Dorothea Brooke
An ardently idealistic heiress whose mistaken marriage teaches her to turn aspiration into practical sympathy.
Edward Casaubon
Dorothea's older husband, a defensive scholar consumed by an unfinishable Key to All Mythologies.
Will Ladislaw
Casaubon's artistic, politically liberal cousin, who loves Dorothea and later becomes her husband.
Tertius Lydgate
A gifted reforming doctor whose pride, debt, and marriage compromise his scientific ambitions.
Rosamond Vincy
Lydgate's elegant wife, trained to expect comfort and skilled at passive resistance.
Fred Vincy
Rosamond's improvident brother, gradually disciplined by love for Mary and work with Caleb.
Mary Garth
Caleb's perceptive daughter, who refuses both Featherstone's corrupt request and Fred's unearned promises.
Caleb Garth
An honest land agent whose reverence for useful work becomes Fred's moral education.
Nicholas Bulstrode
A religious banker whose hidden financial wrongdoing returns through Raffles.
Mr. Farebrother
A humane clergyman and naturalist who loves Mary but advocates generously for Fred.
Mr. Brooke and Sir James Chettam
Dorothea's amiable uncle and dependable brother-in-law, each limited but often well meaning.
Peter Featherstone and John Raffles
The miserly landowner and the blackmailer whose money plots connect the Vincys, Garths, and Bulstrode.