Famous Characters in World Literature
Essential character profiles for UPSC, SSC, and literature students.
Adam
In the Bible, the first man created by God; also prominent in John Milton's epic poem 'Paradise Lost'.
Aladdin
A well-known character in 'The Arabian Nights', who discovers a magic lamp containing a wish-granting genie.
Alice
The curious young heroine of Lewis Carroll's 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' and 'Through the Looking-Glass'.
Anna Karenina
The tragic heroine of Leo Tolstoy's masterpiece novel of the same name, exploring aristocratic Russian society and romance.
Antonio
The generous Venetian merchant in Shakespeare's 'The Merchant of Venice' who pledges a pound of flesh to Shylock.
Ariel
In Shakespeare's 'The Tempest', an airy, magical spirit controlled by Prospero who yearns for his freedom.
Bassanio
A loyal noble friend of Antonio in Shakespeare's 'The Merchant of Venice', who courts Portia.
Beatrix Esmond
The proud, beautiful heroine in William Makepeace Thackeray's historical novel 'Henry Esmond'.
Beatrice
The sharp-witted heroine of Shakespeare's 'Much Ado About Nothing', famous for her delightful battle of wits with Benedick.
Brutus (Marcus)
The historic Roman senator in Shakespeare's 'Julius Caesar', torn between loyalty and patriotic duty to the Republic.
Captain Ahab
The monomaniacal sea captain in Herman Melville's 'Moby-Dick', relentlessly pursuing the great white whale.
Christian
The allegorical pilgrim hero in John Bunyan's Christian classic 'The Pilgrim's Progress' journeying to the Celestial City.
Clare (Angel)
The idealistic young clergyman's son and lover of Tess in Thomas Hardy's novel 'Tess of the d'Urbervilles'.
Cleopatra
The legendary Queen of Egypt dramatized by Shakespeare in 'Antony and Cleopatra' and George Bernard Shaw in 'Caesar and Cleopatra'.
Cordelia
The faithful, selfless youngest daughter of King Lear in Shakespeare's tragedy 'King Lear'.
Desdemona
The noble, virtuous Venetian lady and devoted wife of Othello in Shakespeare's tragedy 'Othello'.
Don Juan
The legendary, charming libertine and seducer of women dramatized in Molière's plays and Lord Byron's epic poem.
Don Quixote
The chivalric, idealistic Spanish nobleman in Miguel de Cervantes' novel who famously tilts at windmills mistaking them for giants.
Dushyanta
The noble King of Hastinapura, husband of Shakuntala and hero of Kalidasa's ancient Sanskrit classic 'Abhijnanasakuntalam'.
Ebenezer Scrooge
The cold-hearted, miserly protagonist of Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol' who is transformed by three Christmas ghosts.
Emma Woodhouse
Jane Austen's clever, privileged, and matchmaking heroine in the beloved 1815 novel 'Emma'.
Falstaff (Sir John)
Shakespeare's boastful, comedic, wine-loving knight appearing in 'Henry IV' and 'The Merry Wives of Windsor'.
Faust
The scholar who trades his soul to the devil Mephistopheles for infinite knowledge and worldly pleasure in Goethe and Marlowe's works.
Frankenstein (Victor)
Mary Shelley's ambitious scientist who animates a creature crafted from deceased human tissue.
Gulliver (Lemuel)
The intrepid surgeon and traveler in Jonathan Swift's satire 'Gulliver's Travels', visiting Lilliput and Brobdingnag.
Hamlet
The contemplative Prince of Denmark in Shakespeare's tragedy seeking vengeance for his father's murder.
Heathcliff
The brooding, passionate, and vengeful antihero of Emily Brontë's gothic masterpiece 'Wuthering Heights'.
Huckleberry Finn
Mark Twain's spirited runaway boy floating down the Mississippi River with Jim in 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'.
Iago
Shakespeare's sinister and manipulative ensign in 'Othello', embodying cold villainy and psychological deceit.
Jane Eyre
Charlotte Brontë's courageous, principled orphan heroine who finds love and self-respect at Thornfield Hall.
Lady Macbeth
Macbeth's fiercely ambitious wife in Shakespeare's tragedy, who goads him into regicide and is driven mad by guilt.
Mephistopheles
The cunning demon in the Faust legend who bargains for Faust's eternal soul.
Oliver Twist
Charles Dickens' innocent orphan boy in London's underworld who famously asked, 'Please, sir, I want some more.'
Othello
The valiant Moorish general in Venice whose tragic downfall is orchestrated by Iago's jealous deceptions.
Pip (Philip Pirrip)
The ambitious orphan protagonist of Charles Dickens' 'Great Expectations' whose fortune is provided by an unknown benefactor.
Portia
The brilliant, eloquent heiress in Shakespeare's 'The Merchant of Venice' who disguises herself as a lawyer to save Antonio's life.
Prospero
The exiled Duke of Milan and master magician on the enchanted island in Shakespeare's 'The Tempest'.
Robinson Crusoe
Daniel Defoe's castaway sailor who survives twenty-eight years on a remote desert island.
Romeo & Juliet
Shakespeare's immortal 'star-crossed lovers' whose forbidden romance unites their warring Veronese families in death.
Sancho Panza
Don Quixote's pragmatic peasant squire who rides a donkey and offers comic, sensible proverbs to his master.
Shakuntala
The gentle hermitage maiden and daughter of sage Vishvamitra in Kalidasa's Sanskrit drama 'Abhijnanasakuntalam'.
Sherlock Holmes
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's brilliant consulting detective residing at 221B Baker Street, renowned for forensic logic.
Shylock
Shakespeare's complex Venetian moneylender in 'The Merchant of Venice' who demands a legal bond of a pound of flesh.
Tarzan
Edgar Rice Burroughs' jungle hero raised by great apes in equatorial Africa, born Lord Greystoke.
Tess Durbeyfield
Thomas Hardy's tragic, pure heroine in 'Tess of the d'Urbervilles' victimized by social hypocrisy.