Quick Classics Collection: Gothic characters

Appears from the start

A young English solicitor sent to Transylvania to complete Count Dracula's purchase of property in England. Courteous and methodical, he records mounting evidence that his host's castle is a prison and that the count is not human.

Appears from the start

A Transylvanian nobleman preparing to move to England. He initially receives Jonathan as an attentive but unsettling host; his strange habits, command of the castle, and interest in blood soon make him the central threat.

Also known as Mina Harker

Appears from the start

Jonathan Harker's resourceful fiancée, later his wife. She keeps careful records, supports her friend Lucy through a mysterious illness, and becomes an essential organizer among the people investigating Dracula.

Appears from the start

Mina's affectionate friend, a young woman whose sleepwalking and unexplained loss of blood alarm her household and bring several determined protectors to her side.

Also known as Professor Van Helsing

Appears from the start

A learned Dutch doctor summoned by his former student John Seward when Lucy's illness defeats ordinary medicine. He recognizes a supernatural pattern and guides the group opposing Dracula.

Also known as Mr. Utterson

First appears in chapter 2

A reserved London lawyer and longtime friend of Dr. Henry Jekyll. Troubled by Jekyll's unusual will and by reports about Edward Hyde, he investigates while trying to protect his friend's reputation.

First appears in chapter 2

A respected physician and experimental scientist whose close friends are disturbed by his seclusion and his association with Hyde. He insists that he can end that connection whenever he chooses.

Also known as Mr. Hyde

First appears in chapter 2

A violent, repellent man granted extraordinary access to Jekyll's home and fortune. Witnesses struggle to say exactly what is wrong with his appearance, but respond to him with immediate fear and disgust.

First appears in chapter 2

A conventional physician and former friend of Jekyll whose disagreement with Jekyll's experiments has ended their professional intimacy. Utterson turns to him for insight when Jekyll's behavior becomes more alarming.

First appears in chapter 3

An inexperienced young governess hired to care for two orphaned children at the remote country house of Bly. Eager to prove herself and fascinated by her charges, she becomes convinced that hostile presences are watching them.

First appears in chapter 3

The younger of the two children at Bly, initially presented as affectionate, graceful, and apparently innocent. Her governess watches her closely after strange events disturb the household.

First appears in chapter 3

Flora's charming older brother, unexpectedly sent home from school after being dismissed for reasons the headmaster will not explain. His maturity and secrecy unsettle the governess even as she admires him.

First appears in chapter 3

The practical housekeeper at Bly, warm toward the children and helpful to their new governess. She supplies troubling information about former employees when the governess describes the figures she has seen.

First appears in chapter 3

A deceased former valet at Bly, identified by Mrs. Grose from the governess's description of an unknown man seen around the house. His past influence over Miles becomes central to her fears.

First appears in chapter 3

The children's previous governess, now dead, whom the new governess believes she sees near Bly. Mrs. Grose associates her with Peter Quint and with an unhappy period in the household's recent past.