Sense and Sensibility characters

Appears from the start

The eldest Dashwood daughter, nineteen years old, whose sound judgment and self-command help hold her family together after her father's death. She feels deeply but habitually protects others by governing what she shows.

Appears from the start

Elinor's sixteen-year-old sister, ardent in her tastes and convinced that genuine feeling should be expressed without restraint. She loves music, poetry, and dramatic landscapes, and initially regards reserve as a failure of sincerity.

Appears from the start

The widowed mother of Elinor, Marianne, and Margaret. Generous, affectionate, and inclined to share Marianne's romantic confidence, she must establish a new home for her daughters on a sharply reduced income.

Appears from the start

The Dashwood sisters' wealthy half-brother, who inherits Norland. Though he promised his dying father to assist his stepmother and sisters, his weak conscience is readily overruled by his wife.

Appears from the start

John Dashwood's calculating wife and Edward Ferrars's sister. Possessive of wealth and status, she persuades John that he owes his stepfamily almost no material help and opposes any attachment between Edward and Elinor.

First appears in chapter 3

Fanny Dashwood's reserved elder brother. Intelligent, modest, and uncomfortable with his family's ambitions for him, he forms a quiet attachment to Elinor during the Dashwoods' final months at Norland.

First appears in chapter 6

Mrs Dashwood's generous cousin, who offers her family Barton Cottage on his Devonshire estate. Hospitable and energetic, he delights in company, matchmaking, and teasing his guests.

First appears in chapter 7

Lady Middleton's cheerful, talkative mother. She takes a vigorous interest in the romantic prospects of every unmarried person around her, embarrassing the Dashwood sisters but repeatedly extending them genuine kindness.

First appears in chapter 7

Sir John Middleton's grave friend, an unmarried man in his mid-thirties. He listens attentively to Marianne's music and quietly admires her, though she considers him too old and subdued to inspire romance.

First appears in chapter 9

A handsome, lively young man who carries Marianne home after she injures her ankle. His enthusiasm for her favorite books, music, and opinions creates an immediate intimacy between them.

First appears in chapter 21

A socially eager young woman met through the Middletons. Her limited education, excessive familiarity, and interest in Elinor's opinions initially make her a tiring companion.

First appears in chapter 21

Lucy's older sister, even more talkative and less discreet. She is eager to enter fashionable society and repeatedly exposes private matters through careless hints.

First appears in chapter 33

Edward's fashionable younger brother, pleased with his own taste and manners. He values status, clothes, and expensive objects, and is the son his mother finds easiest to indulge.

First appears in chapter 34

The wealthy, domineering mother of Edward, Robert, and Fanny. She intends to control her sons through inheritance and expects Edward to make a prestigious marriage.