Shakespeare's Characters

Name:

Select a play for its list of characters:

To the plays

A

Aaron: Aaron was Tamora's Moorish lover in Titus Andronicus.
The Abbott of Westminster: The Abbott of Westminster supports Richard and the Bishop of Carlisle in Richard II.
Lord Abergavenny: Lord Abergavenny (hist) is Buckingham's son-in-law in Henry VIII.
Abhorson: Abhorson is an executioner in Measure for Measure.
Abraham Slender: Abraham Slender is a foolish suitor to Anne, and a kinsman of Shallow, in The Merry Wives of Windsor.
Abraham: Abraham, a Montague servant, fights Sampson and Gregory in the first scene of Romeo and Juliet.
Achilles: Achilles is portrayed as a former hero, who has become lazy and devoted to the love of Patroclus, in Troilus and Cressida.
Adam: Adam is a kindly old servant, rumored to have been played by Shakespeare himself, in As You Like It.
Adrian:: Adrian is a lord, a follower of Alonso, in The Tempest.; For Adrian in Coriolanus, see Volsce.
Adriana: Adriana is the frequently angry wife of Antipholus of Ephesus in The Comedy of Errors.
Don Adriano: Don Adriano de Armado is an arrogant Spanish braggart in Love's Labour's Lost.
Aediles: Aediles (officers attending on the Tribunes) appear in Coriolanus. One is a speaking role.
Aemelia: Aemelia is an abbess in The Comedy of Errors. She proves to be the long-lost wife of Egeon, and the long-lost mother of the Antipholus twins.
Aemilius:: Marcus Aemilius Lepidus (hist) is one of the Triumvirs. the three rulers of Rome after Caesar's death, in Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra.
Aeneas: Aeneas is a Trojan leader in Troilus and Cressida.
Agamemnon: Agamemnon is the general leader of the Greek forces, in Troilus and Cressida.
Sir Andrew Aguecheek: Sir Andrew Aguecheek is a foolish knight, and suitor to Olivia, in Twelfth Night.
Agrippa:: Agrippa (hist), a follower of Caesar in Antony and Cleopatra, proposes that the widowed Antony should marry Octavia.; Menenius Agrippa in Coriolanus is a friend and supporter of Coriolanus in his political struggles.
Ajax: Ajax is the sometimes foolish champion of the Greeks in Troilus and Cressida.
The Mayor of St. Albans: The Mayor of St. Albans appears briefly in Henry VI, Part 2.
The Duke of Albany: The Duke of Albany is Goneril's husband in King Lear.
Alcibiades: Alcibiades (hist) is a soldier who turns renegade when one of his junior officers is sentenced to death, and true friend of Timon in Timon of Athens.
The Duke of Alen: The Duke of Alencon' (hist) is one of the French leaders in Henry VI, Part 1.
Alexander:: Alexander is Cressida's servant in Troilus and Cressida.; Alexander Court is a soldier in the English army in Henry V.; Alexander Iden (hist) kills Jack Cade in Henry VI, Part 2.
Alexas: Alexas is a follower of Cleopatra, in Antony and Cleopatra.
Alice:: Alice gives the French princess Katharine an English lesson in Henry V.
Aliena: For Aliena see Celia from As You Like It, who calls herself Aliena while in exile in the Forest of Arden.
Alonso: Alonso is the King of Naples, an enemy to Prospero, in The Tempest. He mourns for his son, Ferdinand, who he believes is drowned.
Ambassador:: Some ambassadors from France present Henry with a gift of tennis balls from the Dauphin, in Henry V.; Some ambassadors from England bring news that Rozancrantz and Guildenstern are dead, in Hamlet.; Several characters act as Ambassadors, including Cornelius (in Hamlet), Lucius (in Cymbeline), Montjoy and Voltemand.
Amiens: Amiens is a follower of Duke Senior in As You Like It.
Sir Andrew Aguecheek: * Sir Andrew Aguecheek is a foolish knight, and suitor to Olivia, in Twelfth Night.
Marcus Andronicus: Marcus Andronicus was a Roman Tribune of the People. Brother of Titus Andronicus.
Andromache: Andromache is Hector's wife in Troilus and Cressida.
Angelica: Angelica is Juliet Capulet's nurse in Romeo and Juliet.
Angelo:: Angelo deputises for the Duke during the latter's absence from Vienna, but proves corrupt, seeking the sexual favours of Isabella, in Measure for Measure.; Angelo is a goldsmith who has been commissioned to make a chain by Antipholus of Ephesus, which he delivers to Antipholus of Syracuse in error. Antipholus of Ephesus later refuses to pay for it, causing much consternation, in The Comedy of Errors.
Angus: Angus is a thane in Macbeth.
Anne:: Anne Bullen (hist), known to history as Anne Boleyn, is a maid of Honour to Katherine who later becomes King Henry's second wife, in Henry VIII.; Anne Page is the daughter of Master and Mistress Page in The Merry Wives of Windsor. She loves Fenton, but her father wishes her to marry Slender and her mother wishes her to marry Caius.; Lady Anne (hist) is the widow of Prince Edward, wooed by Richard over the corpse of her late father-in-law (Henry VI) in Richard III.
Antenor: Antenor is a Trojan leader in Troilus and Cressida.
Antigonus: Antigonus is a courtier of Leontes in The Winter's Tale, who takes the infant Perdita to Bohemia. He famously exits, pursued by a bear, which eats him.
Antiochus: Antiochus is king of Antioch in Pericles, Prince of Tyre; he engages in an incestuous relationship with his daughter. He orders the death of Pericles, who has discovered his secret.
Antipholus:: Antipholus of Ephesus, twin of Antipholus of Syracuse - with whom he is often confused, in The Comedy of Errors.; Antipholus of Syracuse, twin of Antipholus of Ephesus - with whom he is often confused, in The Comedy of Errors.
Antonio:: Antonio is the title character, although not the central character, of The Merchant of Venice. Shylock claims a pound of his flesh.; Antonio is the brother of Leonato in Much Ado About Nothing.; Antonio is a sea captain who rescues, and loves, Sebastian in Twelfth Night.; Antonio is the brother of Prospero in The Tempest. He conspires with Sebastian to murder Alonzo and Gonzalo.; Antonio is Proteus' father, in Two Gentlemen of Verona.
Antony: For Anthony in Romeo and Juliet see Servingmen.; Mark Antony (hist) (Often just Antony, and sometimes Marcus Antonius) turns the mob against Caesar's killers and becomes a Triumvir in Julius Caesar. His romance with Cleopatra drives the action of Antony and Cleopatra.; Sir Anthony Denny (hist) is a minor character in Henry VIII, who brings Cranmer to the King.
Apemantus: Apemantus is a churlish philosopher in Timon of Athens.
Three Apparitions: Three Apparitions appear to Macbeth with prophecies, in Macbeth.
Apothecary: Apothecary is a small but vital role in Romeo and Juliet. He sells Romeo the poison which ends his life.
Archbishop:: The Archbishop of Canterbury (hist) is an important character in the first act of Henry V. He expounds Henry's claim to the French throne.; Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury (hist) is a major character in the last act of Henry VIII: hauled before the privy council by his enemies and threatened with imprisonment, but protected by the king.; See also Cardinal Bourchier, who was Archbishop of Canterbury at the time dramatised in Richard III.; The Archbishop of York (hist) is one of the rebel leaders in Henry IV, Part 1 and Henry IV, Part 2.; The Archbishop of York (hist) assists Queen Elizabeth and the little Duke of York to obtain sanctuary in Richard III.
Archibald: The Prince of Arragon is an unsuccessful suitor to Portia in The Merchant of Venice.; Queen Katherine of Aragon (hist) is the first wife of King Henry in Henry VIII. She falls from grace, is divorced and dies.
Artemidorus: Artemidorus prepares a scroll warning Julius Caesar of danger, and tries to present it to Caesar in the form of a petition. Caesar refuses to accept it.
Arthur: Arthur (hist) is a child, the nephew of the king in King John. He persuades Hubert not to put out his eyes, but dies in an attempt to escape captivity.
Don Adriano: * Don Adriano de Armado is an arrogant Spanish braggart in Love's Labour's Lost.
Arviragus: Arviragus (also known as Cadwal) is the second son of the king in Cymbeline, stolen away in infancy by Morgan, and brought up as Morgan's child.
An Old Athenian: An Old Athenian in Timon of Athens objects to his daughter's involvement with Lucilius, until Timon offers to endow Lucilius with money to make him her equal.
An attendant: An attendant on the King of France speaks four words, "I shall, my liege", in All's Well That Ends Well.
Audrey: Audrey is a country girl who marries Touchstone in As You Like It.
Tullus Aufidius: Tullus Aufidius, leader of the Volscians, is the arch-enemy, and briefly the ally, of the title character in Coriolanus.
Aumerle: Aumerle (hist) is a companion of Richard in Richard II.
Autolycus: Autolycus is a rogue, singer, and snapper up of unconsidered trifles in The Winter's Tale.

B

Bagot: Bagot (hist) is a favourite of Richard in Richard II.
Balthasar:: Balthasar is Romeo's servant in Romeo and Juliet.; Balthasar is a singer, attending on Don Pedro in Much Ado About Nothing.; Balthasar is a merchant in The Comedy of Errors.; Balthasar is a servant of Portia in The Merchant of Venice.; See also Portia in The Merchant of Venice, who takes the name Balthasar in her disguise as a lawyer from Rome.
Three Bandits: Three Bandits in Timon of Athens seek Timon's gold, but he persuades them to give up villainy.
Banquo: Banquo is a captain in Macbeth who, with Macbeth, meets the three witches and hears their prophecies. He is later murdered on Macbeth's orders, but his ghost haunts Macbeth at a feast.
Baptista Minola: Baptista Minola is the father of Katherine and Bianca in The Taming of the Shrew.
Bardolph:: Bardolph is a follower of Sir John Falstaff in Henry IV, Part 1 and Henry IV, Part 2. In The Merry Wives of Windsor he becomes a drawer for the Host of the Garter. He is hanged for stealing a pax in Henry V.; Lord Bardolph (hist) is a nobleman, one of the Percy faction, in Henry IV, Part 2.
Barnardine: Barnardine is too drunk to consent to be executed, in Measure for Measure.
Barnardo: Barnardo and Marcellus are soldiers who invite Horatio to see the ghost of Old Hamlet, in Hamlet.
Bartholomew: For Bartholomew, or Barthol'mew, see the Page in The Taming of the Shrew.
Bassanio: Bassanio, loved by Antonio, is the suitor who wins the heart of Portia in The Merchant of Venice.
Bassianus: Bassianus is the younger brother of Saturninus. It is to him that Lavinia, daughter of Titus Andronicus, is betrothed.He is murdered by Chiron and Demetrius.
Basset: Basset is a follower of the Duke of Somerset, in Henry VI, Part 1.
Bastard:: The Bastard of Orleans (hist) is one of the French leaders in Henry VI, Part 1.; Philip (the Bastard) Faulconbridge is a central character in King John, the bravest and most articulate of John's supporters.
John Bates: John Bates is a soldier in the English army in Henry V.
Beadle:: A Beadle arrests Doll Tearsheet in Henry IV, Part 2.; A Beadle whips Simpcox in Henry VI, Part 2.
Beatrice: Beatrice is a central character in Much Ado About Nothing. She falls in love with Benedick.
Belarius: Belarius (also known as Morgan) steals the two infant princes in Cymbeline, and raises them as his own.
Sir Toby Belch: Sir Toby Belch is a drunken knight, and kinsman to Olivia, in Twelfth Night.
Benedick: Benedick is a central character in Much Ado About Nothing. He falls in love with Beatrice.
Benvolio: Benvolio is a friend and kinsman of Romeo in Romeo and Juliet.
Berkeley:: Berkeley and Tressell are the two gentlemen accompanying Lady Anne, and Henry VI's coffin, in Richard III.; Lord Berkeley (hist) acts as messenger from York to Bolingbroke, in Richard II.
Berowne: Berowne (hist) is a witty lord of Navarre in Love's Labour's Lost. He breaks his oath by falling in love with Rosaline.
The Duke of Berry: The Duke of Berry (hist) is a French leader in Henry V.
Bertram: Bertram is the Count of Roussillon in All's Well That Ends Well. He is married, against his will, to Helena.
Bishop:: The Bishop of Ely (hist) conspires with the Archbishop of Canterbury in the opening scene of Henry V.; The Bishop of Ely (hist) ultimately shows his opposition to Richard, in Richard III.; The Bishop of Winchester (hist) (later "the Cardinal") is the chief enemy of Humphrey Duke of Gloucester in Henry VI, Part 1 and Henry VI, Part 2.; For The Bishop of Winchester in Henry VIII, see Gardiner.
Blanche: Blanche (hist) is the king's niece in King John, married (by arrangement among the kings, to seal an alliance) to the Dauphin.
Blunt:: Sir James Blunt is a supporter of Richmond in Richard III.; Sir John Blunt is a supporter of the king in Henry IV, Part 2.; Sir Walter Blunt is a soldier and messenger to the king in Henry IV, Part 1. He is killed by Douglas while wearing the king's armour.
The Boatswain: The Boatswain is a character in the first and last acts of The Tempest.
Bolingbroke:: 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.; Bolingbroke, with Southwell, Jourdain and Hume, are the supernatural conspirators with Eleanor Duchess of Gloucester in Henry VI, Part 2.
Borachio: Borachio is a villain, a servant of Don John, in Much Ado About Nothing.
Nick Bottom: Nick Bottom is a weaver, one of the mechanicals, in A Midsummer Night's Dream. While rehearsing a play, Puck changes Bottom's head for an ass's head. Titania falls in love with him. He plays Pyramus in Pyramus and Thisbe.
Boult: Boult is a servant of the Pander and the Bawd in Pericles, Prince of Tyre. He resolves to rape Marina, but is persuaded to help her to leave the brothel, instead.
The Duke of Bourbon: The Duke of Bourbon (hist) fights on the French side in Henry V.
Cardinal Bourchier: Cardinal Bourchier (hist) delivers the little Duke of York from sanctuary, and into the hands of Richard and Buckingham, in Richard III.
Boy:: Boy (hist) in Richard III is the young son of the murdered Clarence (described in one speech as little Ned Plantagenet).; Boy is young Martius, son of Caius Martius Coriolanus, in Coriolanus.; The Boy is a follower of Sir John Falstaff in Henry IV, Part 2 and The Merry Wives of Windsor (in which he is called Robin). He is also a character in Henry V, who goes to war with Pistol, Bardolph and Nym.; A boy is a servant of Troilus, in Troilus and Cressida.; A boy attends on Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing.; A boy sings a song to Mariana, in Measure for Measure.; A boy sings "Come, thou monarch of the vine...", in Antony and Cleopatra.; The Master Gunner's Boy kills Salisbury, in Henry VI, Part 1.
Boyet: Boyet, a French lord, is the Princess of France's personal assistant, in Love's Labour's Lost.
Brabantio: Brabantio is the father of Desdemona, in Othello.
Brackenbury: Brackenbury (hist) is the Lieutenant of the Tower of London in Richard III.
Brandon: Brandon arrests Buckingham, in Henry VIII.
The Duke of Britain: The Duke of Britain (hist) is a French leader in Henry V.
Bromodideuterio:: Bromodideuterio: is the apothecary from whom the court doctor Cornelius in Cymbeline obtains the false poison requested by the Queen to murder Cymbeline and Imogen and secure the throne.
Brutus:: Decius Brutus (hist) is one of the conspirators against Caesar in Julius Caesar.; Junius Brutus and Sicinius Velutus, two of the tribunes of the people, are the protagonist's chief political enemies in Coriolanus, and prove more effective than his military foes.; Marcus Brutus (hist) (usually just Brutus) is a central character of Julius Caesar, who conspires against Caesar's life and stabs him.
Buckingham:: The Duke of Buckingham (hist) is a Lancastrian in Henry VI, Part 2. His death is reported in Henry VI, Part 3.; The Duke of Buckingham (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 (hist), an enemy of Wolsey, falls from grace and is executed by Henry in Henry VIII.
Bullcalf: Bullcalf is nearly pressed into military service by Falstaff in Henry IV, Part 2.
Anne Bullen: * Anne Bullen (hist), known to history as Anne Boleyn, is a maid of Honour to Katherine who later becomes King Henry's second wife, in Henry VIII.
Burgundy:: The Duke of Burgundy (hist) brokers the peace treaty between the kings of France and England in the last act of Henry V.; The Duke of Burgundy (hist) fights firstly in alliance with the English, and later in alliance with the French, in Henry VI, Part 1.; The Duke of Burgundy refuses to marry Cordelia without a dowry, in King Lear.
Bushy: Bushy (hist) is a favourite of Richard in Richard II.
Dick: Dick the Butcher is a follower of Jack Cade in Henry VI, Part 2.
Doctor Butts: 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.

C

Jack Cade: Jack Cade (hist) leads a proletarian rebellion in Henry VI, Part 2.
Cadwal: Cadwal (real name Arviragus) is the second son of the king in Cymbeline, stolen away in infancy by Morgan, and brought up as Morgan's child.
Caesar:: 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.; Octavius Caesar (hist) is one of the Triumvirs, the three rulers of Rome after Caesar's death, in Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra.
Caius:: Caius Cassius (hist) is a central character in Julius Caesar. He incites the conspiracy against Caesar, and recruits Brutus to the conspirators' ranks.; Caius Ligarius (hist) is one of the conspirators against Caesar in Julius Caesar.; Caius Lucius is the Roman ambassador in Cymbeline, and the leader of the Roman forces.; Doctor Caius (hist) is a French doctor in The Merry Wives of Windsor. He challenges Parson Hugh to a duel.; See also the Earl of Kent, who calls himself Caius in his disguise as a servant of King Lear.
Calchas: Calchas, Cressida's father, has defected to the Greeks, and negotiates his daughter's exchange for a Trojan prisoner in Troilus and Cressida.
Caliban: Caliban, son of the witch Sycorax, is a deformed slave to Prospero in The Tempest.
Calphurnia: Calphurnia (hist) is the wife of Caesar, whose dream predicts her husband's death, in Julius Caesar.
The Earl of Cambridge: The Earl of Cambridge (hist) is one of the three conspirators against the king's life (with Scroop and Grey) in Henry V.
Camillo: Camillo is a follower of Leontes, ordered to kill Polixines, but who instead warns Polixines of his danger and becomes his companion, in The Winter's Tale.
Cardinal Campeius: Cardinal Campeius (hist) is the papal legate at the trial of Katherine, in Henry VIII.
Canidius: Canidius (hist) is a follower of Antony in Antony and Cleopatra.
Canterbury:: * The Archbishop of Canterbury (hist) is an important character in the first act of Henry V. He expounds Henry's claim to the French throne.; * Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury (hist) is a major character in the last act of Henry VIII: hauled before the privy council by his enemies and threatened with imprisonment, but protected by the king.; * See also Cardinal Bourchier, who was Archbishop of Canterbury at the time dramatised in Richard III.
Caphis: Caphis is the servant of a Senator in Timon of Athens, sent to collect a debt due from Timon.
Capilet: For Capilet see the Widow in All's Well That Ends Well, whose surname is Capilet.
Captain:: A Captain survives the shipwreck at the start of Twelfth Night with Viola, and helps her with her disguise.; A Captain of the Welsh army brings Richard the bad news that his army, believing him dead, has deserted him, in Richard II.; A Captain brings Duncan news of Macbeth and Banquo's victories, in the first act of Macbeth.; A Captain attending on Edgar delivers Lear and Cordelia to be hanged in King Lear.; A Captain of the Norwegian army explains Fortinbras' mission against the Poles, in Hamlet.; A Captain in Antony's army is a minor speaking role in Antony and Cleopatra.; An English Captain witnesses the retreat of the cowardly Fastolfe, in Henry VI, Part 1.; An English Captain accompanies Lucy on his mission to obtain assistance from the English Lords, in Henry VI, Part 1.; A French Captain on the walls of Bordeaux defies Talbot, in Henry VI, Part 1.; A Roman Captain in Cymbeline attends on Lucius.; Two British Captains in Cymbeline arrest Posthumus, thinking him an enemy.; Several characters are sea captains, including Antonio in Twelfth Night. See also Master.
Capulet:: Capulet is Juliet's father in Romeo and Juliet.; Lady Capulet is Juliet's mother in Romeo and Juliet.; Old Capulet is a minor character - a kinsman of Capulet - in the party scene of Romeo and Juliet.
Caputius :: Lord Caputius (hist) is an ambassador from the Holy Roman Emperor in Henry VIII.
Cardinal:: * Cardinal Bourchier (hist) delivers the little Duke of York from sanctuary, and into the hands of Richard and Buckingham, in Richard III.; * Cardinal Campeius (hist) is the papal legate at the trial of Katherine, in Henry VIII.; Cardinal Pandulph (hist) is the Papal legate in King John. He incites the Dauphin against John, but later tries to placate him.; Cardinal Wolsey (hist) orchestrates the fall from grace of Buckingham and Katherine, but himself falls from grace and dies, in Henry VIII.; See also the Bishop of Winchester, who becomes a Cardinal in the course of Henry VI, Part 1.
The Bishop of Carlisle: The Bishop of Carlisle (hist) supports Richard in Richard II.
Casca: Casca (hist) is one of the conspirators against Caesar, in Julius Caesar. He has an important role in the early parts of the play, reporting offstage events.
Cassandra: Cassandra is a prophetess in Troilus and Cressida.
Michael Cassio: Michael Cassio is a lieutenant in Othello. Iago persuades Othello that Cassio is having an affair with Othello's wife, Desdemona.
Caius Cassius: * Caius Cassius (hist) is a central character in Julius Caesar. He incites the conspiracy against Caesar, and recruits Brutus to the conspirators' ranks.
Catesby: Catesby (hist) is a double agent - seemingly loyal to Lord Hastings but actually reporting to Buckingham and Richard - in Richard III.
Cathness: Cathness is a thane in Macbeth.
Simon Catling: Simon Catling, Hugh Rebeck and James Soundpost are minor characters, musicians, in Romeo and Juliet.
Young Cato: Young Cato is a soldier of Brutus' and Cassius' party, in Julius Caesar.
Celia: Celia is Rosalind's companion and cousin, and is daughter to Duke Frederick in As You Like It.
Ceres: Ceres is presented by a masquer in The Tempest.
Cerimon: Cerimon is a lord of Ephesus in Pericles, Prince of Tyre. He opens the chest in which Thaisa had been buried at sea and, being skilled in medicine, he realises that she is not dead and nurses her back to health.
The Lord Chamberlain: The Lord Chamberlain, in Henry VIII is a conflation of two historical Lords Chamberlain, one of them Lord Sandys, who is also a character in the play.
The Lord Chancellor: The Lord Chancellor (hist) - historically Sir Thomas More, although not identified as such in the play - is among the Privy Counsellors who accuse Cranmer in Henry VIII.
Charles:: Charles is a wrestler, defeated by Orlando, in As You Like It.; The Dauphin, later King Charles VII of France (hist) leads the French forces, with Joan, in Henry VI, Part 1.
Charmian: Charmian (hist) is the main attendant to Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra and dies by snakebite.
Chatillion: Chatillion is an ambassador from France to England in King John.
The Lord Chief Justice: The Lord Chief Justice (hist) is a dramatic foil to Falstaff in Henry IV, Part 2.
Chiron and Demetrius: Chiron and Demetrius are two Goth princes, Sons of Tamora in Titus Andronicus. They murder Bassianus and then brutally rape and disfigure Lavinia. They are killed by Titus, who has their blood and bones made into a pastry to be fed to their mother.
Chorus:: The Chorus speaks the opening prologue in Romeo and Juliet, and a further prologue at the beginning of the second act.; The Chorus is the second most major character, after the king himself, in Henry V. He speaks a lengthy prologue to each of the five acts, and an epilogue.
Christopher:: Christopher Sly is a drunken tinker in the introduction to The Taming of the Shrew. He is gulled into believing he is a lord.; Christopher Urswick (hist) is a minor character: a priest acting as messenger for Lord Stanley, in Richard III.
Cicero: Cicero (hist), a senator, hears Casca's account of strange portents, in Julius Caesar.
Metellus Cimber: Metellus Cimber (hist) is one of the conspirators in Julius Caesar.
Cinna:: Cinna (hist) is one of the conspirators against Caesar in Julius Caesar.; Cinna is a poet, mistaken for the conspirator Cinna in Julius Caesar. Realising they have the wrong man, the mob "kill him for his bad verses".
Citizen:: A citizen of Antium briefly meets the disguised Coriolanus, and directs him to Aufidius' house.; A mob of citizens, seven of them speaking roles, appear both in opposition and in support of the title character in several scenes of Coriolanus. Speaking as one, the mob's speech prefix is Plebeians.; Three citizens debate the succession of Edward V, in Richard III.
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.
Claudio:: Claudio is a friend to Benedick and a follower of Don Pedro, in Much Ado About Nothing. He falls in love with Hero but is persuaded, wrongly, that she has been unfaithful.; Claudio, brother to Isabella, is sentenced to death for fornication in Measure for Measure.
Claudius:: Claudius and Varro are guards in Brutus' tent, in Julius Caesar. They do not see Caesar's ghost.; King Claudius is the uncle and stepfather of the title character in Hamlet. He has murdered his brother Old Hamlet, has taken over his crown, and has married his queen, Gertrude.
Cleomines: Cleomines is a courtier to Leontes, who, with Dion delivers the oracle from Delphos in The Winter's Tale.
Cleon: Cleon is governor of Tarsus in Pericles, Prince of Tyre. Periclesbrings food to save Cleon's starving people, and later trusts his new-born daughter into Cleon's care.
Cleopatra: Cleopatra (hist) is the lover of Antony in Antony and Cleopatra. She commits suicide using a poisonous asp.
Emmanuel: Emmanuel the Clerk of Chatham is murdured by Jack Cade's rebels in Henry VI, Part 2.
Clifford:: Clifford (sometimes called Young Clifford) (hist) is a staunch Lancastrian, and is the Yorkists most hated enemy- as the killer of Rutland- in Henry VI, Part 2 and Henry VI, Part 3.; Old Clifford (hist), father of Clifford, is a Lancastrian leader in Henry VI, Part 2.
Clitus: Clitus is a soldier, a follower of Brutus, in Julius Caesar. He refuses to aid Brutus' suicide.
Cloten: Cloten, son of the Queen and stepson to the king in Cymbeline, vainly loves Imogen, and eventually resolves to rape her.
Clown:: The Clown is the good-natured son of the Old Shepherd, gulled by Autolycus, in The Winter's Tale.; The Clown appears briefly to make fun of the musicians, and later to banter with Desdemona, in Othello.; The Clown delivers a poisonous asp to Cleopatra in a basket of figs, in Antony and Cleopatra.; The Clown, also identified as "Pompey" is a servant to Mistress Overdone in Measure for Measure.; For the two clowns in Hamlet see "Gravedigger".; For "Clown" in All's Well That Ends Well, see Lavatch.
Cobweb: Cobweb is a fairy in A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Sir John Coleville: Sir John Coleville is a rebel captured by Falstaff in Henry IV, Part 2.
Cominius: Cominius and Titus Lartius are leaders of the Roman forces against the Volscians, in Coriolanus.
Conrade: Conrade is a villain, a servant of Don John, in Much Ado About Nothing.
The Constable of France: The Constable of France (hist) leads the French forces in Henry V.
Constance: Constance (hist) is Arthur's mother in King John: a fierce advocate for her son's right to the English throne.
Cordelia: Cordelia is the goodly youngest daughter in King Lear. She marries the King of France. At the end of the play she is hanged on Edmund's instructions.
Corin: Corin is a kindly shepherd in As You Like It.
Caius Martius Coriolanus: Caius Martius Coriolanus (hist) is the central character of Coriolanus, who earns the title "Coriolanus" in recognition of his skill at smiting Volscians in Coriolai.
Cornelius:: Cornelius and Voltemand are two ambassadors from Claudius to the Norwegian court, in Hamlet.; Cornelius, a doctor in Cymbeline, provides a fake poison to the Queen, which is later used on Imogen. He also reports the Queen's last words.
The Duke of Cornwall: A number of characters have the title Count, including Claudio (from Much Ado About Nothing) and Paris.
Countess: The Countess of Auvergne tries to entrap Talbot in Henry VI, Part 1.; The Countess of Rousillon is Bertram's mother, and Helena's protector, in All's Well That Ends Well.
Alexander Court: * Alexander Court is a soldier in the English army in Henry V.
Courtesan:: A courtesan dines with Antipholus of Ephesus, who finds himself locked out of his own home, in The Comedy of Errors.; Several characters are courtesans, or are accused of being courtesans, most notably Cressida from Troilus and Cressida.
Crab: Crab is Launce's dog, in Two Gentlemen of Verona.
Thomas Cranmer: * Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury (hist) is a major character in the last act of Henry VIII: hauled before the privy council by his enemies and threatened with imprisonment, but protected by the king.
Cressida: Cressida is one of the titular characters in Troilus and Cressida. The Trojan prince Troilus falls in love with this young daughter of a Trojan defector.; A crier to the court, and a scribe to the court, are minor roles - but they usually have dramatic impact - in the trial scene of Henry VIII.
Thomas Cromwell: Thomas Cromwell (hist) is secretary to Wolsey, and later to the Privy Council, in Henry VIII.
Cupid: Cupid reads the prologue to a masque in Timon of Athens.
Curan: Curan is minor character, a follower of the Earl of Gloucester, in King Lear.
Curio: Curio is an attendant on Orsino in Twelfth Night.
Curtis: Curtis is a servant of Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew.
Cymbeline: Cymbeline (hist), the title character of Cymbeline, is king of the Britons, and father to Imogen, Guiderus and Arviragus.

D

Dardanius: 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.
Dauphin: The Dauphin (hist) is Henry's chief enemy in Henry V.; * The Dauphin, later King Charles VII of France (hist) leads the French forces, with Joan, in Henry VI, Part 1.
Davy: Davy 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: * Decius Brutus (hist) is one of the conspirators against Caesar in Julius Caesar.
Deiphobus: Deiphobus , 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 Philo, Romans following Antony, regret his infatuation with Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra.
Dennis: Dennis is a minor character - a servant to Oliver - in As You Like It.
Sir Anthony Denny: * Sir Anthony Denny (hist) is a minor character in Henry VIII, who brings Cranmer to the King.
Lord Stanley: 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: Dercetus (hist) is a follower of Antony in Antony and Cleopatra. He informs Caesar of Antony's death.
Desdemona: 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 the goddess of chastity, appears to Perciles in a vision, in Pericles, Prince of TyreShe tells him to visit her temple at Ephesus, leading to his reconciliation with Thaisa there.
Dick:: * Dick the Butcher is a follower of Jack Cade in Henry VI, Part 2.
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 is one of the Greek leaders in Troilus and Cressida.; Diomedes' Servant is sent with a message to Cressida, in Troilus and Cressida.
Doctor:: A Doctor in Cordelia's train tends the mad Lear in King Lear.; * 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) 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: Dogberry is the chief of the citizen-police and a figure of comic incompetence in Much Ado About Nothing.
Don:: 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: Donalbain (hist) is the second son of Duncan in Macbeth.
Dorcas: Dorcas and Mopsa are shepherdesses, usually portrayed as rather tarty, in The Winter's Tale.
Dorset: 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: The Earl of Douglas leads the Scottish rebel forces in Henry IV, Part 1.
Dromio:: 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.; The Duchess of York (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 (hist) is the wife of Richard, Duke of York in Henry VI, Part 3. She outlives him to mourn the death of two of their sons in Richard III.
Duke: * The Duke of Buckingham (hist) is a Lancastrian in Henry VI, Part 2. His death is reported in Henry VI, Part 3.; * The Duke of Buckingham (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 (hist), an enemy of Wolsey, falls from grace and is executed by Henry in Henry VIII.; * The Duke of Burgundy (hist) brokers the peace treaty between the kings of France and England in the last act of Henry V.; * The Duke of Burgundy (hist) fights firstly in alliance with the English, and later in alliance with the French, in Henry VI, Part 1.; * The Duke of Burgundy refuses to marry Cordelia without a dowry, in King Lear.; 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.; The Duke of Exeter (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.; The Duke of Exeter (hist) is a Lancastrian leader in Henry VI, Part 3.; 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.; Richard, Duke of Gloucester, later Richard III (hist), brave but evil, is the third son of Richard, Duke of York . 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.; 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.; 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 Somerset (hist) is a follower of King Henry in Henry VI, Part 1.; The Duke of Somerset (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 (hist and hist) is a conflation by Shakespeare of two historical Dukes of Somerset. He supports both factions at different stages of Henry VI, Part 3.; 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 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.; The Duke of York (hist) is the uncle of both Richard and Bolingbroke in Richard II.; The Duke of York (hist) is a minor character, the leader of the "vaward" in Henry V. (Historically this character is the same person as Aumerle.); Richard, Duke of York (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 (hist) is the younger of the two 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).
Dull: Dull is a constable in Love's Labour's Lost.

E

Earl:: 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.; The Earl of Northumberland (hist) fights for the Lancastrians in Henry VI, Part 3.; See also Seyward in Macbeth.; The Earl of Pembroke (hist), together with Salisbury and Bigot, fear for the life of young Arthur, and later discover his body, in King John.; The Earl of Pembroke (hist) is a non-speaking Yorkist in Henry VI, Part 3.; The Earl of Salisbury (hist) delivers bad news to Constance, in 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.; The Earl of Salisbury (hist) supports the Yorkists in Henry VI, Part 2.; 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.; The Earl of Warwick (hist) is a supporter of the kings in Henry IV, Part 2 and Henry V.; The Earl of Warwick (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.; The Earl of Westmoreland (hist) is one of the leaders of the royal forces in Henry IV, Part 1, Henry IV, Part 2, and Henry V.; The Earl of Westmoreland (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.
Edgar: 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 (hist) is a claimant to the English throne, and a leader of the rebel forces, in Henry IV, Part 1.; Edmund Mortimer (hist) explains the Yorkist claim to the crown to Richard Duke of York , in Henry VI, Part 1.
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 (hist) is the eldest son of Edward IV and Queen Elizabeth. He appears in Henry VI, Part 3, and is the elder of the two princes in the tower in Richard III.
Egeon: 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: Egeus is the father of Hermia in A Midsummer Night's Dream. He wishes to have her married, against her will, to Demetrius.
Sir Eglamour: Sir Eglamour assists Silvia's escape from her father's palace, in Two Gentlemen of Verona.
Elbow: 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 (hist) is the mother of John in King John. She takes a liking to Philip the Bastard, and recruits him to John's court.
Queen Elizabeth: Queen Elizabeth (hist) is a suitor to, and then queen to, Edward IV in Henry VI, Part 3 and Richard III. She is a major character in the later play, and a foil to Richard.
Ely:: * The Bishop of Ely (hist) conspires with the Archbishop of Canterbury in the opening scene of Henry V.; * The Bishop of Ely (hist) ultimately shows his opposition to Richard, in Richard III.
Emmanuel: * Emmanuel the Clerk of Chatham is murdered by Jack Cade's rebels in Henry VI, Part 2.
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 a lady attending on Hermione, both at court and in prison, in The Winter's Tale.
An English Doctor: * An English Doctor is a minor character in Macbeth.
Enobarbus: 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, 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, in The Comedy of Errors.
Epilogue:: 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), Gower, Prospero and Rosalind.
Eros: 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: Sir Thomas Erpingham (hist) is an officer in the English army in Henry V.
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: 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: The Earl of Essex (hist) is a minor character in King John.
Sir Hugh Evans: 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 (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.; * The Duke of Exeter (hist) is a Lancastrian leader in Henry VI, Part 3.
Sir Piers of Exton: Sir Piers of Exton murders the deposed King Richard in Richard II.

F

Fabian: Fabian is a servant to Olivia, and one of the conspirators against Malvolio, in Twelfth Night.
Fairy: A Fairy flirts with Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Sir John Falstaff: Sir John Falstaff (fict, but see Sir John Oldcastle and 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.
Sir John Fastolfe: 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 confesses to her son, the Bastard, that Richard the Lionheart, and not her husband, was his true father, in King John.; * Philip (the Bastard) Faulconbridge is a central character in King John, the bravest and most articulate of John's supporters.; Robert Faulconbridge is the legitimate brother of the bastard in King John. He inherits his father's property.
Feeble: Feeble is pressed into military service by Falstaff in Henry IV, Part 2.
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.
Fenton: Fenton is a suitor to Anne Page in The Merry Wives of Windsor.
Feste: Feste is the clown and musician in Twelfth Night: a foil for Malvolio.
Three Fishermen: Three Fishermen befriend the shipwrecked Pericles, at Pentapolis, in Pericles, Prince of Tyre.
Lord Fitzwalter: Lord Fitzwalter (hist) is among those who challenges Aumerle in Richard II.
Flaminius: 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: Fleance is the son of Banquo in Macbeth. He escapes when his father is murdered.
The Duke of Florence: 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: 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.
The Fool: The Fool serves as a foil for the King in King Lear.; A Fool appears briefly in Timon of Athens.
Fluellen: Fluellen is a Welsh captain in Henry V.
Francis Flute: Francis Flute is a bellows-mender in A Midsummer Night's Dream. He plays Thisbe in Pyramus and Thisbe.
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, 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.
Fortinbras: 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 King of France 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.; 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 (hist) allies himself with Constance in support of Arthur's claim, but later makes peace with John in 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.
Francis:: Francis is a confused drawer in Henry IV, Part 1 and Henry IV, Part 2.; * 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: 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.
Friar:: * 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 confidante 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.
Froth: Froth is a foolish gentleman, among those arrested and brought before Angelo by Elbow, in Measure for Measure.

G

Gadshill: Gadshill is the "setter" of the Gadshill robbery in Henry IV, Part 1.
Gallus: Gallus (hist) is a follower of Caesar in Antony and Cleopatra.
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.
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: Gargrave (hist) fights for the English in France in Henry VI, Part 1.
The Host of the Garter: The Host of the Garter is the practical-joking innkeeper in The Merry Wives of Windsor.
John of Gaunt: * 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.; Two gentlemen 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 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.; 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
Glansdale: Glansdale fights for the English in France in Henry VI, Part 1.
Owen Glendower: 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.
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.; * Richard, Duke of Gloucester, later Richard III (hist), brave but evil, is the third son of Richard, Duke of York . 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: Goneril is the cruel eldest daughter in King Lear. She is married to the Duke of Albany.
Gonzalo: Gonzalo is a courtier to Alonzo in The Tempest.
Matthew Gough: 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.; 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 is a messenger to the Lord Chief Justice in Henry IV, Part 2.; Gower is an English captain in Henry V.; John Gower (hist) is the "Presenter", or narrator, of Pericles, Prince of Tyre.
The Earl of Grandpre: The Earl of Grandpre, a French leader, makes an unduly optimistic speech on the morning of Agincourt, in Henry V.
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: 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: Green (hist) is a favourite of Richard in Richard II.
Gregory: Gregory and Sampson, two men of the Capulet household, open the main action of Romeo and Juliet with their aggressive and lecherous banter.
Gremio: 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.
Griffith: 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: 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: Guildenstern and Rozencrantz, 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: 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: James Gurney is a servant of Lady Faulconbridge, in King John.

H

A Haberdasher is verbally abused by Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew.
Hal: 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.
Hamlet:: Prince Hamlet 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.; Old Hamlet is the father of the protagonist in Hamlet. His ghost appears to exhort Hamlet to revenge Old Hamlet's murder by Claudius.
Harcourt: Harcourt is a messenger to the king in Henry IV, Part 2.
The Governor of Harfleur: The Governor of Harfleur (hist) surrenders to Henry in Henry V.
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.
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.
Hecate: Hecate is a leader of the witches in Macbeth.
Hector: Hector , son of Priam, is the Trojans' champion in Troilus and Cressida.
Helen:: Helen , 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.
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: Helenus is a priest, and brother of Hector and Troilus. He is a minor character in Troilus and Cressida.
Helicanus: 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.; 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.; 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.; 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.; Prince Henry (hist) appears towards the end of King John, as successor to the title character.; * Sir Henry Guildford (hist) welcomes guests to Cardinal Wolsey's party, in Henry VIII.
Herald:: A Herald calls for a champion to face Edmund in King Lear.; 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: Sir Walter Herbert is a follower of Richmond in Richard III.
Hermia: Hermia loves Lysander, and is loved by Demetrius, at the start of A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Hermione: 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: 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: Hippolyta is a leader of the Amazons, who is the bride of Theseus in A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Holofernes: Holofernes is a pedantic schoolmaster in Love's Labour's Lost. He plays Judas Maccabeus in the Pageant of the Nine Worthies.
Horatio: Horatio is a student, and a friend and confidante of the protagonist in Hamlet.
Thomas Horner: Thomas Horner fights a duel with his apprentice Peter Thump in Henry VI, Part 2.
Hortensio: 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: 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 Two Gentlemen of Verona.
Hostess:: The Hostess of an alehouse throws out the unruly Sly, amidst an argument about broken glasses in the introduction to The Taming of the Shrew.
Hostilius: For Hostilius in Timon of Athens, see Strangers.
Hotspur: * 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.
Hubert: Hubert (hist) is a henchman of the king in 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 in Henry VI, Part 3.
Hume: Hume, with Southwell, Jourdain and Bolingbroke, are the supernatural conspirators with Eleanor Duchess of Gloucester in Henry VI, Part 2.
Humphrey: * 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.
The Earl of Huntingdon: The Earl of Huntingdon (hist) is a non-speaking follower of the king in Henry V.
Several Huntsmen: Several Huntsmen, two of whom are speaking roles, accompany the Lord in the introduction to The Taming of the Shrew.
Hymen: Hymen , 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

Iago: Iago is the villain (and the main character, measured by the number of lines spoken) of Othello.
Alexander Iden: * Alexander Iden (hist) kills Jack Cade in Henry VI, Part 2.
Imogen: Imogen is the daughter of the king in Cymbeline. Her husband, Posthumus, wrongly believes she has been unfaithful and orders her killed.
Iras: Iras is an attendant on Cleopatra, in Antony and Cleopatra. She dies following a kiss from Cleopatra.
Iris: Iris is depicted by a masquer in The Tempest.
Isabella: 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.

J

Jachimo: 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.
Jacquenetta: 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 sympathetic Jailer guards and commiserates with Antonio in The Merchant of Venice.
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.
James:: * James Gurney 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: Jamy is a Scottish captain in Henry V.
Jessica: 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: 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 is a soldier the English army in Henry V.; 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* (hist) is the title character of 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.; * 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 Falstaff (fict, but see Sir John Oldcastle and 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.; * 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 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: Joseph is a servant of Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew.
Jourdain: Jourdain, with Southwell, Hume and Bolingbroke, are the supernatural conspirators with Eleanor Duchess of Gloucester in Henry VI, Part 2.
Julia: 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 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.
Justice:: A Justice is a minor role in the trial of Froth and Pompey, in Measure for Measure.; * The Lord Chief Justice (hist) is a dramatic foil to Falstaff in Henry IV, Part 2.; Justice Shallow is an elderly landowner in Henry IV, Part 2 and The Merry Wives of Windsor.; Justice Silence is an elderly friend of Justice Shallow in Henry IV, Part 2.

K

Kate:: Kate Keepdown is a whore in Measure for Measure.
Katharine: Katharine (hist) is the French princess who marries Henry V.; 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.
Kate Keepdown: * Kate Keepdown is a whore in Measure for Measure.
Keeper:: The King of France 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.; * 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 (hist) allies himself with Constance in support of Arthur's claim, but later makes peace with John in King John.; Edward later King Edward IV (hist) is the eldest son of Richard, Duke of York 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 (hist) is the eldest son of Edward IV and Queen Elizabeth. He appears in Henry VI, Part 3, and is the elder of the two princes in the tower in Richard III.; * 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.; * 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.; * 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.; * 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* (hist) is the title character of King John: a king whose throne is under threat from the claim of his young nephew, Arthur.; * 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 . 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.

L

Lady:: * Lady Anne (hist) is the widow of Prince Edward, wooed by Richard over the corpse of her late father-in-law (Henry VI) in Richard III.; Lady Bona (hist) is King Lewis's sister-in-law, whose hopes to marry Edward are thwarted, in Henry VI, Part 3.; * Lady Capulet is Juliet's mother in Romeo and Juliet.; Lady Faulconbridge (hist) confesses to her son, the Bastard, that Richard the Lionheart, and not her husband, was his true father, in King John.; Lady Macbeth (hist), wife to the protagonist in Macbeth, is a central character who conspires with her husband to murder Duncan. She later goes mad and dies, possibly through suicide.; Lady Macduff, wife to Macduff, is murdered, with her children, in Macbeth.; Lady Montague is Romeo's mother in Romeo and Juliet.; Lady Mortimer (hist), daughter of Glendower and wife of Edmund Mortimer , sings in Welsh in Henry IV, Part 1.; Lady Northumberland (hist) is the Earl of Northumberland's wife, who dissuades him from joining the rebels at Gaultree Forest in Henry IV, Part 2.; Lady Percy (hist) (sometimes called Kate) is Hotspur's wife, later his widow, in Henry IV, Part 1 and Henry IV, Part 2.; An Old Lady is a rather worldly friend of Anne Bullen, in Henry VIII.; Two ladies attend on the Queen, in Richard II.; Some ladies corroborate Cornelius' report of the Queen's dying words, in Cymbeline.; Several ladies dance in a masque, in Timon of Athens.
Laertes: Laertes is the son of Polonius and the brother of Ophelia in Hamlet. He fights with Hamlet in the famous fencing scene in the final act.
Lafew: Lafew is a French lord in All's Well That Ends Well.
Lancaster:: John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (hist) is uncle to King Richard and father to Bolingbroke in Richard II.; Prince John of Lancaster (hist) is the younger brother of 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.; See also Bolingbroke (Henry IV), Henry V, Henry VI, Queen Margaret, Prince Edward and Lady Anne, all of whom are either "Duke of Lancaster" or "of the House of Lancaster".
Titus Lartius: Titus Lartius and Cominius are leaders of the Roman forces against the Volscians in Coriolanus.
Launce: Launce is a clownish servant of Proteus, in Two Gentlemen of Verona. He and his dog, Crab, have a tendency to steal the show.
Launcelot Gobbo: * Launcelot Gobbo is a clown in The Merchant of Venice, a servant to Shylock, and later to Lorenzo.
Friar Laurence: * Friar Laurence is confessor and confidante to Romeo in Romeo and Juliet. He instigates the unsuccessful plot involving the potion drunk by Juliet.
Lavatch: Lavatch is a clown in the service of the Countess of Rousillion, in All's Well That Ends Well.
Lavinia: Lavinia was the only daughter of Titus Andronicus,brutally raped and disfigured by Chiron and Demetrius.
Lawrence: A Lawyer plucks a white rose, in the rose-plucking scene in Henry VI, Part 1.
King Lear: King Lear (hist) is the central character in King Lear. He divides his kingdom among his two elder daughters, is rejected by them, runs mad, and dies.
Monsieur LeBeau: Monsieur LeBeau is a courtier in As You Like It.
Monsieur LeFer: Monsieur LeFer is a French soldier. Pistol hopes to ransom him in Henry V.
Legate:: A Legate confers Winchester's Cardinalship (apparently obtained through bribery) in Henry VI, Part 1.
Popilius Lena: Popilius Lena, a senator, briefly frightens the conspirators into a belief that their plot may have been discovered, with his line "I wish your enterprise today might thrive", in Julius Caesar.
Lennox: Lennox is a thane in Macbeth.
Leonardo: Leonardo is Bassanio's servant in The Merchant of Venice.
Leonato: Leonato is the governor of Messina, and the father of Hero, in Much Ado About Nothing.
Leonatus:: Posthumus Leonatus (usually just "Posthumus") is the exiled husband of Imogen, in Cymbeline. Persuaded she has been unfaithful, he orders Pisanio to kill her.; Sicilius Leonantus, father of Posthumus in Cymbeline, appears as a ghost, and pleads to Jupiter to resolve Posthumus' troubles.; The mother of Posthumus and two brothers of Posthumus appear as ghosts in Cymbeline, and plead to Jupiter to resolve Posthumus' troubles.
Leonine: Leonine is ordered to kill Marina, by Dionyza, in Pericles, Prince of Tyre. She is captured by pirates before he can do so.
Leontes: Leontes is the king of Sicilia in The Winter's Tale. He wrongly suspects his wife, Hermione, of infidelity.
Marcus Aemilius Lepidus: Marcus Aemilius Lepidus (hist) is one of the Triumvirs, the three rulers of Rome after Caesar's death, in Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra.
Lewis:: * 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.; Lewis (hist) is the Dauphin in King John. He marries John's niece, Blanche, to cement an alliance with England. Later he leads forces against John.
Lieutenant:: A Lieutenant hands over the Duke of Suffolk to Walter Whitmore, and therefore to his death, in Henry VI, Part 2.; A Lieutenant of the Tower of London appears as Henry's jailer in Henry VI, Part 3.; A Volscian Lieutenant to Aufidius questions Aufidius about his alliance in Coriolanus.; A Roman Lieutenant has one half-line in Coriolanus.; See also Brackenbury, who is Lieutenant of the Tower of London in Richard III.
Caius Ligarius: * Caius Ligarius (hist) is one of the conspirators against Caesar in Julius Caesar.
Limoges: Limoges (hist) is the Duke of Austria in King John. He is intimidated - and eventually beheaded in battle - by the Bastard.
The Bishop of Lincoln: The Bishop of Lincoln (hist) speaks in favour of Henry's divorce, in the trial scene of Henry VIII.
Lodovico: Lodovico is a kinsman of Brabantio in Othello.
Friar Lodowick: For Friar Lodowick in Measure for Measure see Vincentio.
London:: The Lord Mayor of London (hist) is fooled by Richard and Buckingham, and supports Richard's succession, in Richard III.; The Mayor of London must make peace between the fighting servants of Gloucester and Winchester, in Henry VI, Part 1.
Lord:: A Lord initiates the practical joke on Christopher Sly in the introduction to The Taming of the Shrew.; A Lord helps with the preparations for the fencing in Hamlet.; A Lord attends on the Princess of France in Love's Labour's Lost.; A Lord conspires with Lennox in Macbeth.; A Lord of Tarsus reports the approach of Pericles' ships, in Pericles, Prince of Tyre.; A Lord of Mytilene, in Pericles, Prince of Tyre, appears in the shipboard reconciliation scene between Periclesand Marina.; A Lord speaks four words ("It is, my lord") in Much Ado About Nothing.; A Lord who fled from the battle between the Romans and the Britons meets Posthumus, in the battle's aftermath, in Cymbeline.; Two Lords, together with Amiens, report Jaques' encounter with the deer in As You Like It.; Two Lords are followers of Duke Frederick in As You Like It.; Two Lords attend on the bragging Cloten, in Cymbeline.; Two Lords, the brothers Dumaine, attend the King of France before departing to the wars in All's Well That Ends Well, and play an important part in the mock-interrogation of Parolles.; Three Lords of Tyre lead a revolt (of sorts) in Pericles, Prince of Tyre: insisting that they will make Helicanus their ruler if Periclesdoes not return to Tyre within one year.; Three Lords of Pentapolis comment on Pericles' unimpressive appearance prior to the tournament, in Pericles, Prince of Tyre.; Three Lords are among the flatterers, and false friends, of Timon in Timon of Athens.; Four Lords in All's Well That Ends Well (two of whom may be the brothers Dumaine described as "Two Lords", above) attend the King of France after he is cured, and are considered as potential husbands for Helena.; A number of Volscian Lords, three of them speaking roles, appear in the concluding scene of Coriolanus, and witness Coriolanus' death.; * The Lord Chamberlain, in Henry VIII (hist & hist) is a conflation of two historical Lords Chamberlain, one of them Lord Sandys, who is also a character in the play.; * The Lord Chancellor (hist) - historically Sir Thomas More, although not identified as such in the play - is among the Privy Counsellors who accuse Cranmer in Henry VIII.; * The Lord Chief Justice (hist) is a dramatic foil to Falstaff in Henry IV, Part 2.; * The Lord Mayor of London (hist) is fooled by Richard and Buckingham, and supports Richard's succession, in Richard III.
Lorenzo: Lorenzo is a Christian in The Merchant of Venice who elopes with Shylock's daughter, Jessica.
Lovell:: Lord Lovell (hist) is a henchman of Richard in Richard III.; Sir Thomas Lovell (hist) is a courtier of King Henry, in Henry VIII.
Luce:: Luce is a tarty servant to Adriana in The Comedy of Errors.
Lucentio: Lucentio falls in love with Bianca, and disguises himself as a Latin master in order to woo her. They marry at the end of The Taming of the Shrew.
Lucetta: Lucetta is Julia's maid in Two Gentlemen of Verona.
Luciana: Luciana in The Comedy of Errors is shocked to be importuned by her brother-in-law's twin, who she believes to be her sister's husband.
Lucilius:: Lucilius is a servant of Timon in Timon of Athens. He loves the daughter of the Old Athenian, and Titus provides him with a fortune, to make him her equal.; Lucilius is a soldier of Brutus' and Cassius' party in Julius Caesar. He pretends to be Brutus during the battle at Philippi.
Lucio: Lucio, a friend of Claudio, frequently slanders the duke in Measure for Measure, and is eventually forced to marry Kate Keepdown.
Lucius:: Lucius was Titus Andronicus's only surviving son. He tries to free his captive brothers Quintus and Martius, for which he is banished from Rome. The people of Rome support him over Saturninus.; * Caius Lucius is the Roman ambassador in Cymbeline, and the leader of the Roman forces.; Lucius, a boy, is a servant attending on Brutus, in Julius Caesar.; Lucius is a lord in Timon of Athens, who flatters Titus but proves a false friend.; For Lucius' Servant (in Timon of Athens), see servant.
Lucullus:: Lucullus is a lord in Timon of Athens, who flatters Titus but proves a false friend.
Sir William Lucy: Sir William Lucy is a soldier and messenger for the English in France in Henry VI, Part 1.
Lychorida: Lychorida is Thaisa's nurse, then (after Thaisa's supposed death in childbirth) Marina's nurse, in Pericles, Prince of Tyre.
Lysander: Lysander loves Hermia in A Midsummer Night's Dream. For a period in the middle of the play, under the influence of love in idleness, he rejects her and loves Helena.
Lysimachus: Lysimachus is the governor of Mytilene, in Pericles, Prince of Tyre. He is converted from debauchery by Marina, and eventually reunites her with her father, Pericles.

M

Macbeth:: Macbeth is the central character in Macbeth. Influenced by the prophecies of three witches, he murders Duncan to take his place as king of Scotland.; * Lady Macbeth , wife to Macbeth, is a central character who conspires with her husband to murder Duncan. She later goes mad and dies, possibly through suicide.
Macduff:: Macduff is the Thane of Fife in Macbeth. Not being "born of woman", he fights on Malcolm's side at the end of the play, and kills Macbeth.; * Lady Macduff, wife to Macduff, is murdered, with her children, in Macbeth.; Macduff's Son is murdered on Macbeth's orders.
Macmorris: Macmorris is an Irish captain in Henry V. He is said to be Shakespeare's only Irish character.
Maecenas: Maecenas (hist) is a follower of Caesar in Antony and Cleopatra.
Malcolm: Malcolm (hist) is the eldest son of Duncan in Macbeth.
Malvolio: Malvolio is steward to, and secretly in love with, Olivia in Twelfth Night. He is gulled by Maria, Sir Toby Belch, Feste, Fabian and Sir Andrew Aguecheek, and is imprisoned as a madman.
Mamillius: Mamillius is the young son of Leontes and Hermione whose death is reported in the trial scene of The Winter's Tale.
Marcade: Marcade, a French messenger brings the Princess of France the news that her father, the king, has died, in Love's Labour's Lost.
Marcellus: Marcellus and Barnardo are soldiers who invite Horatio to see the ghost of Old Hamlet, in Hamlet.
Marcus:: * Marcus Aemilius Lepidus (hist) is one of the Triumvirs, the three rulers of Rome after Caesar's death, in Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra.; * Marcus Brutus (hist) (usually just Brutus) is a central character of Julius Caesar, who conspires against Caesar's life and stabs him.
Mardian: Mardian is a eunuch attending on Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra.
Margarelon: Margarelon is a bastard son of Priam who spares the life of Thersites in Troilus and Cressida.
Margaret:: Margaret is a maid, and an unknowing accomplice in the plot against Hero, in Much Ado About Nothing.; Queen Margaret (hist) appears as a naive girl in Henry VI, Part 1 and as an embittered old woman in Richard III. She is a central character of the two intervening plays, Henry VI, Part 2 and Henry VI, Part 3, in which she is the wife of Henry VI, and a leader of his armies. In her most notable scene she supervises the murder/execution of Richard Duke of York.
Maria:: Maria is a maid to Olivia, and the instigator of the plot against Malvolio, in Twelfth Night.; Maria is a lady attending on the Princess of France in Love's Labour's Lost. She becomes romantically entangled with Longaville.
Mariana:: Mariana is the jilted fiancee of Angelo, who sleeps with him in the "bed trick" in Measure for Measure.; Mariana is a friend of the Widow in All's Well That Ends Well.
Marina: Marina is the virtuous daughter of the hero in Pericles, Prince of Tyre. Sold into a brothel, she converts her customers from their lives of debauchery.
Mariners:: A number of mariners are supernumerary characters in The Tempest.
Mark:: * Mark Antony (hist) (Often just Antony, and sometimes Marcus Antonius) turns the mob against Caesar's killers and becomes a Triumvir in Julius Caesar. His romance with Cleopatra drives the action of Antony and Cleopatra.
Marquess:: The Marquess of Montague (hist) is a follower of Warwick (his brother) in Henry VI, Part 3.
Marshal: The Marshal of the tournament at Pentapolis is a minor character in Pericles, Prince of Tyre.
Sir Oliver Martext: Sir Oliver Martext is a foolish priest in As You Like It.
Martius: For Young Martius in Coriolanus, see Boy.
Marullus: Marullus and Flavius are tribunes of the people, dismayed by the enthusiasm of the commoners for the return of Caesar, in the opening scene of Julius Caesar.
Master:: A Master captains Alonso's ship, in The Tempest.; A Master ransomes a gentleman in Henry VI, Part 2.; * 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.; * 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.; Master Page is the husband of Mistress Page and the father of Anne and William in The Merry Wives of Windsor. He plans to have Anne married to Slender.; A Mate ransomes a gentleman in Henry VI, Part 2.
Matthew Gough: * Matthew Gough (hist) is an enemy of Jack Cade's rebels in Henry VI, Part 2.
Mayor:: * The Lord Mayor of London (hist) is fooled by Richard and Buckingham, and supports Richard's succession, in Richard III.; * The Mayor of London must make peace between the fighting servants of Gloucester and Winchester, in Henry VI, Part 1.; The Mayor of St. Albans appears briefly in the "Simpcox" episode in Henry VI, Part 2.; The Mayor of York (hist) reluctantly supports the Yorkists in Henry VI, Part 3.
Meg:
Melun: Melun (hist) is a French lord who fights for the Dauphin's party, in King John.
Menas: Menas (hist) a follower of Pompey, suggests cutting loose the boat where the Triumvirs are feasting, in Antony and Cleopatra.
Menecrates: Menecrates (hist) is a follower of Pompey in Antony and Cleopatra.
Menelaus: Menelaus , king of Sparta and husband of the captured Helen, is one of the Greek leaders in Troilus and Cressida.
Menenius Agrippa: Menenius Agrippa is a friend and supporter of Coriolanus in his political struggles, in Coriolanus.
Menteth: Menteth is a thane in Macbeth.
Merchant:: A merchant speaks well of Timon, in the opening scene of Timon of Athens.; Three merchants, one of whom is named Balthasar, add to the confusion in The Comedy of Errors.
Mercutio: Mercutio is the witty friend of Romeo, and kinsman to the Prince, in Romeo and Juliet. He is killed by Tybalt.
Messala: Messala is one of the senior soldiers of Brutus' and Cassius' party, in Julius Caesar.
Messenger:: A messenger reports the escape of Antipholus of Ephesus and Dromio of Ephesus to Adriana, in The Comedy of Errors.; A messenger brings a letter from Angelo to the Provost, ordering Claudio's death that night, in Measure for Measure.; A messenger reports Periclesflight from Antioch to Antiochus, in Pericles, Prince of Tyre.; A messenger brings news of a Turkish fleet to the Venetian Senate, in Othello.; A messenger from Bertram briefly visits the brothers Dumaine in All's Well That Ends Well.; A messenger gets a dressing-down from Katherine and Griffith for his abrupt manner, in Henry VIII.; A messenger to the Roman leaders brings news of the preparations for battle against the Volsces, in Coriolanus.; Two messengers to Claudius in Hamlet (or possibly one messenger appearing twice) bring news of Laertes' rebellious approach, and Hamlet's letter delivered by the sailors.; Two messengers in Cymbeline (or possibly one messenger appearing twice) bring news of the Roman Ambassador's approach, and the disappearance of Imogen.; Three messengers bring bad news to the English lords at Henry V's funeral, in Henry VI, Part 1.; Three messengers, two to Albany and the other to Cordelia, appear in King Lear.; Three messengers are minor characters in Timon of Athens: one negotiates Ventidius' bail, another announces Alcibiades arrival at Timon's first feast with companions, the third announces Alcibiades approach towards Athens with soldiers.; Three messengers, two English bringing messages to Talbot and York, and one French bringing a message to Talbot, appear in Henry VI, Part 1.; Four messengers bring (mostly) bad news to Richard, in Richard III.; Several messengers appear in Much Ado About Nothing: one of them is an important figure in the opening scene.
Metellus Cimber: * Metellus Cimber (hist) is one of the conspirators in Julius Caesar.
Michael:: Michael is a follower of Jack Cade in Henry VI, Part 2.; * Michael Cassio is a lieutenant in Othello. Iago persuades Othello that Cassio is having an affair with Othello's wife, Desdemona.; Michael Williams' (notably played by Michael Williams in Kenneth Branagh's film version) is a soldier who challenges the disguised Henry to a duel, in Henry V.; Sir Michael is a minor character, a follower of the Archbishop of York, in Henry IV, Part 1.
The Duke of Milan: The Duke of Milan is patron to both Valentine and Proteus, and is the father of Silvia, in Two Gentlemen of Verona.
Baptista Minola: * Baptista Minola is the father of Katherine and Bianca in The Taming of the Shrew.
Miranda: Miranda is the 15 year old daughter of Prospero in The Tempest. She falls in love with Ferdinand.
Montague:: * The Marquess of Montague (hist) is a follower of Warwick (his brother) in Henry VI, Part 3.; Montague is Romeo's father, an enemy of Capulet, in Romeo and Juliet.; * Lady Montague is Romeo's mother in Romeo and Juliet.
Montano: Montano is the Governor of Cyprus in Othello.
Sir John Montgomery: * Sir John Montgomery (historically Thomas Montgomery) is a minor Yorkist character in Henry VI, Part 3.
Montjoy: Montjoy is the French herald in Henry V.
Mopsa: Mopsa and Dorcas are shepherdesses, usually portrayed as rather tarty, in The Winter's Tale.
Morgan: Morgan (real name Belarius) steals the two infant sons of the king in Cymbeline, and raises them as his own.
The Prince of Morocco: The Prince of Morocco is an unsuccessful suitor to Portia in The Merchant of Venice.
Mortimer:: * Edmund Mortimer (hist) is a claimant to the English throne, and a leader of the rebel forces, in Henry IV, Part 1.; * Edmund Mortimer (hist) explains the Yorkist claim to the crown to Richard Duke of York , in Henry VI, Part 1.; Lady Mortimer, daughter of Glendower and wife of Edmund Mortimer , sings in Welsh in Henry IV, Part 1.; * Sir Hugh Mortimer (hist) is an uncle of Richard Duke of York in Henry VI, Part 3.
Morton: Morton is a messenger to the Earl of Northumberland in Henry IV, Part 2.
Moth:: Moth is page to Don Armado in Love's Labour's Lost.; Moth is a fairy in A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Mouldy: Mouldy is nearly pressed into military service by Falstaff in Henry IV, Part 2.
Mowbray:: Lord Mowbray is a rebel leader in Henry IV, Part 2.; * Thomas Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk (hist) is Bolingbroke's enemy, exiled by Richard, in Richard II.
Murderer:: Three murderers kill Banquo, although his son Fleance escapes them, in Macbeth.; Two murderers report having killed Duke Humphrey in Henry VI, Part 2.; Two murderers kill Clarence on Richard's orders in Richard III.
Musician:: Several musicians, one of whom is a speaking role, are made fun of by the clown in Othello.; Several musicians attend on Cloten in Cymbeline. One of them sings "Hark, hark the lark."
Mustardseed: Mustardseed is a fairy in A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Mutius
Several Myrmidons: Several Myrmidons kill Hector on Achilles' orders, in Troilus and Cressida.

N

Nathaniel:: Nathaniel is a servant of Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew.; Nathaniel is a parson in Love's Labour's Lost. He is a comic character, and a friend of Holofernes. He appears as Alexander the Conqueror in the pageant of the Nine Worthies.
The King of Navarre: The King of Navarre (Ferdinand, loosely based on Henry III) 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.
Ned:: Ned Poins is a highwayman, and a close companion of Hal, in Henry IV, Part 1 and Henry IV, Part 2.
Nell:: A "Nell" is unflatteringly described by Doromio of Syracuse in The Comedy of Errors: she may be the same person as the character Luce, misnamed.
Nerissa: Nicholas is a servant of Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew.; Nick is a follower of Jack Cade in Henry VI, Part 2.; * Nick Bottom is a weaver, one of the mechanicals, in A Midsummer Night's Dream. While rehearsing a play, Puck changes Bottom's head for an ass's head. Titania falls in love with him. He plays Pyramus in Pyramus and Thisbe.; Sir Nicholas Vaux (hist) is a minor character in the scene leading to Buckingham's execution, in Henry VIII.
Nim
Ninacor: For Ninacor in Coriolanus, see Roman.
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.
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 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.; * Lady Northumberland (hist) is the Earl of Northumberland's wife, who dissuades him from joining the rebels at Gaultree Forest in Henry IV, Part 2.; * See also Seyward in Macbeth.
Nurse:: The Nurse is a bawdy comic character, and a confidante of Juliet, in Romeo and Juliet.
Nym: Nym is a follower of Sir John Falstaff in The Merry Wives of Windsor, and a companion of Pistol and Bardolph in Henry V.
Nymphs: Several nymphs dance in the masque in The Tempest.

O

Hugh Oatcake: * Hugh Oatcake is a member of the Watch in Much Ado About Nothing.
Oberon: Oberon is king of the fairies in A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Octavia: Octavia (hist), sister of Octavius, marries Mark Antony when he is widowed in Antony and Cleopatra. Their marriage causes great distress to Antony's lover, Cleopatra.
Octavius Caesar: * Octavius Caesar (hist) is one of the Triumvirs, the three rulers of Rome after Caesar's death, in Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra.
Officer:: First Officer attends the Venetian Senate in Othello.; An officer arrests Antipholus of Ephesus for debt in The Comedy of Errors.; Two officers in Orsino's service arrest Antonio in Twelfth Night.; Two officers discuss Coriolanus' prospects of becoming consul in Coriolanus.; Two officers, of whom only Second Officer is a speaking role, appear in the last act of King Lear.; Several officers support the Mayor of London in Henry VI, Part 1. One of them reads a proclamation.
Old:: An Old Athenian objects to his daughter's involvement with Lucilius, until Timon offers to endow Lucilius with money to make him her equal, in Timon of Athens.; * Old Capulet is a minor character - a kinsman of Capulet - in the party scene of Romeo and Juliet.; * Old Clifford (hist), father of Clifford, is a Lancastrian leader in Henry VI, Part 2.; * Old Gobbo, the blind old father of Launcelot Gobbo, is a clown in The Merchant of Venice.; * Old Hamlet is the father of the title character in Hamlet. His ghost appears to exhort Hamlet to revenge Old Hamlet's murder by Claudius.; * An Old Lady is a rather worldly friend of Anne Bullen, in Henry VIII.; An Old Man is Gloucester's tenant, who helps with his escape, in King Lear.; An Old Man reports the supernatural happenings on the night of Duncan's murder to Ross, in Macbeth.; Old Shepherd is the kindly father of the Clown in The Winter's Tale, who adopts the abandoned Perdita as his daughter.
Oliver:: Oliver begins As You Like It as a villain: the cruel older brother to Orlando. He later repents, and marries Celia.; * Sir Oliver Martext is a foolish priest in As You Like It.
Olivia: Olivia is a countess, loved by Orsino but in love with Cesario (the male persona of Viola) in Twelfth Night.
Ophelia: Ophelia, in Hamlet, is a former lover of Hamlet, who is rejected by him, and who goes mad following her father's death at Hamlet's hands. She drowns, possibly a suicide.
Orlando: Orlando is the male romantic lead in As You Like It.
Orleans:: The Duke of Orleans (hist) fights on the French side in Henry V.; * The Master Gunner of Orleans leaves his boy in charge of the artillery, in Henry VI, Part 1.
Orsino: Orsino is the Duke of Illyria, loved by Viola but in love with Olivia, in Twelfth Night.
Osrick: Osrick is a courtier, treated with contempt by Hamlet in Hamlet.
Oswald: Oswald is a servant of Gonerill, most noted for getting into fights and losing them, in King Lear.
Othello: Othello is the title character of Othello. A Moorish general in the Venetian army, he is persuaded by Iago that his wife Desdemona is having an affair with Michael Cassio.
Outlaws: Some Outlaws, three of which are speaking roles, initially try to rob Valentine, but decide to invite him to be their leader, in Two Gentlemen of Verona.
Mistress Overdone: Mistress Overdone is a brothel keeper in Measure for Measure.
Owen Glendower: * 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.
The Earl of Oxford: The Earl of Oxford (hist) is a staunch Lancastrian, supporting Henry in Henry VI, Part 3, and Richmond in Richard III.

P

Pageboy:: A page procures the services of Tyrrell for King Richard in Richard III.; A page pretends to be Christopher Sly's lady, in the introduction to The Taming of the Shrew.; A page to Paris witnesses the start of the conflict between Romeo and Paris, and summons watchmen to the scene, in Romeo and Juliet.; A page to the Countess of Rousillion is a very minor role in All's Well That Ends Well.; A page appears briefly in Timon of Athens.; Two pages encounter Touchstone, and sing It Was A Lover And His Lass, in As You Like It.; * Gardiner's Page is a minor role in Henry VIII.; * Anne Page is the daughter of Master and Mistress Page in The Merry Wives of Windsor. She loves Fenton, but her father wishes her to marry Slender and her mother wishes her to marry Caius.
Page:: * Master Page is the husband of Mistress Page and the father of Anne and William in The Merry Wives of Windsor. He plans to have Anne married to Slender.; Mistress Page, wife of Master Page, is a title character in The Merry Wives of Windsor. She conspires with Mistress Ford to punish Falstaff's lechery. She plans to have Anne married to Doctor Caius.; William Page is a minor youthful comic character, the son of Master and Mistress Page, and the younger brother of Anne Page in The Merry Wives of Windsor.
Pandarus: Pandarus procures an assignation between his niece Cressida and the prince Troilus, in Troilus and Cressida.
Cardinal Pandulph: * Cardinal Pandulph (hist) is the Papal legate in King John. He incites the Dauphin against John, but later tries to placate him.
Panthino: Panthino is a servant of Antonio in Two Gentlemen of Verona.
Paris:: * 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.; Paris has captured Helen - Menelaus' wife - and they live together as lovers in Troy. This is the cause of the lengthy wars fought in Troilus and Cressida.; Paris is a suitor to Juliet in Romeo and Juliet. He is killed by Romeo.; Paris' Servant has a clownish exchange with Pandarus in Troilus and Cressida.; For Paris' Page (in Romeo and Juliet), see Page.
Parolles: Parolles is a cowardly braggart soldier, a companion of Bertram, in All's Well That Ends Well.
Patience: Patience is an attendant on Katherine, in Henry VIII.
The Roman Patricians: The Roman Patricians, of whom only one has individual lines, appear in Coriolanus.
Patroclus: Patroclus is the friend, or "masculine whore", of Achilles in Troilus and Cressida.
Paulina: Paulina, strong-willed and good-hearted, is an important foil to Leontes in The Winter's Tale. In the last act, she reveals the statue of Hermione.
Peaseblossom: Peaseblossom is a fairy in A Midsummer Night's Dream.
The Pedant: The Pedant disguises himself as Vincentio (Lucentio's father) in The Taming of the Shrew, to act as father to Tranio, who has disguised himself as Lucentio.
Don Pedro: * Don Pedro is the prince of Arragon in Much Ado About Nothing.
Pembroke:: * The Earl of Pembroke (hist), together with Salisbury and Bigot, fear for the life of young Arthur, and later discover his body, in King John.; * The Earl of Pembroke (hist) is a non-speaking Yorkist in Henry VI, Part 3.
Percy:: * 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.; * 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.; * Lady Percy (hist) (sometimes called Kate) is Hotspur's wife, later his widow, in Henry IV, Part 1 and Henry IV, Part 2.
Perdita: Perdita is the infant daughter of Leontes, abandoned in Bohemia, in The Winter's Tale. She grows up to marry Florizel and is reconciled to her father.
Pericles: Pericles is the central character of Pericles, Prince of Tyre. In an unfortunate series of adventures, he loses his wife and his daughter, but is eventually reunited with them.
Peter:: * Friar Peter assists Isabella and Mariana in the final act of Measure for Measure.; Peter is a servant of Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew.; Peter is a clownish servant of Capulet who attends on the nurse in Romeo and Juliet.; Peter of Pomfret is a prophet in King John. John orders his hanging upon hearing he has predicted that John will yield up his crown.; Peter Quince is a carpenter in A Midsummer Night's Dream. He plays the prologue to Pyramus and Thisbe.; Peter Thump fights a duel with his master Thomas Horner in Henry VI, Part 2.
Peto: Peto is a follower of Sir John Falstaff in Henry IV, Part 1 and Henry IV, Part 2.
Petruchio: Petruchio is the central male character in The Taming of the Shrew, who "tames" the title character, Katherine.
Philostrate: Philostrate is master of the revels to Theseus in A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Phebe: Phebe is a sheperdess, loved by Silvius but who falls in love with the disguised Rosalind, in As You Like It.
Philario: Philario is an Italian friend of Posthumus, who introduces him to Jachimo, in Cymbeline.
Philemon: Philemon is a servant of Cerimon, in Pericles, Prince of Tyre.
Philip:: * King Philip of France (hist) allies himself with Constance in support of Arthur's claim, but later makes peace with John in King John.; * Philip (the Bastard) Faulconbridge is a central character in King John, the bravest and most articulate of John's supporters.; Philip is a servant of Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew.
Philo: Philo and Demetrius, Romans following Antony, regret his infatuation with Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra.
Philotus: Philotus is a servant, sent to extract payment of a debt from Timon of Athens.
Phrynia: Phrynia and Timandra are whores, or mistresses of Alcibiades, in Timon of Athens.
Sir Piers of Exton: * Sir Piers of Exton murders the deposed King Richard in Richard II.
Pinch: Pinch is a conjuror in The Comedy of Errors.
Pindarus: Pindarus is a servant of Cassius, in Julius Caesar. He aids Cassius' suicide, at Philippi.
Three Pirates: Three Pirates rescue Marina from Leonine, then sell her to a brothel at Mytilene, in Pericles, Prince of Tyre.
Pisanio: Pisanio, the servant of Posthumus, is ordered to murder Imogen, but instead spares her and disguises her as Fidele, in Cymbeline.
Pistol: Pistol is a follower of Sir John Falstaff in Henry IV, Part 2 and The Merry Wives of Windsor. He is married to Mistress Quickly, and is a soldier in conflict with Fluellen, in Henry V.
Player:: 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.; Second Player or Player Queen, in Hamlet, plays the queen in The Mousetrap.; Third Player, in Hamlet, plays Lucianus in The Mousetrap.; Fourth Player, in Hamlet, reads the prologue to The Mousetrap.; A Player appears in the introduction to The Taming of the Shrew.; A number of characters are players, including, in a sense, the whole cast (except for those in the induction) of The Taming of the Shrew.
Plebeians:: A mob of Plebeians, four of them individual speaking roles, hear the funeral orations of Brutus and Antony, in Julius Caesar.; For Plebeians in Coriolanus, see Citizens.
Poet:: A Poet and a Painter obtain the patronage of Timon in Timon of Athens. They return to him, in the woods, having heard rumours that he has found gold.; A Poet appears briefly in Julius Caesar, begging Brutus and Cassius to be friends.
Ned Poins: * Ned Poins is a highwayman, and a close companion of Hal, in Henry IV, Part 1 and Henry IV, Part 2.
The Duke of Suffolk: * 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.
Polixines: Polixines is the King of Bohemia in The Winter's Tale. Leontes wrongly believes that Polixines and Hermione are having an affair.
Polonius: Polonius is a chief adviser in the court of King Claudius in Hamlet, and is the father of Ophelia and Laertes. He is killed by Hamlet, who stabs him through an arras while he is eavesdropping on a conversation between Hamlet and Gertrude.
Polydore: Polydore (real name Guiderius) is the true heir in Cymbeline, stolen away in infancy by Morgan, and brought up as Morgan's child.
Peter of Pomfret: * Peter of Pomfret is a prophet in King John. John orders his hanging upon hearing he has predicted that John will yield up his crown.
Pompey:: Pompey is a clown, servant to Mistress Overdone in Measure for Measure.; Pompey or Sextus Pompeius (hist) is the enemy of the Triumvirate in Antony and Cleopatra.
Popilius Lena: * Popilius Lena, a senator, briefly frightens the conspirators into a belief that their plot may have been discovered, with his line "I wish your enterprise today might thrive", in Julius Caesar.
Porter:: A Porter to the Countess of Auvergne locks the doors, believing that he has thereby made Talbot prisoner, in Henry VI, Part 1.; The Porter is a clown in Macbeth.; The banter of a Porter and a Porter's Man introduces the finale - Elizabeth's christening - in Henry VIII.
Portia:: Portia is the central female character in The Merchant of Venice. She disguises herself as a lawyer in an attempt to thwart Shylock's attempt on Antonio's life.; Portia (hist) is the wife of Brutus in Julius Caesar.
Posthumus Leonatus: * Posthumus Leonatus (usually just "Posthumus") is the exiled husband of Imogen, in Cymbeline. Persuaded she has been unfaithful, he orders Pisanio to kill her.
Priam:: Priam is the king of Troy in Troilus and Cressida.
Prince:: Edward, the Black Prince (hist) the eldest son of King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault, and father to King Richard II of England. He appears in Edward III (play) and is referred to in Henry V.; * 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 (hist) is the eldest son of Edward IV and Queen Elizabeth. He appears in Henry VI, Part 3, and is the elder of the two princes in the tower in Richard III.; * Prince Hamlet 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.; * Prince Henry (hist) appears towards the end of King John, as successor to the title character.; Prince John of Lancaster (hist), the younger brother of 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.; * The Prince of Arragon is an unsuccessful suitor to Portia in The Merchant of Venice.; * The Prince of Morocco is an unsuccessful suitor to Portia in The Merchant of Venice.; * For Prince of Tyre see Pericles.; Numerous characters are princes, either because they are rulers of principalities (for example Don Pedro and Pericles), or by descent from a king.
Princess:: * The Princess of France (hist) leads a diplomatic mission to Navarre and becomes romantically entangled with the King, in Love's Labour's Lost.; Several characters are princesses in the sense of being descendants of kings, including Katherine in Henry V, Queen Margaret (until she becomes queen), Imogen, Perdita, Gonerill, Regan and Cordelia. Others are described as princesses by virtue of being descendants of ruling dukes, including Rosalind, Celia, Silvia and Miranda. Others are princesses by descent from a ruling prince, for example Marina.
Proculeius: Proculeius (hist) is a follower of Caesar in Antony and Cleopatra. It appears Antony has told Cleopatra to "trust him".
Prologue:: A Prologue and an Epilogue (possibly the same player) appear in Henry VIII.; A Prologue appears in Troilus and Cressida.
Prospero: Prospero is the central character of The Tempest, the wronged Duke of Milan, set adrift with his daughter Miranda, twelve years before the play begins. He has become a sorcerer and is lord of the enchanted island.
Proteus: Proteus is one of Two Gentlemen of Verona. Originally in love with Julia, he proves unfaithful: coveting Silvia and eventually attempting to rape her.
Provost: A Provost appears in Measure for Measure.
Publius: Publius is a minor character: a senator accompanying Caesar to the Capitol, in Julius Caesar.

Q

Queen: Player Queen or Second Player, in Hamlet, plays the queen in The Mousetrap.; Queen, in Cymbeline, is the scheming wife of the title character, who attempts to manipulate events so that her son, Cloten, inherits the throne.; * Queen Eleanor (hist) is the mother of John in King John. She takes a liking to Philip the Bastard, and recruits him to John's court.; * Queen Elizabeth (hist) is a suitor to, and then queen to, Edward IV in Henry VI, Part 3 and Richard III. She is a major character in the later play, and a foil to Richard.; * The Queen of France (hist) appears in the last act of Henry V.; Queen Gertrude is the protagonist's mother in Hamlet. She has married Claudius.; Queen (unnamed, a composite of the historical Anne of Bohemia and Isabella of Valois) is Richard's queen in Richard II, exiled upon his deposition.; * Queen Katherine of Aragon (hist) is the first wife of King Henry in Henry VIII. She falls from grace, is divorced and dies.; * Queen Margaret (hist) appears as a naive girl in Henry VI, Part 1 and as an embittered old woman in Richard III. She is a central character of the two intervening plays, Henry VI, Part 2 and Henry VI, Part 3, in which she is the wife of Henry VI, and a leader of his armies. In her most notable scene she supervises the murder/execution of Richard Duke of York.; Numerous characters are, or become, queens including Anne Bullen, Cleopatra, Cordelia, Hermione, Lady Anne, Lady Macbeth and Titania
Mistress Quickly: Mistress Quickly is an important character in Henry IV, Part 1, Henry IV, Part 2, Henry V, and The Merry Wives of Windsor. She is noted for her lewd malapropisms and double entendres. She is an innkeeper's wife (later his widow) in the Henry plays. She has a different personality, and a different relationship to other characters, in Merry Wives, where she is a servant to Doctor Caius. In Henry V (play) she marries Pistol and later dies of disease.
Peter Quince: * Peter Quince is a carpenter in A Midsummer Night's Dream. He plays the prologue to Pyramus and Thisbe.

R

Ragozine: Ragozine is a prisoner of the state of Vienna in Measure for Measure. He is executed, and his head is sent to Angelo in place of Claudio's.
Rambures: Rambures is a French lord in Henry V.
Sir Richard Ratcliffe: Sir Richard Ratcliffe (hist) is a confidante of Richard in Richard III.
Hugh Rebeck: * Hugh Rebeck, Simon Catling and James Soundpost are minor characters, musicians, in Romeo and Juliet.
Regan: Regan is the cruel second daughter in King Lear. She is married to the Duke of Cornwall.
Reignier: Reignier (hist) is the impoverished king of Naples and Jerusalem, and father to Queen Margaret, in Henry VI, Part 1.
Reynaldo: Reynaldo is a minor character, an agent of Polonius, in Hamlet.
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 . He is a fairly minor character in Henry VI, Part 2, is more prominent in Henry VI, Part 3, and is the titular antagonist in Richard III.; * Richard, Duke of York (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 (hist) is the younger of the two Princes in the Tower, murdered on the orders of Richard in Richard III.; * Sir Richard Ratcliffe (hist) is a confidante of Richard in Richard III.; Sir Richard Vernon is a follower of the rebel forces in Henry IV, Part 1.; See also Philip (the Bastard) Faulconbridge, who is renamed "Sir Richard" by the King in King John, and is often addressed as such.
The Earl of Richmond: * 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: Earl Rivers (hist), is the brother to Queen Elizabeth in Richard III. He is arrested and executed on the orders of Richard and Buckingham.
Robert:: Robert is a servingman of Mistress Ford: he carries Falstaff to Datchet Mead in a buck-basket, in The Merry Wives of Windsor.; * Robert Faulconbridge is the legitimate brother of the bastard in King John. He inherits his father's property.
Robin:: Robin Starveling is a tailor in A Midsummer Night's Dream. He plays "Moonshine" in Pyramus and Thisbe.; See The Boy (who is called Robin in The Merry Wives of Windsor).
Roderigo: Roderigo is a gentleman suitor to Desdemona in Othello. He is gulled by Iago throughout the play, and eventually Iago murders him.
Roman:: A Roman (named Ninacor) encounters the Volsce, Adrian, with news that Coriolanus is banished from Rome, in Coriolanus.; Three Romans, with pillage, appear briefly in Coriolanus.
Romeo: Romeo is a title character in Romeo and Juliet. The son of Montague, he falls in love with Juliet, the daughter of his father's enemy Capulet, with tragic results.
Rosalind: Rosalind is the central character of As You Like It. She spends the bulk of the play in exile in the Forest of Arden disguised as a boy called Ganymede.
Rosaline: Rosaline is lady attending on the Princess of France in Love's Labour's Lost. She becomes romantically entangled with Berowne.
Rosencrantz: see Guildenstern.
Ross: Lord Ross (hist) is a supporter of Bolingbroke in Richard II.; Ross is a thane in Macbeth.
Rousillon:: * The Countess of Rousillon is Bertram's mother, and Helena's protector, in All's Well That Ends Well.
John Rugby: * John Rugby is a servant to Caius in The Merry Wives of Windsor.
Rumour: Rumour is the prologue to Henry IV, Part 2.
Rutland: Rutland (hist) is the youngest son of Richard Duke of York , killed in battle while still a boy, by Clifford, in Henry VI, Part 3. (Historically Rutland was not the youngest of the four York brothers depicted in the plays. Shakespeare made him so using dramatic licence.)
Rynaldo: Rynaldo is a steward to the Countess of Rousillion, in All's Well That Ends Well. He reveals to the countess that Helena loves Bertram.

S

Sailors:: Several sailors, one of whom is a speaking role, deliver letters in Hamlet.; A sailor brings news of a Turkish fleet to the Venetian Senate, in Othello.; Two sailors appear in the storm scene of Pericles, Prince of Tyre, insisting that Thaisa's body be buried at sea, immediately.; A sailor of Tyre and a sailor of Mytilene, appear briefly in the shipboard reconciliation scene between Periclesand Marina in Pericles, Prince of Tyre.
Salarino: Salarino is a friend of Solanio, Antonio, Bassanio, and Lorenzo in The Merchant of Venice.
Salerio: Salerio is a friend of Solanio, Antonio, Bassanio, and Lorenzo in The Merchant of Venice.
Salisbury:: * The Earl of Salisbury (hist) delivers bad news to Constance, in 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.; * The Earl of Salisbury (hist) supports the Yorkists in Henry VI, Part 2.
Sampson: Sampson and Gregory, two men of the Capulet household, open the main action of Romeo and Juliet with their aggressive and lecherous banter.
Lord Sandys: Lord Sandys (pronounced "sands") (hist) is a courtier in Henry VIII.
Lord Saye: Lord Saye (hist) is an enemy of Jack Cade, killed by the rebels, in Henry VI, Part 2.
Lord Scales: Lord Scales (hist) is an enemy of Jack Cade's rebels in Henry VI, Part 2.
Saturninus: Saturninus was eldest son of the late Emperor of Rome. He chooses the captive Tamora, Queen of the Goths, for his empress, thereby giving her the power to wreak havoc on Rome and Titus's family in Titus Andronicus.
Scarus: Scarus (hist?) is a follower of Antony in Antony and Cleopatra. He reports Antony's retreat to Enobarbus.
Schoolmaster: A Schoolmaster acts as ambassador from Antony to Caesar, in Antony and Cleopatra.
Scottish Doctor: * A Scottish Doctor witnesses Lady Macbeth sleepwalking in Macbeth.
Scout: A scout of the French army reports that the English army has regrouped and is ready to attack, in Henry VI, Part 1.
Scribe: A scribe to the court, and a crier to the court, are minor roles - but they usually have dramatic impact - in the trial scene of Henry VIII.
Scrivener: A scrivener explains the hypocrisy of Lord Hastings' indictment, in Richard III.
Scroop:: Lord Scroop (hist) is one of the three conspirators against the king's life (with Cambridge and Grey) in Henry V.; Scroop (hist) supports Richard in Richard II.
George Seacoal: George Seacoal is a member of the Watch in Much Ado About Nothing.
Sebastian:: Sebastian is the twin brother of Viola in Twelfth Night. He is often mistaken for her male persona, Cesario, and Olivia marries him under that misapprehension.; Sebastian is the brother of Alonso in The Tempest. He conspires with Antonio to murder Alonzo and Gonzalo.; See also Julia in Two Gentlemen of Verona, who calls herself Sebastian in her male disguise.
: A Secretary to Cardinal Wolsey is a minor role in Henry VIII: he has prepared Buckingham's Surveyor's examination.
Seleucus: Seleucus is Cleopatra's treasurer, in Antony and Cleopatra.
Sempronius:: Sempronius is a lord in Timon of Athens, who flatters Titus but proves a false friend.
Senator:: The Roman Senators, two of them speaking roles, appear in Coriolanus, both as friends and enemies to the title character.; Two Senators and a Tribune discuss the prospects of their impending war with the Britons, in Cymbeline.
Duke Senior: 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.
Sentinels: Two Sentinels, one a speaking role, appear with a Sergeant on the walls of Orleans, in Henry VI, Part 1.; A Sentry and the Watch (two of whom are minor speaking roles) witness the death of Enobarbus, in Antony and Cleopatra.; A French Sergeant appears with two Sentinels on the walls of Orleans, in Henry VI, Part 1.; A Sergeant-at-Arms accompanies Brandon in the arrest of Buckingham, in Henry VIII.
Servant:: Talbot's Servant accompanies the dying Talbot, in Henry VI, Part 1.
Servilius: Servilius is a servant of Timon of Athens, sent - unsuccessfully - to seek money for his master from Lucius.
Servingman:: A servingman to the Duke of York brings news of the Duchess of Gloucester's death in Richard II.; Three servingmen to Aufidius discuss the arrival of their master's former arch-enemy as a guest in Coriolanus.; Four servingmen (two of them called "Anthony" and "Potpan") are minor speaking roles in the build-up to Capulet's party in Romeo and Juliet.; Numerous servingmen of Winchester and Gloucester (one of Gloucester's being a minor speaking role) brawl in Henry VI, Part 1.; Several servingmen of the Lord, three of whom are speaking roles, attend the hung-over Christopher Sly, trying to fool him into believing he is a lord, in the introduction to The Taming of the Shrew.
Sexton: A Sexton supervises Dogberry's inept examination of Conrade and Borachio, in Much Ado About Nothing.
Sextus Pompeius: * Pompey or Sextus Pompeius (hist) is the enemy of the Triumvirate in Antony and Cleopatra.
Seyton: Seyton is a servant in Macbeth.
Seyward:: Seyward (hist) is the Earl of Northumberland in Macbeth.; Young Seyward (hist) is the son of the Earl of Northumberland in Macbeth.
Shadow: Shadow is pressed into military service by Falstaff in Henry IV, Part 2.
Justice Shallow: * Justice Shallow is an elderly landowner in Henry IV, Part 2 and The Merry Wives of Windsor.
Shepherd:: * Old Shepherd is the kindly father of the Clown in The Winter's Tale, who adopts the abandoned Perdita as his daughter.; A Shepherd says that he is Joan's father, but she disowns him, in Henry VI, Part 1.
Sherriff:: A Sheriff holds Eleanor in custody in Henry VI, Part 2.; A Sherriff of Wiltshire denies the condemned Buckingham access to King Richard, in Richard III.
Shylock: Shylock is a central character in The Merchant of Venice - a Jewish money-lender who claims a pound of Antonio's flesh.
Sicinius Velutus: Sicinius Velutus and Junius Brutus, two of the tribunes of the people, are the protagonist's chief political enemies in Coriolanus, and prove more effective than his military foes.
Justice Silence: * Justice Silence is an elderly friend of Justice Shallow in Henry IV, Part 2.
Silius: Silius is a follower of Antony, in Antony and Cleopatra.
Silvia: Silvia is the faithful lover of Valentine, and the victim of an attempted rape by Proteus, in Two Gentlemen of Verona.
Silvius: Silvius is a shepherd, in love with Phebe, in As You Like It.
Simon Catling: * Simon Catling, Hugh Rebeck and James Soundpost are minor characters, musicians, in Romeo and Juliet.
Simonides: Simonides, king of Pentapolis in Pericles, Prince of Tyre, pretends to oppose the romance between his daughter Thaisa and the hero but in fact is delighted by it.
Simpcox: Simpcox claims to have been cured of blindness in Henry VI, Part 2.
Simpcox's Wife: Simpcox's Wife is the wife of Simpcox in Henry VI, Part 2.
Simple: Simple is a servant to Slender in The Merry Wives of Windsor.
Abraham Slender: * Abraham Slender is a foolish suitor to Anne, and a kinsman of Shallow, in The Merry Wives of Windsor.
Christopher Sly: * Christopher Sly is a drunken tinker in the introduction to The Taming of the Shrew. He is gulled into believing he is a lord.
Smith: Smith the Weaver is a follower of Jack Cade in Henry VI, Part 2.
Snare: Snare is a constable in Henry IV, Part 2.
Tom Snout: Tom Snout is a tinker in A Midsummer Night's Dream. He plays "Wall" in Pyramus and Thisbe.
Snug: Snug is a joiner in A Midsummer Night's Dream. He plays the lion in Pyramus and Thisbe.
Solanio: Solanio is a friend and counterpart of Salerio in The Merchant of Venice.
Solinus: Solinus is the Duke of Ephesus in The Comedy of Errors.
Somerset:: * The Duke of Somerset (hist) is a follower of King Henry in Henry VI, Part 1.; * The Duke of Somerset (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 is a conflation by Shakespeare of two historical Dukes of Somerset (Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset and Edmund Beaufort, 4th Duke of Somerset). He supports both factions at different stages of Henry VI, Part 3.
Somerville: Somerville is a follower of Warwick in Henry VI, Part 3.
Soothsayer:: A Soothsayer wisely warns Caesar to beware the Ides of March, in Julius Caesar.; A Soothsayer attends on Lucius, and eventually interprets the book given to Posthumus by Jupiter, in Cymbeline.; A Soothsayer makes a number of predictions, all of which come true in their own way, in Antony and Cleopatra.
James Soundpost: * James Soundpost, Simon Catling and Hugh Rebeck are minor characters, musicians, in Romeo and Juliet.
Southwell: Southwell, with Hume, Jourdain and Bolingbroke, are the supernatural conspitators with Eleanor Duchess of Gloucester in Henry VI, Part 2.
Speed: Speed is the slow-witted servant of Valentine, in Two Gentlemen of Verona.
Robin Starveling: * Robin Starveling is a tailor in A Midsummer Night's Dream. He plays "Moonshine" in Pyramus and Thisbe.
Stafford:: Lord Stafford (hist) is a non-speaking Yorkist in Henry VI, Part 3.; Sir Humphrey Stafford (hist) is an enemy of Jack Cade in Henry VI, Part 2.; Stafford's Brother (hist) is an enemy of Jack Cade in Henry VI, Part 2.
Stanley:: * 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.; * Sir John Stanley supervises Eleanor's penance in Henry VI, Part 2.; Sir William Stanley (hist), the historical brother of Lord Stanley from Richard III, is a minor character of the Yorkist faction in Henry VI, Part 3.
Stephano:: Stephano is a drunken butler in The Tempest. He conspires with Caliban and Trinculo to kill Prospero and become king of the island.; Stephano is a servant of Portia, in The Merchant of Venice.
Strato: Strato is a servant of Brutus in Julius Caesar. He holds Brutus' sword, so that Brutus may kill himself by running onto it.
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.
Surrey:: The Duke of Surrey (hist) accuses Aumerle of plotting Woodstock's death in Richard II.; The Earl of Surrey 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.; A Surveyor to the Duke of Buckingham gives evidence of his (alleged) treachery, in Henry VIII.
Syracuse:: Antipholus of Syracuse, twin of Antipholus of Ephesus - 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.

T

Taborer: A Tailor is verbally abused by Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew.
Talbot:: * John Talbot is the son of Sir John Talbot. They die together bravely in battle in Henry VI, Part 1.; * 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.
Tamora: Tamora was the Queen of the Goths, mother of Chiron and Demetrius in Titus Andronicus.
Taurus: Taurus (hist) is a follower of Caesar in Antony and Cleopatra.
Doll Tearsheet: Doll Tearsheet is a whore, who is emotionally involved with Falstaff, and is later arrested for murder in Henry IV, Part 2.
Thaisa: Thaisa, the wife of the title character in Pericles, Prince of Tyre, is buried at sea, believed dead. However her coffin washes up on shore, she is revived by Cerimon, and she becomes a priestess at the temple of Diana.
Thaliard: Thaliard is a lord of Antioch, ordered to kill Pericles, in Pericles, Prince of Tyre.
Thane: For Thane see Macbeth, Banquo, Macduff, Lennox, Ross, Menteth, Angus and Cathness, all from Macbeth.
Thersites: Thersites is a clown, who serves firstly Ajax and later Achilles, in Troilus and Cressida.
Theseus: Theseus is the Duke of Athens in A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Two Noble Kinsmen.
Thidias: Thidias (hist) is a follower of Caesar in Antony and Cleopatra, sent with messages to Cleopatra and to Antony. Antony has him whipped before sending him back to his master.

Thomas:: * Friar Thomas leads an order of friars, and assists Vincentio to disguise himself as a friar, in Measure for Measure.; * Sir Thomas Erpingham (hist) is an officer in the English army in Henry V.; * Sir Thomas Grey (hist) is one of the three conspirators against the king's life (with Cambridge and Scroop) in Henry V.; * Sir Thomas Lovell (hist) is a courtier of King Henry, in Henry VIII.; Sir Thomas Vaughan (hist) is executed, alongside Rivers and Grey, in Richard III.; * Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury (hist) is a major character in the last act of Henry VIII: hauled before the privy council by his enemies and threatened with imprisonment, but protected by the king.; * Thomas Cromwell (hist) is secretary to Wolsey, and later to the Privy Council, in Henry VIII.; * Thomas, Duke of Clarence (hist) is Hal's younger brother, who appears in Henry IV, Part 2 and Henry V.; * Thomas Horner fights a duel with his apprentice Peter Thump in Henry VI, Part 2.; * Thomas Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk (hist) is Bolingbroke's enemy, exiled by Richard, in Richard II.
Peter Thump: * Peter Thump fights a duel with his master Thomas Horner in Henry VI, Part 2.
Thurio: Thurio is a cowardly suitor to Silvia (and therefore a rival of Valentine) in Two Gentlemen of Verona.
Timandra: Timandra and Phrynia are whores, or mistresses of Alcibiades, in Timon of Athens.
Time: Time, personified, acts as a chorus in The Winter's Tale, bridging the sixteen-year gap between the third and fourth acts.
Timon: Timon (hist) is the central character of Timon of Athens. His over-generosity leads him into poverty, and his friends abandon him.
Titania: Titania is Queen of the Fairies in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Under the influence of love in idleness, she falls in love with Bottom (with his ass's head).
Titinius: Titinius is a loyal follower of Cassius, in Julius Caesar. He kills himself with Cassius' sword, at Philippi.
Titus:: Titus Andronicus was a General of Rome and tragic hero of Titus Andronicus. Father of Lavinia and Lucius. He is first held up as a model of piety for his staunch reverence for traditions, but it is this strict adherence to tradition that causes his enemies to take revenge against him.; Titus is a servant, sent to extract payment of a debt from Timon of Athens.; * Titus Lartius and Cominius are leaders of the Roman forces against the Volscians in Coriolanus.
Sir Toby Belch: * Sir Toby Belch is a drunken knight, and kinsman to Olivia, in Twelfth Night.
Tom:: * Tom Snout is a tinker in A Midsummer Night's Dream. He plays "Wall" in Pyramus and Thisbe.
Touchstone: Touchstone is a clown in As You Like It.
Tranio: Tranio is a servant to Lucentio in The Taming of the Shrew. He disguises himself as Lucentio, to enable Lucentio carry through his disguise.
Travers: Travers is a messenger to the Earl of Northumberland in Henry IV, Part 2.
Trebonius: Trebonius (hist) is one of the conspirators against Julius Caesar.
Tressell: Tressell and Berkeley are the two gentlemen accompanying Lady Anne, and Henry VI's coffin, in Richard III.
Tribune:: A Tribune and two Senators discuss the prospects of their impending war with the Britons, in Cymbeline.; Several characters are Tribunes, including Flavius and Marullus in Julius Caesar, and Sicinius and Brutus in Coriolanus.
Trinculo: Numerous characters in Troilus and Cressida are Trojans.
Tubal: Tubal is a wealthy Jew, a friend to Shylock, in The Merchant of Venice.
Tullus Aufidius: * Tullus Aufidius, leader of the Volscians, is the arch-enemy, and briefly the ally, of the title character in Coriolanus.; A Tutor fails to save the life of his pupil, Rutland, in Henry VI, Part 3.
Tybalt: Tybalt, cousin to Juliet, is a fiery-tempered character in Romeo and Juliet. He kills Mercutio, and is killed by Romeo.
Sir James Tyrrell: * Sir James Tyrrell (hist) is employed to murder the princes in the tower in Richard III.

U

Ulysses: Ulysses is one of the Greek leaders in Troilus and Cressida.
Ursula: Ursula is a maid in Much Ado About Nothing.

V

Valentine:: Valentine is one of Two Gentlemen of Verona. He falls in love with Silvia, becomes exiled, and leads a band of robbers.; Valentine is an attendant on Orsino in Twelfth Night.; Valentine is Meructio's brother in Romeo and Juliet. He is mentioned as a guest of Lord Capulet's party.
Valeria: Valeria is a friend of Volumnia or Virgilia in Coriolanus. She brings news of Coriolanus' exploits.
Varrius:: Varrius, a friend of the Duke, is a non-speaking role (although he is addressed by name, and therefore falls just short of being a ghost character) in Measure for Measure.; Varrius is a follower of Pompey in Antony and Cleopatra.
Varro:: Varro and Claudius are guards in Brutus' tent, in Julius Caesar. They do not see Caesar's ghost.; For Varro's Servants, in Timon of Athens, see servant.
Sir Thomas Vaughan: * Sir Thomas Vaughan (hist) is executed, alongside Rivers and Grey, in Richard III.
Vaux:: * Sir Nicholas Vaux (hist) is a minor character in the scene leading to Buckingham's execution, in Henry VIII.; Vaux (hist) is a minor character of the Lancastrian party in Henry VI, Part 2.
Sicinius Velutus: Sicinius Velutus and Junius Brutus, two of the tribunes of the people, are the title character's chief political enemies in Coriolanus, and prove more effective than his military foes.
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.
Ventidius:: Ventidius (hist) is a follower of Antony in Antony and Cleopatra.; Ventidius is bailed by Timon in Timon of Athens, then attends Timon's first feast offering to repay the debt, which Timon refuses. Later, however, he refuses Timon's request for funds.
Verges: Verges, accompanied by Dogberry, is a clownish officer of the watch in Much Ado About Nothing.
Vernon:: * Sir Richard Vernon is a follower of the rebel forces in Henry IV, Part 1.; Vernon is a supporter of Richard, Duke of York in Henry VI, Part 1.
Escalus: * Escalus, Prince of Verona tries to keep the peace between Montague and Capulet, in Romeo and Juliet.
Duke of Vienna: For Duke of Vienna see Vincentio in Measure for Measure.
Vincentio:: Vincentio, the Duke of Vienna, is a central character in Measure for Measure. Disguised as Friar Lodowick, he intrigues to achieve justice for Isabella and other virtuous characters.; Vincentio is the father of Lucentio in The Taming of the Shrew.; See also The Pedant, who falsely claims to be Vincentio in The Taming of the Shrew.; A Volsce (named Adrian) encounters the Roman, Ninacor, and hears the news that Coriolanus is banished from Rome in Coriolanus.
Voltemand: Voltemand and Cornelius are two ambassadors from Claudius to the Norwegian court, in Hamlet.
Volumnia: Volumnia is Coriolanus' mother. She persuades him not to attack Rome, leading to his destruction, in Coriolanus.
Volumnius: Volumnius (hist) is a friend and follower of Brutus in Julius Caesar. He refuses to assist Brutus' suicide.

W

Walter:: * Sir Walter Blunt is a soldier and messenger to the king in Henry IV, Part 1. He is killed by Douglas while wearing the king's armour.; * Sir Walter Herbert is a follower of Richmond in Richard III.; Walter Whitmore kills Suffolk in Henry VI, Part 2.
Wart: Wart is pressed into military service by Falstaff in Henry IV, Part 2.
Earl of Warwick:: The Earl of Warwick (hist) is a supporter of King Henry in Henry IV, Part 2.; * The Earl of Warwick (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.
Watchmen:: The Watch of the city of Rouen allows Joan and her soldiers, disguised, to enter the gates, in Henry VI, Part 1.; The Watch (two of whom are minor speaking roles), and a Sentry, witness the death of Enobarbus, in Antony and Cleopatra.; Three Watchmen guard King Edward IV's tent, in Henry VI, Part 3.; Several Watchmen, two of them speaking roles, serve under Dogberry and Verges, and apprehend Conrade and Borachio, in Much Ado About Nothing. Two of them are called Hugh Oatcake and George Seacoal.; Several Watchmen, three of them speaking roles, discover the carnage at Capulet's tomb, at the end of Romeo and Juliet.; Several Volscian Watchmen, two of them speaking roles, try to prevent Menenius meeting Coriolanus.
Weaver: * Smith the Weaver is a follower of Jack Cade in Henry VI, Part 2.
The Abbott of Westminster: * The Abbott of Westminster supports Richard and the Bishop of Carlisle in Richard II.
Earl of Westmoreland:: * The Earl of Westmoreland (hist) is one of the leaders of the royal forces in Henry IV, Part 1, Henry IV, Part 2, and Henry V.; * The Earl of Westmoreland (hist) fights for King Henry in Henry VI, Part 3.
Walter Whitmore: * Walter Whitmore kills Suffolk in Henry VI, Part 2.
Widow:: A Widow, mother to Diana, provides lodings to Helena in All's Well That Ends Well.; A Widow marries Hortensio, and behaves shrewishly in the final act of The Taming of the Shrew.
Will: Will is a drawer in Henry IV, Part 2.
William:: * 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.; * Sir William Lucy is a soldier and messenger for the English in France in Henry VI, Part 1.; * Sir William Stanley (hist), the historical brother of Lord Stanley from Richard III, is a minor character of the Yorkist faction in Henry VI, Part 3.; William is a foolish youth, a suitor to Audrey, in As You Like It.; * William Page is a minor youthful comic character, the son of Master and Mistress Page, and the younger brother of Anne Page in The Merry Wives of Windsor.
Michael Williams: Michael Williams (notably played by Michael Williams in Kenneth Branagh's film version) is a soldier who challenges the disguised Henry to a duel in Henry V.
Willoughby: Willoughby (hist) is a supporter of Bolingbroke in Richard II.; * A Sherriff of Wiltshire denies the condemned Buckingham access to King Richard, in Richard III.
Winchester:: * The Bishop of Winchester (hist) (later "the Cardinal") is the chief enemy of Humphrey Duke of Gloucester in Henry VI, Part 1 and Henry VI, Part 2.; * For The Bishop of Winchester in Henry VIII, see Gardiner.
Three Witches: Three Witches initiate Macbeth's lust for the crown of Scotland in Macbeth.
Cardinal Wolsey: * Cardinal Wolsey (hist) orchestrates the fall from grace of Buckingham and Katherine, but himself falls from grace and dies, in Henry VIII.
Woodville:: Woodville (hist) is Lieutenant of the Tower of London in Henry VI, Part 1.
The Earl of Worcester: * 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.

Y

York:: * The Archbishop of York (hist) is one of the rebel leaders in Henry IV, Part 1 and Henry IV, Part 2.; * The Archbishop of York (hist) assists Queen Elizabeth and the little Duke of York to obtain sanctuary in Richard III.; * The Duchess of York 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 (hist) is the wife of Richard, Duke of York in Henry VI, Part 3. She outlives him to mourn the death of two of their sons in Richard III.; The Duke of York (hist) is the uncle of both Richard and Bolingbroke, and the father of Aumerle, in Richard II.; The Duke of York (hist) is a minor character, the leader of the "v award" in Henry V. (TRIVIA: Historically this character is the same person as Aumerle.); * Richard, Duke of York (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 (hist) is the younger of the two princes in the tower, murdered on the orders of Richard in Richard III.; * The Mayor of York (hist) reluctantly supports the Yorkists in Henry VI, Part 3.; * Prince Edward of York later King Edward V (hist) is the eldest son of Edward IV and Queen Elizabeth. He appears in Henry VI, Part 3, and is the elder of the two princes in the tower in Richard III.