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Isabella
The main character, Isabella, is a very virtuous and chaste young woman who faces a difficult decision when her brother is sentenced to death for fornication (i.e., unlawful sex). Isabella does not approve of her brother’s actions at all, but she pleads for his life out of loyalty and sisterly devotion. Isabella is a spiritual person who starts off wanting to become a nun.
Read an in-depth analysis of Isabella.
The Duke
The other central figure is the Duke, who spends most of his time dressed as a friar in order to observe what is happening in his absence. The Duke is unfailingly virtuous, good, and kind-hearted. He tends to rule a little softly, which is why he enlists Angelo’s help.
Read an in-depth analysis of the Duke.
Claudio
Isabella’s brother Claudio is a young man sentenced to death for impregnating an unmarried woman named Juliet. He was engaged to her by a common-law agreement, but they had sexual intercourse before the legal marriage took place. Claudio depends less on the guidance of laws and religious practices than on his sister.
Lord Angelo
Angelo is the villain of the play, a strict judge who rules mercilessly while the Duke is supposed to be out of town on political business. He has his own weaknesses, however, and he is loathsome more for his hypocrisy than for anything else. Despite his claim to moral purity, he presents Isabella with the immoral and unlawful proposition to have sex with him to save her brother’s life.
Read an in-depth analysis of Angelo.
Escalus
Escalus is a wise judge who advises Angelo to be more merciful. He is loyal to the Duke and seeks to carry out his orders justly, but he cannot go against Angelo’s will.
Lucio
Lucio, described by Shakespeare as a “fantastic,” is a flamboyant bachelor who provides much of the play’s comic relief. He is a friend of Claudio’s and tries to help him.
Mariana
Mariana was supposed to marry Angelo, but he called the wedding off when she lost her dowry in a shipwreck that killed her brother.
Mistress Overdone
Mistress Overdone runs a brothel in Vienna.
Pompey
Pompey is a clown who also works for Mistress Overdone. Like a “fool” in other Shakespearean comedies, Pompey often utters truths that are wiser than he seems to recognize, but which no one else takes seriously.
Provost
The Provost runs the prison and is responsible for carrying out all of Angelo's orders.
Elbow
Elbow is a dim-witted constable who arrests people for misconduct, particularly of the sexual variety. He speaks in malapropisms and provides comic relief throughout the play.
Barnardine
A long-term prisoner in the jail, Barnardine is sentenced to be executed together with Claudio. The Duke originally considers him hopeless and therefore dispensable, but he later changes his mind.
Juliet
Claudio’s lover, who is pregnant with his baby.
