Oscar Wilde's The Canterville Ghost characters

Appears from the start

An American diplomat who buys Canterville Chase and moves his family into it despite being plainly warned that the house is haunted. Practical, confident, and resistant to old-world superstition, he treats each supernatural disturbance as an ordinary household problem to be solved.

Also known as Lucretia Otis

Appears from the start

Mr Otis's wife, a handsome and capable New York woman who takes charge of Canterville Chase as her family's new home. She shares her husband's composure when confronted with the house's alarming reputation.

Appears from the start

The Otises' eldest son, named after George Washington. Energetic and thoroughly practical, he removes the ancient bloodstain in the library with a commercial cleaner and refuses to accept that it cannot be permanently erased.

Appears from the start

The Otises' fifteen-year-old daughter, a gentle and accomplished rider. Unlike the rest of her family, she responds to Canterville Chase and its history with sympathy rather than mockery.

Also known as The Stars and Stripes

Appears from the start

The two young Otis boys, commonly treated as an inseparable pair. Noisy, inventive, and delighted by the prospect of a resident ghost, they turn the haunting into a campaign of practical jokes.

Appears from the start

The elderly housekeeper at Canterville Chase. She explains that the dark mark in the library is the blood of Lady Eleanore de Canterville and is distressed when Washington promptly cleans it away.

Also known as The Canterville Ghost

First appears in chapter 2

The restless spirit of Sir Simon de Canterville, who has haunted the house for centuries and takes pride in the terror caused by his many disguises. He expects his chains, groans, and spectral appearances to frighten the new owners, but finds the Otis family disconcertingly unimpressed.

Also known as Cecil

First appears in chapter 3

The young Duke of Cheshire, an admirer of Virginia who visits Canterville Chase. He is devoted to her and tries to remain close to her despite being repeatedly sent away by his guardians.