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The Canterville Ghost’s characters
Main
characters:
The ghost, Virginia and Mr.
Otis
Secondary
characters:
Washington, Mrs. Otis, the twins, Duke of
Chesire and Lord
Canterville, Mrs. Umney, gypsies an
Rev
Augustus Dampier
If we consider this story as a fairy tale,
we can define the characters by means of
their functions, the typical ones of the
traditional stories according to the
famous categories devised by Propp and the
structural literary analysis.
Characters in chapters 1 to 4
Functions:
-
Protagonist:
Mr. Otis
-
Antagonist:
the ghost
-
Object:
to turn out the ghost
-
Protagonist’s helper:
Washington and the twins
-
Antagonist’s helper:
his supernatural powers
Characters in chapters 5 to 7
Functions:
-
Protagonists:
the ghost
-
Antagonist:
Mr Otis
-
Object:
the ghost soul’s liberation
-
Protagonist’s helper:
Virginia
-
Antagonist’s helper:
his family, excluding Virginia, and the
Duke of Chesire
Descriptions of the characters
The
ghost:
The ghost of the castle for
centuries. He was Sir Simon de Canterville
and died in 1584, his spirit still haunts
the Chase. His aspect is very terrible:
“He is an old
man, his eyes were as red burning coals,
long grey hair fell over his shoulders in
matted coils, his garments, which were of
antique cut, were soiled and ragged, and
from his wrists and ankles hung heavy
manacles and rusty gyves.”
Mr.
Otis:
The father of the Otis
family. He is a middle-aged American
minister; he is determinated, inflexible,
rational, practical and pragmatic, in
conclusion a true American. In fact at the
beginning he believes that the ghost
doesn’t exist, then, when he personally
meets him, he is indifferent: he has more
important things to do, making money, for
example.
 Virginia:
“She is a little girl of fifteen, lithe
and lovely as a fawn, and with a fine
freedom, in her large blue eyes. She is a
wonderful amazon. In respect to her family
she is kind and with weling heart.”
The daughter is the only
one in the family who is scared by the
ghost. She never speaks except to the
ghost, at the end of the story.
Washington:
the Otises' oldest son; “he
is a fire-haired rather cood-loooking
young man; gardenias and peerage are his
only weaknesses.”
 The
twins:
“they are usually called The stars and
stripes, they are delightful boys and the
only true republicans of the family.”
These children always play
tricks on the ghost and make him depressed
and desperate. All along the story, they
imagine jokes and even dress up as ghosts.
Mrs
Otis:
The
mother isn't scared of the ghost and even
asks him if he wants a remedy for his
stomach.
“She is a very handsome
middle-aged woman with fine eyes and a
superb profile. She has a magnificent
constitution and a wonderful amount of
animal spirits.”
Duke of
Chesire:
“He is a handsome young scapegrace”
desperately in love with the fifteen-year
old Virginia Otis. However, his guardians
pack him off to Eton, and he must wait to
marry. When Virginia vanishes, he insists
on being part of the search party. As soon
as she reappears, he smothers her with
kisses. His devotion is rewarded, and
Virginia consents to become the Duchess of
Cheshire.
Lord
Canterville:
A respectable descendent of
the Canterville family, that was the owner
of the Canterville Chase.
“He is an English men of
the most pounctilious honour.”
 Mrs.Umney:
the old house-keeper of
Canterville Chase is very terrified by the
ghost and tries to warn the family.
Gipsies,
Rev. Augustus Dampier:
there isn’t a description
because they are only nominated.
By Sarah and Cindy, Ilaria and Francesca
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