| Madame Ranevsky (Lyubov Andreyevna) | Owner of the Cherry Orchard |
| Anya | Madame Ranevsky’s youngest daughterAged 17 |
| Varya | Madame Ranevsky’s oldest daughterAged 24Adopted |
| Gaev (Leonid Andreyevitch | Brother of Madame Ranevsky51 years oldConstantly eats sweets, has to be reminded to wear a jacket, and insults those who he disagrees with |
| Lopakhin (Yermolay Alexeyevitch) | A merchantFrom a family of peasants who worked on the estateWas beaten as a childOften complains about his lack of education |
| Trofimov (Pyotr Sergeyevitch) | A studentWas the tutor for Madame Ranevsky’s dead son GrishaReferred to as the “eternal student” |
| Semyonov-Pishtchik | A landownerIn financial difficultiesBorrows money from RanevskyHas lots of optimism and thinking he will find money to pay off his debts |
| Charlotta Ivanovna | A governess (for Anya)Traveled around performing tricks in her youth- similar to a clownPerforms tricks for amusement to the elite around her |
| Epihodov (Semyon Pantaleyevitch) | A clerkAmusement for other workersOften contemplating suicideProposed to Dunyasha |
| Dunyasha | A maidObject of Epihodov’s love |
| Firs | An old valetAged 87Always talks about the past and how the estate used to be |
| Yasha | A young valetHas been traveling with Ravensky since she left for FranceComplains about how uncivilized Russia is compared to FranceLikes strong smelling cigars |
| A Vagrant | … |
| The Station Master | … |
| Medea | The main character. A princess and sorceress who uses her powers to get the golden fleece for Jason, falls in love, marries with 2 kids when he deserts her her initial suicidal depair turns into sadistic fury |
| Jason | A hero in homers Iliad and Odyssey, Jason is a selfish rationalizer who leaves his wife and kidsand then blaming Medea until the very end |
| the children | Medea’s and Jason’s children presented as naive, innocent and oblivious to what is going on around them |
| Chorus | A group of corinthian women who are commentators and also become part of the action (e.g. when they talk to Medea in first scene), They sympathize with her until she plans to kill her kids |
| Creon | King of Colchis and father of Glauce, Jason’s new wife, he banishes Medea and dies a gruesome death when he embraces his dead daughter |
| Glauce | Creon’s daughter, Jason’s new wife who accepts Medea’s gifts and dies |
| Aegus | KIng of Athens who passes through Corinth after going to the Oracle at Delphi for sterility treatment and offers Medea sanctuary in exchange for fertility potions |
| Messenger | appears in the play once , telling Medea, the king and daughter are dead and answering her detailed questions about what happened |
| Nurse | caretaker of house and kids, cars for Media and worries about her and what she will do |
| Tutor | The tutor of the children minor character, brings the nurse the news that Medea will be banished. He watches the kids |
| Alonso | King of Naplesallowed antonio to overthrow Prosperofather of Ferdinand political, loves son, passive |
| gonzalo | Honest, old, nice, optimisticcounselor to Alanzomocked by Antonio and Sebastian for being a suck up to Porspero”you have cause of joy” (2i, 1-2) |
| Sebastian | brother of Alonsofriends with Antoniorude, arrogant, willing to kill the kingcoward, no moral center”thy case, dear friend shall be my precedent” (2i,292-293) |
| Ferdinand | Son of Alonso, Ferdinand like each other, prospero enslaves him. royalty”There be some sports are painful, and their labourDelight in them sets off. Some kinds of basenessAre nobly undergone, and most poor mattersPoint to rich ends. This my mean taskWould be as heavy to me as odious, butThe mistress which I serve quickens what’s deadAnd makes my labours pleasures”. (III.i.1-7) |
| Antonio | Duke of MilanProsperos brotherpower hungrypersuades sebastian to kill alonsocynical, psychopath”say this were death/that how hath seized then;why, they were no worse/than how they are” (2i, 266-262) |
| Ariel | an airy spirt owned by Prospero, was owned sycoraxuses charms to persuade people. Saved the King, started the storm. He is in debt to Prospero, wants freedom from him.”Nothing of him that doth fade but doth suffer a sea-change Into something rich and strange. Sea nymphs hourly ring his knell” (1ii, 397-402) |
| Prospero | Father of Miranda,brother of antonio, controls ariel and calibanCreates a storm to bring is enemies to the island controlling tyrantDuke of Milan/ruler of the islandWizard magician like”i thus neglecting worldly ends….bettering of my mind”(1ii, 89-90) |
| Miranda | Daughter to Prospero, loves Ferdinand, 15 years old, educated by Prosperostop the storm, sympathetic, kind, naive, obedient, trustful of her father.”I am your wife, if you will marry me.If not, I’ll die your maid. To be your fellowYou may deny me, but I’ll be your servantWhether you will or no (III.i.77-86)” |
| Caliban | savage in the form of a slave, of properoson of sycorax, tried to rape Miranda.ruled on Island with mom (sycorax)ugly, whelp, fish like, tortoises likewas nice at first”You taught me language, and my profit on’tIs I know how to curse. The red plague rid youFor learning me your language!” (I.ii.366-368) |
| Sycorax | dead, ruled island with calibanmother to calibanruled ariel, enslaved himkilled by prospero |
| stephano | drunken butler, member of shipwrecked party.”i shall no more to sea, to sea, Here shall i die ashore”. (2ii, 41-42) |
| trinculo | jester, member of shipwrecked party.”i do now let loose my opinion, hold it no longer”. (2ii, 34) |
| Okonkwo | protagonist, hard working, high standing clansman. His tragic flaw is a fear of appearing weak as a result of his being perpetually ashamed of his father, Unoka, as a child. |
| Nwoye | Okonkwo’s eldest son whom Okonkwo thinks is lazy and unambitious; takes after his grandfather, although he does become more masculine after taking after Ikemefuna, his father would ultimately remain ashamed of him and beats him regularly in an effort to correct his faults, his father would disown him after his conversion to Christianity. |
| Ezinma | Ekwefi’s only child to survive past infancy, who sits like a boy despite being a girl. Has an atypical relationship with her mother whom she calls her by her first name, and is her father’s favorite child, as she understands him best, and he often wishes she were a boy |
| Unoka | Okonkwo’s father of whom he is deeply ashamed and strives to separate himself from him. He never displays any emotions, and unlike his father strives not to be at all lazy, or artistic. |
| Obierka | Okonkwo’s close friend who often looks out for him; he sells Okonkwo’s yams while he’s in exile, and consoles him often. But he would go on to question the traditional clan values in much the same way as Nwoye. |
| Ekwefi | Okonkwo’s 2nd wife, was once a village beauty, but left her former husband for Okonkwo; he likely put up little objection because she was unable to give birth to a viable child. Her only surviving child is Ezinma and is constantly afraid of losing her- she is also good friends with Chielo -Priestess to the god Agballa |
| Enoch | fanatical Christian convert, rips the mask off an Egwugwu during a holy ceremony- although Mr. Brown tried to keep his enthusiasm in check, Rev. Smith encouraged his behavior. |
| Ogbuefi Ezeudu | Oldest and one of the highest ranked men in the clan, delivers messages from the oracle. |
| Ikemefuna | a boy given to Okonkwo by a neighboring village in restitution for an Umuofian girl killed at that village’s market, he lives in Okonkwo’s 1st wife’s hut and quickly becomes popular among Okonkwo’s children, especially his son Nwoye who comes to look up to the boy. Even Okonkwo becomes fond of the boy, although he would never make his feelings known. |
| Mr. Brown | the 1st white missionary to come to Umuofia, institutes a policy of compromise and non-aggression, even speaking with many Umuofian clan leaders. |
| Rev. James Smith | 2nd white missionary to come to Umuofia, highly evangelical and colonialist, goes on to incite serious violent transgressions between his converts and the villagers. |
| Uchendu | Okonkwo’s younger brother who welcomes him back into his motherland after being exiled from Umuofia for manslaughter (feminine murder) |
| District Commissioner | Racist, white colonialist, English authority figure who has no understanding of the native villagers, but assumes they are simple savages. Has no respect African culture and plans to write a book entitled Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of the Lower Niger. |
| Chielo | Umuofian priestess dedicated to the oracle of the Goddess Agballa, she is a widow with 2 children and a good friend of Ekwefi- she would at one point carry Ezinma on her back for an entire night in order to cleanse her of any evil spirits. |
| Akunna | a prominent Umuofian clan leader, who speak with Mr. Brown about the clan’s religion,and develops striking parallels between the ways of the clan and religion and Christianity. |
| Mr. Kiaga | Native turned missionary who converts many clansmen to christianity. |
| Okagbue Uyanwa | Famous medicine man who helps Okonkwo with Ezinma. |
| Maduka | Obierka’s son who is a remarkably good wrestler, Okonkwo wishes he had a son like him. |
| Obiagel | daughter of Okonkwo’s 1st wife |
| Ojiugo | Okonkwo’s 3rd and youngest wife whom he beats during the week of peace,and is forced to pay 100 cowries and sacrifice a goat. |
| Chinua Achebe was born when and where? | Eastern Nigeria in 1930 |
| Chinua Achebe died when and where? | Boston in 2013 |
| How many books did he write, co-write, or edited? | 17 |
| what happened at the end of the 1800? | Nigeria became a British colony |
| what happened in 1890? | ‘Things Fall Apart’ takes place |
| what happened in 1958 | ‘Things Fall Apart’ is published |
| what happened in 1960? | Nigeria gets independence on England |
The Cherry Orchard, Medea, The tempest, Things Fall Apart Character List
July 9, 2019