's son, her love unrequited

Hermione - Queen of the jealous King Leontes in The Winter's Tale. She is with child and is accused of adultery. She later gives birth in prison to Perdita, the heroine of the second part of the play. Hermione eloquently defends her honour in a trial for adultery

Horatio - important character in Hamlet. Horatio is a loyal friend to Hamlet, the only one in whom our melancholy hero will confide. Little is known of Horatio other than him being a school friend of Hamlet

Iago - a leading character in Othello. On stage for most of the play, he is given several soliloquies. He gloats about being evil. Career wise, he has been passed over for promotion by his commander, Othello. Iago's wife denies adultery with Othello; Iago says he loves Othello's wife. Very Machiavellian

Isabella - leading female character in Measure For Measure. Begins the play as a nun but leaves her calling in order to help her imprisoned brother, Claudio. Angelo, the civil authority in Vienna, threatens her virginity. She plans another woman take her place in bed

Juliet - title character in Romeo and Juliet. She is of the house of Capulet who are arch enemies with the house of Montague. Marries Romeo (a Montague), in secret, and consults with Friar Laurence to play dead to bring Romeo back. Kills herself after seeing Romeo recently deceased

Katherina - heroine from The Taming of the Shrew. The elder of two daughters of Baptista. Volatile and very unhappy. Her father Baptista will not let Bianca, her younger sister, marry before her

Lavinia - distressed heroine in the tragedy Titus Andronicus. Daughter of Titus, the title character. Is raped by two brothers who cut off her tongue and hands to prevent her from reporting them. Extremely tragic character. Her fiancé is killed earlier in the play.

Lear, King - title character in King Lear. King of Britain. His behaviour is seen as irrational much of the time. He does, however, achieve a degree of self-awareness by the end of the tragedy and becomes more sensitive to others' sufferings

Lucius - appears in two plays:

Macbeth - title character in Shakespeare's shortest tragedy, Macbeth. Macbeth is a Scottish nobleman and military leader. He murders his king to take the throne. He is highly intelligent but self-destructive

Macduff, Lady - important character in Macbeth. She is in one scene when she and her children are murdered. Some productions of the play show only one child being murdered; textually, more than one child is killed which greatly adds to the guilt of Macbeth

Mercutio - friend to Romeo Montague. He delivers one of Shakespeare's most well-known monologues. Is later killed by Tybalt

Miranda - aged 14, a heroine in The Tempest. Exiled with her father Prospero on an enchanted island. She falls in love with Ferdinand

Nurse - major comical character in Romeo and Juliet. She is the friend and confidant of Juliet. She is hearty, loud and loving to Juliet, although her advice is not of the highest calibre. Very verbose

Orlando - hero of As You Like It. Defeats Charles, the wrestler, in the first act. Rosalind falls in love with Orlando. Noble character, saves his wicked brother's life and cares for Adam, his servant

Othello - title character of the tragedy Othello. General in the Venetian army. His evil enemy is Iago. Extremely jealous of his new wife Desdemona. Paganistic in his thoughts, attitudes and speech. One of few black characters in Shakespeare's works

Portia - appears in 2 plays:

Prospero - central character in The Tempest. Lives in exile as the ruler of an enchanted island and is a sorcerer. Formerly the Duke of Milan. Antonio takes the throne because Prospero neglected his duties as ruler. Finally blesses the marriage of his daughter Miranda to Ferdinand, the son of his enemy, Alonso

Puck - a fairy in A Midsummer Night's Dream; a flying spirit and chief aide to Oberon the Fairy King. The character is a mixture of evil and comedy

Roderigo - important character in Othello. A gullible Venetian aristocrat being financially exploited by the villain Iago. Roderigo resorts to attempted murder through Iago's actions

Romeo - title character in Romeo and Juliet. Part of the house of Montague who are enemies with the house of Capulet. Weds Juliet (a Capulet) and kills Tybalt. He is banished from Verona, and believing Juliet to be dead, commits suicide

Shylock - the leading character in The Merchant of Venice. Jewish moneylender. Shylock requires a pound of Antonio's flesh if the debt of money is not paid.

Sly, Christopher - Character in Taming of the Shrew. A drunk who wakes up, thinking himself to be a lord.

Tamora - Queen of the Goths. Evil leading woman in Titus Andronicus. Has three sons, one of whom is murdered by Titus. Allows her two sons to rape Lavinia, daughter to Titus. Titus has his revenge by serving the flesh of her two sons in a banquet to her before killing her

Timon - title character in Timon of Athens. Benevolent Athenian nobleman. His generosity results in his financial ruin and abandonment by his fake friends. An extreme character, later withdrawing into the wilderness

Titus Andronicus - Roman General of Titus Andronicus. Extreme character. Allows the ritual murder of Tamora's son, leading to vicious revenge by Tamora. His daughter Lavinia is raped by Tamora's two remaining sons. He finally kills his daughter Lavinia. He kills Tamora's sons and feeds the flesh to Tamora before killing her as well

Tybalt - nephew of Lady Capulet in Romeo and Juliet. 'Prince of Cats', Tybalt kills Mercutio, Romeo' s friend. Tybalt is killed by Romeo

Viola - appears in Twelfth Night - one of Shakespeare's most resourceful and charming heroines. She endures a shipwreck and separation from her twin brother, whom she thinks has drowned. Disguises herself and becomes a page to Count Orsino, with whom she falls in love