List of Shakespearean characters (A–K)

• Dardanius is a soldier, a follower of Brutus, in Julius Caesar. He refuses to aid Brutus' suicide.
• Daughter:
  • The Daughter of Antiochus is a famed beauty, engaged in a secret incestuous relationship with her father, in Pericles, Prince of Tyre.
  • The Jailer's Daughter develops an obsessive love for Palamon, and releases him from prison, in The Two Noble Kinsmen. She descends into madness.
• Dauphin (sometimes Dolphin in older texts):
  • The Dauphin (
    hist) is Henry's chief enemy in Henry V.^[4]
  • The Dauphin, later King Charles VII of France (hist) leads the French forces, with Joan, in Henry VI, Part 1.
  • See also Lewis.
• Davy (fict) is justice Shallow's servant in Henry IV, Part 2.
• DeBoys:
  • Jaques DeBoys is a brother to Oliver and Orlando in As You Like It.
  • See also Oliver and Orlando from As You Like It, whose surname is also DeBoys.
• Decius Brutus (hist) is one of the conspirators against Caesar in Julius Caesar.
• For Decretas, see Dercetus.
• Deiphobus (myth), a brother of Hector and Troilus, is a minor character (with the one line, "It is the Lord Aeneas") in Troilus and Cressida.
• Demetrius:
  • Demetrius is in love with Hermia at the start of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Later, he loves and marries Helena.
  • Demetrius and Chiron, are two sons of Tamora in Titus Andronicus. They rape and mutilate Lavinia, and are eventually killed and cooked by Titus, who serves them to Tamora to eat.
  • Demetrius and Philo, Romans following Antony, regret his infatuation with Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra.
• Dennis is a minor character – a servant to Oliver – in As You Like It.
• Sir Anthony Denny (hist) is a minor character in Henry VIII, who brings Cranmer to the King.
• Lord Stanley, Earl of Derby (hist) is a military leader who ultimately reveals his loyalty to the Richmond faction, in spite of his son being a hostage to Richard, in Richard III.
• Dercetus (hist) is a follower of Antony in Antony and Cleopatra. He informs Caesar of Antony's death.
• Desdemona is the protagonist's wife in Othello
  . He strangles her, in the mistaken belief that she is unfaithful.
• Diana:
  • Diana is desired by Bertram, and pretends to agree to have sex with him. Instead, under cover of darkness, she exchanges places with Helena, who becomes pregnant with Bertram's child, in All's Well That Ends Well.
  • Diana (myth) the goddess of chastity, appears to Perciles in a vision, in Pericles, Prince of Tyre She tells him to visit her temple at Ephesus, leading to his reconciliation with Thaisa there.
• Dick:
  • Dick the Butcher (fict) is a follower of Jack Cade in Henry VI, Part 2.
  • See also Richard.
• Diomedes:
  • Diomedes is a follower of Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra. He informs Antony that Cleopatra is alive, and informs Cleopatra that Antony is dying.
  • Diomedes (myth) is one of the Greek leaders in Troilus and Cressida.
  • Diomedes' Servant is sent with a message to Cressida, in Troilus and Cressida.
• Dion is a courtier to Leontes, who, with Cleomines delivers the oracle from Delphos in The Winter's Tale.
• Dionyza, the wife of Cleon of Tarsus, is entrusted with the upbringing of Marina, in Pericles, Prince of Tyre. However, she comes to see Marina as a rival to her own daughter, and orders Leonine to kill Marina.
• Doctor (title):
  • A Doctor in Cordelia's train tends the mad Lear in King Lear.
  • A Doctor suggests that the wooer can cure the Jailer's Daughter's madness by having sex with her while pretending to be Palamon, in The Two Noble Kinsmen.
  • Doctor Butts (hist) is the king's physician in Henry VIII. He alerts the king to Cranmer's humiliation in refused admittance to the council chamber.
  • Doctor Caius (hist-ish) is a French doctor in The Merry Wives of Windsor. He challenges Parson Hugh to a duel.
  • An English Doctor is a minor character in Macbeth.
  • A Scottish Doctor witnesses Lady Macbeth sleepwalking in Macbeth.
  • See also Pinch in The Comedy of Errors, who is sometimes referred to as "Doctor Pinch".
• Dogberry, accompanied by Verges, is a clownish officer of the watch in Much Ado About Nothing.
• Dolabella (hist) is a follower of Caesar in Antony and Cleopatra. He tells Cleopatra that Caesar intends to lead her, in triumph, through Rome.
• Doll Tearsheet (fict) is a whore, who is emotionally involved with Falstaff, and is later arrested for murder in Henry IV, Part 2.
• For Dolphin see Dauphin.
• For Domitus see Enobarbus.
• Don (title):
  • Don John is the bastard brother of Don Pedro, and is the chief villain in Much Ado About Nothing.
  • Don Pedro is the prince of Arragon in Much Ado About Nothing.
  • Don Adriano de Armado is an arrogant Spanish braggart in Love's Labour's Lost.
• Donalbain (hist) is the second son of Duncan in Macbeth.
• A Door Keeper (fict) bars the entrance of Cranmer to the council chamber, in Henry VIII.
• Dorcas and Mopsa are shepherdesses, usually portrayed as rather tarty, in The Winter's Tale.
• Dorset (hist) and Grey (hist), are the two sons of Queen Elizabeth from her first marriage, who are arrested and executed on the orders of Buckingham and Richard in Richard III.
• The Earl of Douglas leads the Scottish rebel forces in Henry IV, Part 1.^[5]

• Dromio:
  • Dromio of Ephesus, servant to Antipholus of Ephesus and twin of Dromio of Syracuse – with whom he is often confused, is a central character in The Comedy of Errors.
  • Dromio of Syracuse, servant to Antipholus of Syracuse and twin of Dromio of Ephesus – with whom he is often confused, is a central character in The Comedy of Errors.
• Duchess (title):
  • Duchess of Gloucester:
    • The Duchess of Gloucester (hist) is the widow of Thomas of Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester. His murder (before the play opens) drives much of the action of Richard II.
    • Eleanor, Duchess of Gloucester (hist) is the wife of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester in Henry VI, Part 2, in which she dabbles in witchcraft with disastrous results.
  • Duchess of York:
    • The Duchess of York (1) (unnamed) character in Richard II, a composite of Isabella of Castile, Duchess of York, died 1392, the mother of Aumerle, and Joan Holland, who bore no children
    • The Duchess of York (2) (
      hist) is the wife of Richard, Duke of York (1) in Henry VI, Part 3. She outlives him to mourn the death of two of their sons in Richard III
      .
• Duke (title):
  • The Duke of Albany is Goneril's husband in King Lear.
  • The Duke of Alençon (
    hist) is one of the French leaders in Henry VI, Part 1
    .
  • The Duke of Arragon is an unsuccessful suitor to Portia in The Merchant of Venice.
  • For Duke of Austria see Limoges.
  • For Duke of Bedford see Prince John of Lancaster.
  • The Duke of Berry (hist) is a French leader in Henry V.^[4]
  • The Duke of Bourbon (hist) fights on the French side in Henry V.^[4]
  • The Duke of Britain (
    hist) is a French leader in Henry V.^[4]
  • Duke of Buckingham:
    • The Duke of Buckingham (1) (hist) is a Lancastrian in Henry VI, Part 2. His death is reported in Henry VI, Part 3.
    • The Duke of Buckingham (2) (hist) is a Yorkist in Henry VI, Part 3, and is a co-conspirator with Richard – although he is eventually rejected, then murdered on Richard's orders – in Richard III.
    • The Duke of Buckingham (3) (hist), an enemy of Wolsey, falls from grace and is executed by Henry in Henry VIII.
  • Duke of Burgundy:
    • The Duke of Burgundy (1) (hist) brokers the peace treaty between the kings of France and England in the last act of Henry V.^[4]
    • The Duke of Burgundy (2) (
      hist) fights firstly in alliance with the English, and later in alliance with the French, in Henry VI, Part 1
      .
    • The Duke of Burgundy (3) refuses to marry Cordelia without a dowry, in King Lear.
  • Duke of Clarence:
    • George, Duke of Clarence (
      hist) is the younger brother of Edward and the elder brother of Richard in Henry VI, Part 3 and Richard III
      . He is often known as "perjured Clarence", having broken his oath to Warwick and fighting instead for his brother's faction. He is eventually drowned in a butt of malmesy wine.
    • Thomas, Duke of Clarence (
      hist) is Hal's younger brother, who appears in Henry IV, Part 2 and Henry V.^[4]
  • The Duke of Cornwall is Regan's husband, who puts out Gloucester's eyes, in King Lear.
  • Duke of Exeter:
    • The Duke of Exeter (1) (
      hist) is an uncle of Henry V. He acts as emissary to the French King in Henry V. He has a more choric role in Henry VI, Part 1.^[4]
    • The Duke of Exeter (2) (hist) is a Lancastrian leader in Henry VI, Part 3.
  • The Duke of Florence discusses the progress of the war with the two French Lords, the brothers Dumaine, in All's Well That Ends Well.
  • Duke Frederick is the villain (the usurper of Duke Senior) in As You Like It.
  • Duke of Gloucester:
    • Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester (hist) appears as a brother of Hal in Henry IV, Part 2 and Henry V. He is a much more important character as the protector in Henry VI, Part 1 and Henry VI, Part 2, in which he is murdered by his rivals.^[4]
    • Richard, Duke of Gloucester, later Richard III (hist), brave but evil, is the third son of Richard, Duke of York (1). He is a fairly minor character in Henry VI, Part 2, is more prominent in Henry VI, Part 3, and is the title character – and murderer of many other characters – in Richard III.
    • See also Earl of Gloucester.
  • Duke of Lancaster:
    • John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (
      hist), uncle to King Richard and father to Bolingbroke, dies in Richard II
      , having delivered his famous "This sceptred isle..." speech.
    • See also Bolingbroke, son to John of Gaunt, who claims the dukedom of Lancaster on his father's death.
  • Duke of Milan
    • The Duke of Milan is patron to both Valentine and Proteus, and is the father of Silvia, in The Two Gentlemen of Verona.
    • See also Prospero and Antonio from The Tempest, who are dukes of Milan.^[2]
  • Duke of Norfolk:
    • The Duke of Norfolk (
      hist) is a supporter of the Yorkists in Henry VI, Part 3 and Richard III
      .
    • The Duke of Norfolk (hist & hist) is an associate of Buckingham in Henry VIII.
    • Thomas Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk (hist) is Bolingbroke's enemy, exiled by Richard, in Richard II.
  • The Duke of Orleans (
    hist) fights on the French side in Henry V.^[4]
  • Duke Senior is the father of Rosalind. He is the true duke, and has been usurped by his brother, Duke Frederick, at the start of As You Like It.
  • Duke of Somerset:
    • The Duke of Somerset (1) (hist) is a follower of King Henry in Henry VI, Part 1.
    • The Duke of Somerset (2) (hist) appears among the Lancastrian faction in Henry VI, Part 2. His head is carried onstage by Richard (later Richard III) in the opening scene of Henry VI, Part 3.
    • The Duke of Somerset (3) (
      hist) is a conflation by Shakespeare of two historical Dukes of Somerset. He supports both factions at different stages of Henry VI, Part 3
      .
  • Duke of Suffolk:
    • The Duke of Suffolk (hist) is a courtier, cynical about the King's relationship with Anne Bullen, in Henry VIII.
    • The Duke of Suffolk (William de la Pole) (hist) is a manipulative character, loved by Queen Margaret, in Henry VI, Part 1 and Henry VI, Part 2.
  • The Duke of Surrey (hist) accuses Aumerle of plotting Woodstock's death in Richard II.
  • Duke of Venice:
    • The Duke of Venice tries the case between Shylock and Antonio in The Merchant of Venice.
    • The Duke of Venice hears Brabantio's complaint against Othello in Othello.
  • For Duke of Vienna see Vincentio in Measure for Measure.
  • Duke of York:
    • The Duke of York (1) (hist) is the uncle of both Richard and Bolingbroke in Richard II.
    • The Duke of York (2) (
      hist) is a minor character, the leader of the "vaward" in Henry V. (Historically this character is the same person as Aumerle.)^[4]
    • Richard, Duke of York (1) (
      hist) is a central character in Henry VI, Part 1, Henry VI, Part 2, and Henry VI, Part 3
      . He is the Yorkist claimant to the throne of England, in opposition to Henry VI, and he is eventually killed on the orders of Queen Margaret.
    • Richard, Duke of York (2) (
      princes in the tower, murdered on the orders of Richard in Richard III
      .
  • For The Duke in Measure for Measure, see Vincentio.
  • Numerous characters are Dukes, including Antonio (from
    The Tempest), Orsino, Prospero, Solinus, Theseus and Vincentio (from Measure for Measure).^[2]
• Dull is a constable in Love's Labour's Lost.
• Dumaine:
  • Dumaine (hist), with Berowne and Longaville, is one of the three companions of The King of Navarre in Love's Labour's Lost.
  • See also the two Lords in All's Well That Ends Well, who are described as the brothers Dumaine.
• Duncan (hist) is the king of Scotland, murdered in Macbeth.
• A Dutchman, a Frenchman and a Spaniard are guests of Philario, in Cymbeline.

E

• Earl (title):
  • The Earl of Cambridge (hist) is one of the three conspirators against the king's life (with Scroop and Grey) in Henry V.^[4]
  • Lord Stanley, Earl of Derby (hist) is a military leader who ultimately reveals his loyalty to the Richmond faction, in spite of his son being a hostage to Richard, in Richard III.
  • The Earl of Douglas (hist) leads the Scottish rebel forces in Henry IV, Part 1.^[5]
  • The Earl of Essex (
    King John
    .
  • The Earl of Gloucester is the father of Edgar and Edmund, who has his eyes put out by the Duke of Cornwall, in King Lear.
  • The Earl of Grandpre (hist), a French leader, makes an unduly optimistic speech on the morning of Agincourt, in Henry V.^[4]
  • The Earl of Huntingdon (hist) is a non-speaking follower of the king in Henry V.^[4]
  • The Earl of Kent in King Lear is a follower of Lear who evades banishment by disguising himself as a servant, and calling himself Caius.
  • Earl of Northumberland:
    • The Earl of Northumberland, Henry Percy, (hist) is an important character in Richard II, where he is Bolingbroke's chief ally, and in Henry IV, Part 1^[5] and Henry IV, Part 2, in which he leads the rebellion against his former ally, who is now king.
    • The Earl of Northumberland (hist) fights for the Lancastrians in Henry VI, Part 3.
    • See also Seyward in Macbeth.
  • The Earl of Oxford (hist) is a staunch Lancastrian, supporting Henry in Henry VI, Part 3, and Richmond in Richard III.
  • Earl of Pembroke:
    • The Earl of Pembroke (
      King John
      .
    • The Earl of Pembroke (
      hist) is a non-speaking Yorkist in Henry VI, Part 3
      .
  • The Earl of Richmond, later King Henry VII (hist) leads the rebellion against the cruel rule of Richard III, and eventually succeeds him as king.
  • Earl Rivers (hist), is the brother to Queen Elizabeth in Richard III. He is arrested and executed on the orders of Richard and Buckingham.
  • Earl of Salisbury:
    • The Earl of Salisbury (
      King John
      .
    • The Earl of Salisbury (
      hist) remains loyal to King Richard in Richard II
      .
    • The Earl of Salisbury (
      hist) fights for the king in Henry V. He is killed by the Master Gunner's Boy in Henry VI, Part 1.^[4]
    • The Earl of Salisbury (hist) supports the Yorkists in Henry VI, Part 2.
  • Earl of Surrey:
    • The Earl of Surrey (
      hist) is a supporter of the king in Henry IV, Part 2
      .
    • The Earl of Surrey (hist) is a son-in-law of Buckingham in Henry VIII.
  • Earl of Warwick:
    • The Earl of Warwick (1) (
      hist) is a supporter of the kings in Henry IV, Part 2 and Henry V.^[4]
    • The Earl of Warwick (2) (hist) is an important player in the Wars of the Roses, firstly for the Yorkist party, and then for the Lancastrians. He appears in Henry VI, Part 1, Henry VI, Part 2, and Henry VI, Part 3.
  • Earl of Westmoreland:
    • The Earl of Westmoreland (1) (hist) is one of the leaders of the royal forces in Henry IV, Part 1,^[5] Henry IV, Part 2, and Henry V.^[4]
    • The Earl of Westmoreland (2) (hist) fights for King Henry in Henry VI, Part 3.
  • The Earl of Worcester (hist) is the brother of the Earl of Northumberland, and a leader of the rebel forces, in Henry IV, Part 1.^[5]
• Edgar is the worthy, legitimate son of Gloucester in King Lear. He disguises himself as "Poor Tom".
• Edmund:
  • Edmund is the bastard son of Gloucester, and the most calculating of the villains, in King Lear.
  • Edmund Mortimer (1) (
    hist) is a claimant to the English throne, and a leader of the rebel forces, in Henry IV, Part 1.^[5]
  • Edmund Mortimer (2) (
    hist) explains the Yorkist claim to the crown to Richard Duke of York (1), in Henry VI, Part 1
    .

• Edward:
  • Edward later King Edward IV (
    hist) is the eldest son of Richard, Duke of York (1) in Henry VI, Part 2 and Henry VI, Part 3 – in which he becomes king. He dies in Richard III
    .
  • Prince Edward:
    • Prince Edward (
      hist) is the son of Henry VI, who joins his mother Queen Margaret as a leader of the Lancastrian forces in Henry VI, Part 3
      . He is killed by the three Yorks (Edward, George and Richard).
    • Prince Edward of York later King Edward V (
      princes in the tower in Richard III
      .
  • See also Ned.
• Egeon is a merchant from Syracuse, father of the Antipholus twins in The Comedy of Errors. He is under Solinus's sentence of death unless he can pay a thousand marks' fine.
• Egeus (myth) is the father of Hermia in A Midsummer Night's Dream. He wishes to have her married, against her will, to Demetrius.
• Sir Eglamour assists Silvia's escape from her father's palace, in The Two Gentlemen of Verona.
• Elbow is a dim-witted constable in Measure for Measure.
• Eleanor:
  • Eleanor, Duchess of Gloucester (hist) is the wife of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester in Henry VI, Part 2, in which she dabbles in witchcraft with disastrous results.
  • Queen Eleanor (
    King John
    . She takes a liking to Philip the Bastard, and recruits him to John's court.
  • Duchess of Gloucester (
    Richard II. Her given name, Eleanor de Bohun
    , is not mentioned in the play.
• Queen Elizabeth (
  foil
  to Richard.
• Ely:
  • The Bishop of Ely (1) (hist) conspires with the Archbishop of Canterbury in the opening scene of Henry V.^[4]
  • The Bishop of Ely (2) (
    hist) ultimately shows his opposition to Richard, in Richard III
    .
• Emilia:
  • Emilia is the wife of Iago in Othello. She steals Desdemona's handkerchief for Iago. At the end of the play – too late to save Desdemona – she realises Iago's villainy, and exposes him, but is then murdered by him.
  • Emilia is Hippolyta's sister in The Two Noble Kinsmen. Both title characters fall in love with her, leading to mortal conflict.
  • Emilia is a lady attending on Hermione, both at court and in prison, in The Winter's Tale.
  • See also Aemilia.
• For Emillius see Aemilius.
• Emmanuel the Clerk of Chatham (fict) is murdered by Jack Cade's rebels in Henry VI, Part 2.
• An English Doctor is a minor character in Macbeth.
• Enobarbus (hist & hist) is a major character in Antony and Cleopatra: a follower of Antony who later abandons him to join Caesar.
• Ephesus:
  • Antipholus of Ephesus, twin of Antipholus of Syracuse – with whom he is often confused, is a central character in The Comedy of Errors.
  • Dromio of Ephesus, servant to Antipholus of Ephesus and twin of Dromio of Syracuse – with whom he is often confused, is a central character in The Comedy of Errors.
  • See also Solinus, who is Duke of Ephesus.
• Epilogue:
  • An Epilogue and a Prologue (possibly the same player) appear in The Two Noble Kinsmen.
  • An Epilogue and a Prologue (possibly the same player) appear in Henry VIII.
  • An Epilogue (possibly the character Rumour) appears in Henry IV, Part 2.
  • A number of characters speak epilogues, including Chorus (in Henry V),^[4] Gower, Prospero and Rosalind.
  • See also Prologue and Chorus.
• Eros is a follower of Antony in Antony and Cleopatra, who kills himself rather than obey Antony's order to kill him.
• Sir Thomas Erpingham (
  hist) is an officer in the English army in Henry V.^[4]
• Escalus:
  • Escalus, Prince of Verona tries to keep the peace between Montague and Capulet, in Romeo and Juliet.
  • Escalus is a lord involved in the government of Vienna, in Measure for Measure.
• Escanes is a minor character in Pericles, Prince of Tyre. He converses with Helicanus about the strange death of Antiochus and his daughter.
• The Earl of Essex (
  King John
  .
• Sir Hugh Evans is a Welsh priest in The Merry Wives of Windsor. He is challenged to a duel by Caius. He plays a fairy in the final act.
• Exeter:
  • The Duke of Exeter (1) (
    hist) is an uncle of Henry V. He acts as emissary to the French King in Henry V. He has a more choric role in Henry VI, Part 1.^[4]
  • The Duke of Exeter (2) (hist) is a Lancastrian leader in Henry VI, Part 3.
• Sir Piers of Exton (fict) murders the deposed King Richard in Richard II.

F

• Fabian is a servant to Olivia, and one of the conspirators against Malvolio, in Twelfth Night.
• A Fairy flirts with Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream.
• Sir John Fastolfe) is a central character of Henry IV, Part 1, Henry IV, Part 2, and The Merry Wives of Windsor. In the Henry plays, he is "bad angel" to prince Hal, and is eventually rejected by him. He is the lecherous gull of the title characters in Merry Wives. His death is reported in Henry V, although he is not a character in that play. He is perhaps the most famous supporting role in all of Shakespeare.^[4][5]
• Fang is a constable in
  Henry IV, part 2
  .
• Sir John Fastolfe (
  hist) is a coward, stripped of his Garter in Henry VI, Part 1
  .
• A Father who has killed his son at the Battle of Towton appears in Henry VI, Part 3. See also Son.
• Faulconbridge:
  • Lady Faulconbridge (fict) confesses to her son, the Bastard, that
    King John
    .
  • Philip (the Bastard) Faulconbridge (fict) is a central character in
    King John
    , the bravest and most articulate of John's supporters.
  • Robert Faulconbridge (fict) is the legitimate brother of the bastard in
    King John
    . He inherits his father's property.
• Feeble is pressed into military service by Falstaff in Henry IV, Part 2.
• Fenton is a suitor to Anne Page in The Merry Wives of Windsor.
• Ferdinand:
  • Ferdinand is the only son of Alonzo (King of Naples) in
    The Tempest. Ferdinand falls in love with Miranda, and his love is tested by Prospero.^[2]
  • See also King of Navarre, whose first name is Ferdinand.
• Feste is the clown and musician in Twelfth Night: a foil for Malvolio.
• For Fidele see Imogen, who calls herself Fidele when disguised as a boy.
• For "First...", see entries under the rest of the character's designation (e.g. Murderer for First Murderer, Player for First Player, etc.).
• Three Fishermen befriend the shipwrecked Pericles, at Pentapolis, in Pericles, Prince of Tyre.
• Lord Fitzwalter (
  hist) is among those who challenge Aumerle in Richard II
  .
• Flaminius is a servant of Timon, sent – unsuccessfully – to seek money for his master from Lucullus, in Timon of Athens.
• Flavius:
  • Flavius is the loyal steward to Timon in Timon of Athens, who tries – and fails – to prevent his master's collapse into poverty.
  • Flavius and Marullus are tribunes of the people, dismayed by the enthusiasm of the commoners for the return of Caesar, in the opening scene of Julius Caesar.
• Fleance is the son of Banquo in Macbeth. He escapes when his father is murdered.
• The Duke of Florence discusses the progress of the war with the two French Lords, the brothers Dumaine, in All's Well That Ends Well.
• Florizel is the son of Polixines, and therefore prince of Bohemia, in The Winter's Tale. He elopes with Perdita when his father prevents their marriage.
• Fluellen (fict) is a Welsh captain in Henry V.^[4]
• Francis Flute is a bellows-mender in A Midsummer Night's Dream. He plays Thisbe in Pyramus and Thisbe.
• The Fool is a recurring (though not continuous) character throughout the canon (see:
  Shakespearian fool
  ):
  • The Fool serves as a foil for the King in King Lear.
  • A Fool appears briefly in Timon of Athens.
  • See also Feste, Touchstone.
  • See also Clown.
• Ford:
  • Master Ford is a central character in The Merry Wives of Windsor. He suspects his wife of infidelity with Sir John Falstaff. He tests Falstaff in disguise, calling himself Master Brook.
  • Mistress Ford, Alice, wife of Master Ford, is a title character of The Merry Wives of Windsor. She pretends to accept Falstaff's overtures of love to her.
• A Forester, a minor character, accompanies the Princess and her ladies in waiting on a shooting expedition in Love's Labour's Lost.
• Fortinbras is a prince of Norway in Hamlet. He is a peripheral figure throughout the play, but arrives to take over the throne of Denmark after the death of the Danish royal family in the final act.
• France:
  • The Constable of France (
    hist) leads the French forces in Henry V.^[4]
  • The Dauphin, later King Charles VII of France (hist) leads the French forces, with Joan, in Henry VI, Part 1.
  • King of France:
    • The King of France (myth) is the husband of Cordelia in King Lear.
    • The King of France is cured by Helena, and in recompense he agrees to order Bertram to marry her, in All's Well That Ends Well.
    • The King of France (hist) is Henry V's enemy in Henry V.^[4]
    • King Lewis XI of France (
      hist), insulted by Edward IV's marriage to Lady Grey, allies himself with Warwick and Margaret in Henry VI, Part 3
      .
    • King Philip of France (
      King John
      .
  • The Princess of France (hist) leads a diplomatic mission to Navarre and becomes romantically entangled with the King, in Love's Labour's Lost.
  • The Queen of France (hist) appears in the last act of Henry V.^[4]
• Francis:
  • Francis is a confused drawer in Henry IV, Part 1 and Henry IV, Part 2.^[5]
  • Francis Flute is a bellows-mender in A Midsummer Night's Dream. He plays Thisbe in Pyramus and Thisbe.
  • Friar Francis presides at the aborted marriage ceremony for Hero and Claudio, in Much Ado About Nothing.
• Francisca is a nun, senior to Isabella, in Measure for Measure.
• Francisco:
  • Francisco is a soldier on watch at Elsinore, who appears briefly in the opening moments of Hamlet.
  • Francisco is a lord, a follower of Alonso, in
    The Tempest.^[2]
• For Frank see Master Ford, whose first name is Frank.
• Duke Frederick is the villain (the usurper of Duke Senior) in As You Like It.
• A Frenchman, a Dutchman and a Spaniard are guests of Philario, in Cymbeline.
• Friar (title):
  • Friar Francis presides at the aborted marriage ceremony for Hero and Claudio, in Much Ado About Nothing.
  • Friar John is a minor character, who is unable to deliver a crucial letter from Friar Laurence to Romeo, in Romeo and Juliet.
  • Friar Laurence is confessor and confidant to Romeo in Romeo and Juliet. He instigates the unsuccessful plot involving the potion drunk by Juliet.
  • Friar Peter assists Isabella and Mariana in the final act of Measure for Measure.
  • Friar Thomas leads an order of friars, and assists Vincentio to disguise himself as a friar, in Measure for Measure.
  • For The Friar or Friar Lodowick in Measure for Measure, see Vincentio.
• Two Friends of the Jailer bring him news of his pardon, in The Two Noble Kinsmen.
• For Friz, see Countrywomen.
• Froth is a foolish gentleman, among those arrested and brought before Angelo by Elbow, in Measure for Measure.

G

• Gadshill (fict) is the "setter" of the Gadshill robbery in Henry IV, Part 1.^[5]
• For Gaius see Caius.
• Gallus (hist) is a follower of Caesar in Antony and Cleopatra.
• For Ganymede see Rosalind.
• Gaoler:
  • A Gaoler has custody of Egeon in The Comedy of Errors.
  • Several Gaolers, one a speaking role, guard Mortimer in Henry VI, Part 1.
  • See also Jailer.
• Gardener:
  • A gardener (with his men) encounters the Queen in Richard II.
  • Two gardener's men, with the gardener, encounter the Queen in Richard II.
• Gardiner:
  • Gardiner (hist) is the King's secretary, later Bishop of Winchester, and Cranmer's chief enemy, in Henry VIII.
  • Gardiner's Page is a minor role in Henry VIII.
• Gargrave (hist) fights for the English in France in Henry VI, Part 1.
• The Host of the Garter is the practical-joking innkeeper in The Merry Wives of Windsor.
• John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (
  hist), uncle to King Richard and father to Bolingbroke, dies in Richard II
  , having delivered his famous "This sceptred isle..." speech.
• Gentleman:
  • A gentleman discusses the plight of mad Ophelia with Horatio in Hamlet.
  • A gentleman agrees to present Helena's petition to the King of France, in the last act of All's Well That Ends Well.
  • A gentleman reports the arrival of knights to battle for the love of Emilia, in The Two Noble Kinsmen.
  • Two gentlemen (fict) are ransomed for a thousand crowns each in Henry VI, Part 2.
  • Two gentlemen open the action of Cymbeline, explaining the backstory.
  • Two gentlemen of Ephesus witness Cerimon's discovery of Thaisa, in Pericles, Prince of Tyre.
  • Two gentlemen of Mytilene are converted from lives of debauchery by Marina's preaching, in Pericles, Prince of Tyre.
  • Two gentlemen (fict) are mid-sized roles in Henry VIII. Their conversations perform a choric function at the execution of Buckingham and (together with a third gentleman) at the coronation of Anne Bullen.
  • "Two or three" gentlemen of Tyre, one a speaking role, appear in the shipboard reconciliation scene between Pericles and Marina in Pericles, Prince of Tyre.
  • Four gentlemen, with Montano, witness the dispersal of the Turkish fleet and Othello's arrival at Cyprus in Othello.
  • A number of gentlemen (possibly three, although it impossible to know for certain how Shakespeare intended them to be doubled) are speaking roles in King Lear.
• Gentlewoman:
  • A Gentlewoman attending on Lady Macbeth witnesses her sleepwalking, with the Scottish Doctor, in Macbeth.
  • A Gentlewoman attends on Virgilia, in
    Coriolanus
• George:
  • George (fict) is a follower of Jack Cade in Henry VI, Part 2.
  • George, Duke of Clarence (
    hist) is the younger brother of Edward and the elder brother of Richard in Henry VI, Part 3 and Richard III
    . He is often known as "purjured Clarence", having broken his oath to Warwick and fighting instead for his brother's faction. He is eventually drowned in a butt of malmesy wine.
  • George Seacoal is a member of the Watch in Much Ado About Nothing.
  • See also Master Page, whose first name is George.
• Gerald is a pedantic schoolmaster, who leads the Maying entertainments in The Two Noble Kinsmen.
• Queen Gertrude is the protagonist's mother in Hamlet. She has married Claudius.
• Ghost. The following characters appear as Ghosts. See the entries under their character name:
  • Banquo
  • Julius Caesar
  • Old Hamlet
  • in Cymbeline:
    • Sicilius Leonantus
    • The Mother of Posthumus
    • Two brothers of Posthumus
  • and in Richard III:
    • Dorset
    • The Duke of Buckingham (2)
    • Earl Rivers
    • George, Duke of Clarence
    • Grey
    • Henry VI
    • Lady Anne
    • Lord Hastings
    • Prince Edward
    • Prince Edward of York
    • Richard Duke of York (2)
  • Antigonus in The Winter's Tale reports seeing the ghost of Hermione in a dream.
  • For "Ghost characters" in the other sense – characters mentioned in stage directions but having no lines and playing no part in the action – see Ghost character. Ghost characters in that sense are not listed on this page.
• Girl (
  hist) in Richard III
  is the young daughter of the murdered Clarence.
• Glansdale (fict) fights for the English in France in Henry VI, Part 1.
• Owen Glendower (hist), a warrior and magician who tries the patience of Hotspur, leads the Welsh forces in the rebellion in Henry IV, Part 1.^[5]
• Gloucester:
  • The Duchess of Gloucester (hist) is the widow of Thomas of Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester. His murder (before the play opens) drives much of the action of Richard II.
  • The Earl of Gloucester is the father of Edgar and Edmund, who has his eyes put out by the Duke of Cornwall, in King Lear.
  • Eleanor, Duchess of Gloucester (hist) is the wife of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester in Henry VI, Part 2, in which she dabbles in witchcraft with disastrous results.
  • Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester (hist) appears as a brother of Hal in Henry IV, Part 2 and Henry V. He is a much more important character as the protector in Henry VI, Part 1 and Henry VI, Part 2, in which he is murdered by his rivals.^[4]
  • Richard, Duke of Gloucester, later Richard III (hist), brave but evil, is the third son of Richard, Duke of York (1). He is a fairly minor character in Henry VI, Part 2, is more prominent in Henry VI, Part 3, and is the title character – and murderer of many other characters – in Richard III.
• Gobbo:
  • Launcelot Gobbo is a clown in The Merchant of Venice, a servant to Shylock, and later to Lorenzo.
  • Old Gobbo, the blind old father of Launcelot Gobbo, is a clown in The Merchant of Venice.
• Goneril is the cruel eldest daughter in King Lear. She is married to the Duke of Albany.
• Gonzalo is a courtier to Alonzo in
  The Tempest.^[2]
• For Robin Goodfellow see Puck.
• Matthew Gough (hist) is an enemy of Jack Cade's rebels in Henry VI, Part 2.
• Governor:
  • The Governor of Harfleur (hist) surrenders to Henry V.^[4]
  • The Governor of Paris has an oath of allegiance administered to him by Gloucester (but has no lines of his own) in Henry VI, Part 1.
• Gower:
  • Gower (fict) is a messenger to the Lord Chief Justice in Henry IV, Part 2.
  • Gower (fict) is an English captain in Henry V.^[4]
  • John Gower (hist) is the "Presenter", or narrator, of Pericles, Prince of Tyre.
• The Earl of Grandpre (hist), a French leader, makes an unduly optimistic speech on the morning of Agincourt, in Henry V.^[4]
• Gratiano:
  • Gratiano is a hot-headed friend of Antonio and Bassanio in The Merchant of Venice. He marries Narissa.
  • Gratiano is Brabantio's brother in Othello.
• Gravedigger. The First Gravedigger and the Second Gravedigger are clowns in Hamlet. Hamlet's conversation with the First Gravedigger over Yorick's skull is possibly the most famous scene in Shakespeare.
• Green (hist) is a favourite of Richard in Richard II.
• Gregory and Sampson, two men of the Capulet household, open the main action of Romeo and Juliet with their aggressive and lecherous banter.
• Gremio is an elderly suitor to Bianca in The Taming of the Shrew.
• Grey:
  • Grey (hist) and Dorset (hist) are the two sons of Queen Elizabeth from her first marriage, who are arrested and executed on the orders of Buckingham and Richard in Richard III.
  • Sir Thomas Grey (hist) is one of the three conspirators against the king's life (with Cambridge and Scroop) in Henry V.^[4]
  • For Lady Grey see Queen Elizabeth.
• Griffith (hist) is a gentleman usher to Katherine, in Henry VIII.
• A groom of the King's stable (fict) visits the imprisoned Richard at Pontefract in Richard II.
• Grumio is a servant to Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew.
• Guard/Guardsman:
  • Several Guards (two of them minor speaking roles), together with Dercetus, discover the mortally wounded Antony in Antony and Cleopatra.
  • Two Guards (or Guardsmen) keep an unsuccessful suicide watch over Cleopatra, in Antony and Cleopatra.
• Guiderius (also known as Polydore) is the true heir of the kingdom in Cymbeline, stolen away in infancy by Morgan, and brought up as Morgan's child.
• Guildenstern and Rosencrantz, in Hamlet
  , are two former friends of the prince, invited to the Danish court to spy on him. They eventually accompany Hamlet towards England, but he escapes while they continue with the journey, to their deaths.
• Sir Henry Guildford (hist) welcomes guests to Cardinal Wolsey's party, in Henry VIII.
• Gunner:
  • The Master Gunner of Orleans leaves his boy in charge of the artillery, in Henry VI, Part 1.
  • The Master Gunner's Boy kills Salisbury, in Henry VI, Part 1.
• James Gurney (fict) is a servant of Lady Faulconbridge, in
  King John
  .

H

• A Haberdasher is verbally abused by Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew.
• Hal, later King Henry V (sometimes called The Prince of Wales, Prince Henry or just Harry) (
  hist) is a central character in Henry IV, Part 1 and Henry IV, Part 2 and is the title character of Henry V. He has a closer relationship with Falstaff than with his father (Henry IV), but he eventually ascends the throne, rejects Falstaff, and leads the English to victory at Agincourt.^[4][5]
• Hamlet:
  • Prince Hamlet (myth) is the central character of Hamlet. He is a prince of Denmark, called on to avenge his father's (Old Hamlet's) murder by Claudius.
  • myth) is the father of the protagonist in Hamlet
    . His ghost appears to exhort Hamlet to revenge Old Hamlet's murder by Claudius.
• Harcourt is a messenger to the king in Henry IV, Part 2.
• The Governor of Harfleur (hist) surrenders to Henry in Henry V.^[4]
• Harry:
  • Hotspur or Harry Percy (
    hist), brave and chivalrous but hot-headed and sometimes comical, is an important foil to Hal, and leader of the rebel forces, in Henry IV, Part 1.^[5]
  • See also Hal, Bolingbroke.
  • See also "Henry".
• Hastings:
  • Hastings Pursuivant is a minor character who meets his namesake, Lord Hastings, in Richard III.
  • Lord Hastings (hist) is the prime minister, beheaded on Richard's orders in Richard III.
• For Hecat see Hecate.
• Hecate is a leader of the witches in Macbeth.
• Hector (myth), son of Priam, is the Trojans' champion in Troilus and Cressida.
• Helen:
  • Helen (myth), the mythological Helen of Troy, is the wife of Menelaus who has been stolen away by Paris, and is thefore the cause of the wars fought in Troilus and Cressida.
  • Helen is a lady attending on Imogen in Cymbeline.
  • See also Nell.
  • See also Helena.
• Helena:
  • Helena, the ward of the Countess of Rousillon, is the central character of All's Well That Ends Well. She is married to Bertram against his will, but she eventually wins his love.
  • Helena, formerly loved by Demetrius, has been rejected by him at the start of A Midsummer Night's Dream.
• Helenus (
  myth) is a priest, and brother of Hector and Troilus. He is a minor character in Troilus and Cressida
  .
• Helicanus is a lord in Pericles, trusted with the government of Tyre during Pericles' absences.
• Henry:
  • Bolingbroke, later King Henry IV (hist) leads a revolt against King Richard in Richard II. He is the title character of Henry IV, Part 1 and Henry IV, Part 2, which chart the rebellions against him by the Percy faction, and his difficult relationship with his eldest son, Hal.^[5]
  • Hal, later King Henry V (sometimes called The Prince of Wales, Prince Henry or just Harry) (
    hist) is a central character in Henry IV, Part 1 and Henry IV, Part 2 and is the title character of Henry V.^[4][5]

• • King Henry VI (hist), the title character of Henry VI, Part 1, Henry VI, Part 2, and Henry VI, Part 3, is a weak and ineffectual king, and the plays chart the rebellions against him, leading to his overthrow and murder.^[7][8]
  • The Earl of Richmond, later King Henry VII (hist) leads the rebellion against the cruel rule of Richard III, and eventually succeeds him as king.
  • King Henry VIII (
    hist) is the central character of the play Henry VIII
    , portrayed as a wise and strong ruler.
  • The Earl of Northumberland, Henry Percy, (hist) is an important character in Richard II, where he is Bolingbroke's chief ally, and in Henry IV, Part 1 and Henry IV, Part 2, in which he leads the rebellion against his former ally, who is now king.^[5]
  • Prince Henry (
    King John
    , as successor to the title character.
  • Sir Henry Guildford (hist) welcomes guests to Cardinal Wolsey's party, in Henry VIII.
  • See also Hotspur (whose real name is Henry Percy).
  • See also "Harry"
• Herald:
  • A Herald calls for a champion to face Edmund in King Lear.
  • A Herald brings news to Theseus of noble prisoners taken in battle, including the title characters of The Two Noble Kinsmen.
  • A Herald announces victory celebrations in Othello.
  • A Herald announces Coriolanus' return to Rome in
    Coriolanus
    .
  • Two Heralds one French, one English, claim victory before the walls of Angers in
    King John
    . Neither of them persuades Hubert.
• Sir Walter Herbert is a follower of Richmond in Richard III.
• Hermia loves Lysander, and is loved by Demetrius, at the start of A Midsummer Night's Dream
  .
• Hermione is the wife of Leontes in The Winter's Tale. She suffers as a result of his mistaken belief in her infidelity. At the end of the play she appears to return from the dead, having appeared as a statue.
• Hero falls in love with Claudio in Much Ado About Nothing. She is wronged by Don John and Borachio, and is abandoned at the altar, and left for dead, by Claudio.
• Hippolyta (
  myth) is a leader of the Amazons, who is the bride of Theseus in A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Two Noble Kinsmen
  .
• Holofernes is a pedantic schoolmaster in Love's Labour's Lost. He plays Judas Maccabeus in the Pageant of the Nine Worthies.
• Horatio is a student, and a friend and confidant of the protagonist in Hamlet
  .
• Thomas Horner (fict) fights a duel with his apprentice Peter Thump in Henry VI, Part 2.
• Hortensio is a friend to Petruchio and suitor to Bianca in The Taming of the Shrew. He disguises himself as a music teacher in order to pursue Bianca, but ultimately loses her and marries a rich widow.
• Hortensius is a servant, sent to extract payment of a debt from Timon in Timon of Athens.
• Host:
  • The Host of the Garter is the practical-joking innkeeper in The Merry Wives of Windsor.
  • The Host of Julia's lodgings brings the disguised Julia into Proteus' company, in The Two Gentlemen of Verona.
• Hostess:
  • The Hostess of an alehouse throws out the unruly Sly, amidst an argument about broken glasses in the induction to The Taming of the Shrew.
  • See also Mistress Quickly, who is often referred to as "hostess".
• For Hostilius in Timon of Athens, see Strangers.
• Hotspur or Harry Percy (
  hist), brave and chivalrous but hot-headed and sometimes comical, is an important foil to Hal, and leader of the rebel forces, in Henry IV, Part 1.^[5]
• Hubert (
  King John
  . He resolves to put out Arthur's eyes, on John's orders, but eventually relents.
• Hugh:
  • Hugh Oatcake is a member of the Watch in Much Ado About Nothing.
  • Hugh Rebeck, Simon Catling and James Soundpost are minor characters, musicians, in Romeo and Juliet.
  • Sir Hugh Evans is a Welsh priest in The Merry Wives of Windsor. He is challenged to a duel by Caius. He plays a fairy in the final act.
  • Sir Hugh Mortimer (hist) is an uncle of Richard Duke of York (1) in Henry VI, Part 3.
• Hume, with Southwell, Jourdain and Bolingbroke, are the supernatural conspirators with Eleanor Duchess of Gloucester in Henry VI, Part 2.
• Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester (hist) appears as a brother of Hal in Henry IV, Part 2 and Henry V. He is a much more important character as the protector in Henry VI, Part 1 and Henry VI, Part 2, in which he is murdered by his rivals.^[4]
• The Earl of Huntingdon (hist) is a non-speaking follower of the king in Henry V.^[4]
• Several Huntsmen, two of whom are speaking roles, accompany the Lord in the induction to The Taming of the Shrew.
• Hymen (
  myth), the Greek god of marriage, is a character in As You Like It, and is a non-speaking role in the opening scene of The Two Noble Kinsmen
  .

I

Charles and Mary Lamb's Tales from Shakespeare

.

• For Iachimo see Jachimo.
• Iago is the villain (and the main character, measured by the number of lines spoken) of Othello.
• Alexander Iden (hist) kills Jack Cade in Henry VI, Part 2.
• Imogen is the daughter of the king in Cymbeline
  . Her husband, Posthumus, wrongly believes she has been unfaithful and orders her killed.
• Iras is an attendant on Cleopatra, in Antony and Cleopatra. She dies following a kiss from Cleopatra.
• Iris (
  The Tempest.^[2]
• Isabella (sometimes addressed as Isabel) is the virtuous central female character in Measure for Measure: a novice nun who pleads to Angelo for the life of her brother Claudio.
• For Isidore's Servant, see servant.

J

• Jachimo is a villain in Cymbeline. He persuades Posthumus, wrongly, that he has slept with Posthumus' wife, Imogen.
• Jack:
  • Jack Cade (
    hist) leads a proletarian rebellion in Henry VI, Part 2
    .
  • See also John: especially Sir John Falstaff, who is often addressed as Jack.
• Jacquenetta is described as a light wench, and is the love interest of many comic characters in Love's Labour's Lost.
• Jailer:
  • Two Jailers guard the imprisoned Posthumus in Cymbeline.
  • A Jailer keeps Palamon and Arcite in custody in The Two Noble Kinsmen.
  • The Jailer's Brother accompanies his niece in her madness, in The Two Noble Kinsmen.
  • The Jailer's Daughter develops an obsessive love for Palamon, and releases him from prison, in The Two Noble Kinsmen. She descends into madness.
  • A sympathetic Jailer guards and commiserates with Antonio in The Merchant of Venice.
  • See also Gaoler.
• James:
  • James Gurney (fict) is a servant of Lady Faulconbridge, in
    King John
    .
  • James Soundpost, Simon Catling and Hugh Rebeck are minor characters, musicians, in Romeo and Juliet.
  • Sir James Blunt is a supporter of Richmond in Richard III.
  • Sir James Tyrrell (hist) is employed to murder the princes in the tower in Richard III.
• Jamy (fict) is a Scottish captain in Henry V.^[4]
• Jane Nightwork (fict) is a married libertine, presumably, remembered wistfully by Shallow and Falstaff in Henry IV, Part 2.
• Jaques :
  • Jaques is a melancholy lord in As You Like It.
  • Jaques DeBoys is a brother to Oliver and Orlando in As You Like It.
• Jessica is Shylock's daughter in The Merchant of Venice. She elopes with Lorenzo and converts to Christianity.
• A Jeweller sells a jewel to Timon in Timon of Athens.
• Joan la Pucelle (hist), better known to history as Joan of Arc, leads the Dauphin's forces against Talbot and the English in Henry VI, Part 1. Shakespeare presents her as an adulteress who fakes pregnancy in order to avoid being burnt at the stake.
• John:
  • Don John is the bastard brother of Don Pedro, and is the chief villain in Much Ado About Nothing.
  • Friar John is a minor character, who is unable to deliver a crucial letter from Friar Laurence to Romeo, in Romeo and Juliet.
  • John is a servingman of Mistress Ford: he carries Falstaff to Datchet Mead in a buck-basket, in The Merry Wives of Windsor.
  • John Bates (fict) is a soldier the English army in Henry V.^[4]
  • John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (
    hist) is uncle to King Richard and father to Bolingbroke in Richard II
    .
  • John Gower (hist) is the "Presenter", or narrator, of Pericles, Prince of Tyre.
  • John Rugby is a servant to Caius in The Merry Wives of Windsor.
  • John Talbot is the son of Sir John Talbot. They die together bravely in battle in Henry VI, Part 1.
  • King John (
    King John
    : a king whose throne is under threat from the claim of his young nephew, Arthur.
  • Prince John of Lancaster (
    hist) is the younger brother of Prince Hal in Henry IV, Part 1, Henry IV, Part 2, and Henry V. He is also the Duke of Bedford who is Regent of France in Henry VI, Part 1.^[4][5]
  • Sir John Blunt is a supporter of the king in Henry IV, Part 2.
  • Sir John Coleville is a rebel captured by Falstaff in Henry IV, Part 2.
  • Sir John Fastolfe) is a central character of Henry IV, Part 1, Henry IV, Part 2, and The Merry Wives of Windsor. In the Henry plays, he is "bad angel" to prince Hal, and is eventually rejected by him. He is the lecherous gull of the title characters in Merry Wives. His death is reported in Henry V, although he is not a character in that play. He is (with Hamlet) one of the two most significant roles in Shakespeare.^[4][5]
  • Sir John Fastolfe (
    hist) is a coward, stripped of his garter in Henry VI, Part 1
    .
  • Sir John Montgomery (historically Thomas Montgomery) is a minor Yorkist character in Henry VI, Part 3.
  • Sir John Mortimer (hist) is an uncle of Richard Duke of York (1) in Henry VI, Part 3.
  • Sir John Stanley supervises Eleanor's penance in Henry VI, Part 2.
  • Sir John Talbot (hist) is the leader of the English forces in France, and therefore the chief enemy of Joan, in Henry VI, Part 1.
• Joseph is a servant of Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew.
• Jourdain, with Southwell, Hume and Bolingbroke, are the supernatural conspirators with Eleanor Duchess of Gloucester in Henry VI, Part 2.
• Julia is the faithful lover of Proteus, who follows him disguised as a young man and is dismayed to discover his infatuation with Silvia, in The Two Gentlemen of Verona.
• Juliet:
  • Juliet is a title character in Romeo and Juliet
    . The daughter of Capulet, she falls in love with Romeo, the son of her father's enemy Montague, with tragic results.
  • Juliet, lover of Claudio, becomes pregnant by him, leading to his death sentence, which begins the action of Measure for Measure.
• Julius Caesar (hist) is the title character of Julius Caesar, an Emperor of Rome who is stabbed in the Capitol, on the Ides of March.
• Junius Brutus and Sicinius Velutus, two of the tribunes of the people, are the hero's chief political enemies in
  Coriolanus
  , and prove more effective than his military foes.
• Juno (
  The Tempest.^[2]
• Jupiter (
  myth) hears the pleas of the ghosts of Posthumus' family, in Cymbeline
  .
• Justice (title):
  • A Justice is a minor role in the trial of Froth and Pompey, in Measure for Measure.
  • The Lord Chief Justice (
    dramatic foil to Falstaff in Henry IV, Part 2
    .
  • Justice Shallow (fict) is an elderly landowner in Henry IV, Part 2 and The Merry Wives of Windsor
    .
  • Justice Silence (fict) is an elderly friend of Justice Shallow in Henry IV, Part 2.

K

• Kate:
  • Kate Keepdown is a whore in Measure for Measure.
  • See also Lady Percy.
  • See also Katherine.
• Katharine/Katherine:
  • Katharine (hist) is the French princess who marries Henry V.^[4]
  • Katharine is a lady attending on the Princess of France, in Love's Labour's Lost. She becomes emotionally attached to Dumaine.
  • Katherine (sometimes "Kate" or "Katerina Minola") is the "shrew" from the title of The Taming of the Shrew
    , who is "tamed" by Petruchio.
  • Queen Katherine of Aragon (hist) is the first wife of King Henry in Henry VIII. She falls from grace, is divorced and dies.
  • See also Kate.
• Kate Keepdown is a whore in Measure for Measure.
• Keeper:
  • A door keeper (fict) bars the entrance of Cranmer to the council chamber, in Henry VIII.
  • A keeper (fict) gives Piers of Exton access to the imprisoned Richard in Richard II.
  • Two keepers (fict) arrest the fugitive Henry in Henry VI, Part 3.
• The Earl of Kent is a follower of the King in King Lear who evades banishment by disguising himself as a servant, and calling himself Caius.
• King (title):
  • First Player or Player King leads the company which visits Elsinore in Hamlet. He reads an excerpt as Priam, and plays the king in The Mousetrap.
  • King Claudius is the uncle and stepfather of the prince in Hamlet. He has murdered his brother Old Hamlet, has taken over his crown, and has married his queen, Gertrude.
  • King Edward:
    • Edward later King Edward IV (
      hist) is the eldest son of Richard, Duke of York (1) in Henry VI, Part 2 and Henry VI, Part 3 – in which he becomes king. He dies in Richard III
      .
    • Prince Edward of York later King Edward V (
      princes in the tower in Richard III
      .
  • King of France:
    • The King of France (fict) is the husband of Cordelia in King Lear.
    • The King of France is cured by Helena, and in recompense he agrees to order Bertram to marry her, in All's Well That Ends Well.
    • The King of France (hist) is Henry's enemy in Henry V.^[4]
    • The Dauphin, later King Charles VII of France (hist) leads the French forces, with Joan, in Henry VI, Part 1.
    • King Lewis XI of France (
      hist), insulted by Edward IV's marriage to Lady Grey, allies himself with Warwick and Margaret in Henry VI, Part 3
      .
    • King Philip of France (
      King John
      .
  • For King Hamlet see Old Hamlet.
  • King Henry:
    • Bolingbroke, later King Henry IV (hist) leads a revolt against King Richard in Richard II. He is the title character of Henry IV, Part 1 and Henry IV, Part 2 which chart the rebellions against him by the Percy faction, and his difficult relationship with his eldest son, Hal.^[5]
    • Hal, later King Henry V (sometimes called The Prince of Wales, Prince Henry or just Harry) (
      hist) is a central character in Henry IV, Part 1 and Henry IV, Part 2 and is the title character of Henry V. He has a closer relationship with Falstaff than with his father (Henry IV), but he eventually ascends the throne, rejects Falstaff, and leads the English to victory at Agincourt.^[4][5]
    • King Henry VI (hist), the title character of Henry VI, Part 1, Henry VI, Part 2, and Henry VI, Part 3, is a weak and ineffectual king, and the plays chart the rebellions against him, leading to his overthrow and murder.^[7][8]
    • The Earl of Richmond, later King Henry VII (hist) leads the rebellion against the cruel rule of Richard III, and eventually succeeds him as king.
    • King Henry VIII (
      hist) is the central character of the play Henry VIII
      , portrayed as a wise and strong ruler.
  • King John (
    Carmel
    , Ca, 1999
  • King Lear is the central character of King Lear. He divides his kingdom among his two elder daughters, is rejected by them, runs mad, and dies.
  • The King of Navarre (
    hist) and his three noble companions, Berowne, Dumaine, and Longaville, vow to study and fast for three years, at the outset of Love's Labour's Lost
    .
  • King Richard:
    • King Richard II (hist) is the title character of Richard II: a king who is deposed and eventually murdered.
    • Richard, Duke of Gloucester, later King Richard III (hist), brave but evil, is the third son of Richard, Duke of York (1). He is a fairly minor character in Henry VI, Part 2, is more prominent in Henry VI, Part 3, and is the title character in Richard III.
  • For King of Sparta see Menelaus.
  • For King of Troy see Priam.
  • A number of characters are kings, including Alonso, Antiochus, Leontes, Oberon, Polixines and Simonides.
• Knight:
  • Five knights, plus Pericles himself, compete in a tournament for the love of Thaisa, in Pericles, Prince of Tyre.
  • Six knights, three of them attending Palamon, and three attending Arcite, appear in The Two Noble Kinsmen. Palamon's knights are speaking roles.
  • A hundred knights, three of whom are speaking parts, and most of whom will inevitably be spoken of but never seen in performance, are followers of Lear in King Lear.

See also

• List of Shakespearean characters (L–Z)

References

1. ^ Bate 2006, p. 124.
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n} Anne Barton (ed.) New Penguin Shakespeare "The Tempest"
3. ^ Bate 2006, p. 240.
4. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh} T. W. Craik (ed.) The Arden Shakespeare (3rd series) "King Henry V"
5. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x} P. H. Davison (ed.) New Penguin Shakespeare "Henry IV Part One
6. ^ Based on the description in the Library of Congress for this photo, labeled: "Edwin Booth [as] Hamlet 'to be or not to be, that is the question', CALL NUMBER: LOT 13714, no. 125 (H) [P&P]."
7. ^ ^{a b} Edward Burns (ed.) The Arden Shakespeare (3rd series) "King Henry VI Part 1"
8. ^ ^{a b} Andrew S. Cairncross (ed.) The Arden Shakespeare (2nd series) "King Henry VI Part 3"

Bibliography

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Sources cited

• ISBN 9781903436059
  .

General references

• Anne Barton (ed.) New Penguin Shakespeare "The Tempest"
• Edward Burns (ed.) The Arden Shakespeare (3rd series) "King Henry VI Part 1"
• Andrew S. Cairncross (ed.) The Arden Shakespeare (2nd series) "King Henry VI Part 3"
• John D. Cox and Eric Rasmussen (eds.) The Arden Shakespeare (3rd series) "King Henry VI Part 3"
• T. W. Craik (ed.) The Arden Shakespeare (3rd series) "King Henry V"
• P. H. Davison (ed.) New Penguin Shakespeare "Henry IV Part One"
• P. H. Davison (ed.) New Penguin Shakespeare "Henry IV Part Two"
• Philip Edwards (ed.) New Penguin Shakespeare "Pericles"
• Bertrand Evans (ed.) The Signet Classic "The Two Gentlemen of Verona"
• Barbara Everett (ed.) Penguin Shakespeare "All's Well That Ends Well"
• R. A. Foakes (ed.) Penguin Shakespeare "Much Ado About Nothing"
• R. A. Foakes (ed.) Penguin Shakespeare "Troilus and Cressida"
• Charles R. Forker (ed.) The Adren Shakespeare (3rd series) "King Richard II"
• Antony Hammond (ed.) The Arden Shakespeare (2nd series) "King Richard III"
• Robert B. Heilman (ed.) The Signet Classic "The Taming of the Shrew"
• G.R. Hibbard (ed.) Penguin Shakespeare "Coriolanus"
• G. R. Hibbard (ed.) Penguin Shakespeare "Timon of Athens"
• E. A. J. Honigman (ed.) New Penguin Shakespeare "Richard III"
• E. A. J. Honigman (ed.) The Arden Shakespeare (2nd series) "King John"
• A. R. Humphreys (ed.) The Arden Shakespeare (2nd series) "King Henry IV Part 1"
• A. R. Humphreys (ed.) The Arden Shakespeare (2nd series) "King Henry IV Part 2"
• G. K. Hunter (ed.) New Penguin Shakespeare "Macbeth"
• G. K. Hunter (ed.) New Penguin Shakespeare "King Lear"
• David Scott Kastan (ed.) The Arden Shakespeare (3rd series) "King Henry IV Part 1"
• John Kerrigan (ed.) Penguin Shakespeare "Love's Labour's Lost"
• Ronald Knowles (ed.) The Arden Shakespeare (3rd series) "King Henry VI Part II"
• M. M. Mahood (ed.) New Penguin Shakespeare "Twelfth Night"
• Sonia Massai (ed.) Penguin Shakespeare "Titus Andronicus"
• Gordon McMullan (ed.) The Arden Shakespeare (3rd series) "King Henry VIII"
• Giorgio Melchiori (ed.) The Arden Shakespeare (3rd series) "The Merry Wives of Windsor"
• E. Moelwyn Merchant (ed.) New Penguin Shakespeare "The Merchant of Venice"
• Kenneth Muir (ed.) New Penguin Shakespeare "Othello"
• Kenneth Muir (ed.) The Arden Shakespeare (2nd series) "Macbeth"
• J. M. Nosworthy (ed.) New Penguin Shakespeare "Measure for Measure"
• H. J. Oliver (ed.) New Penguin Shakespeare "As You Like It"
• John Pitcher (ed.) Penguin Shakespeare "Cymbeline"
• Lois Potter (ed.) The Arden Shakespeare (3rd series) "The Two Noble Kinsmen"
• Norman Sanders (ed.) New Penguin Shakespeare "Julius Caesar"
• Ernest Schanzer (ed.) New Penguin Shakespeare "The Winter's Tale"
• T. J. B. Spencer (ed.) New Penguin Shakespeare "Romeo and Juliet"
• T. J. B. Spencer (ed.) New Penguin Shakespeare "Hamlet"
• Peter Ure (ed.) The Arden Shakespeare (2nd series) "King Richard II"
• Virginia Mason Vaughan and Alden T. Vaughan (eds.) The Arden Shakespeare (3rd series) "The Tempest"
• Stanley Wells (ed.) Penguin Shakespeare "The Comedy of Errors"
• Stanley Wells (ed.) New Penguin Shakespeare "A Midsummer Night's Dream"
• John Wilders (ed.) The Arden Shakespeare (3rd Series) "Antony and Cleopatra"

External links

• Open Source Shakespeare character list: counting the number of lines for each character.