The Scarlet Pimpernel characters

First appears in chapter 5

A celebrated French actress and social figure who married the wealthy English baronet Sir Percy Blakeney. Brilliant, beautiful, and accustomed to commanding a room, she is troubled by the coldness that has entered her marriage. Her brother Armand remains the person whose devotion she trusts without reservation.

First appears in chapter 5

A fabulously wealthy English baronet known for elaborate clothes, lazy manners, and apparently limited intelligence. Percy allows fashionable society to treat him as an amusing fool. His marriage to Marguerite is outwardly glamorous but privately estranged, and he hides his deeper feelings behind polished inattention.

Appears from the start

An elusive Englishman who organizes daring escapes for French aristocrats threatened by the revolutionary government. His identity is unknown, and he signs brief communications with the image of a small red flower. French officials regard his successful deceptions as a dangerous humiliation.

First appears in chapter 8

An agent of the French revolutionary government sent to England to identify and capture the Scarlet Pimpernel. Chauvelin is controlled, observant, and relentless. He knows Marguerite from France and approaches her with formal courtesy while searching for leverage over her.

First appears in chapter 7

Marguerite's beloved older brother, a French republican whose humane principles place him at odds with the Revolution's violence. Armand returns to France despite the danger. His safety matters to Marguerite more than her reputation or political loyalties.

First appears in chapter 2

A young English gentleman and member of the secret league that aids the Scarlet Pimpernel. Sir Andrew is courageous, discreet, and accustomed to obeying the unnamed leader's instructions. He falls in love with Suzanne de Tournay after helping her family reach England.

First appears in chapter 2

An English aristocrat and member of the Scarlet Pimpernel's league. Lord Antony helps escort French fugitives to safety and treats the danger with the confidence of a man protected by wealth, rank, and careful planning.

First appears in chapter 3

A French noblewoman rescued from the Revolution with her children. The Comtesse is grateful to the Englishmen who saved her, but she regards Marguerite with hostility because of events in France that led an aristocratic family to the guillotine.

First appears in chapter 3

The Comtesse de Tournay's young daughter, newly safe in England after escaping France. Suzanne is warm, open, and less bound than her mother by old resentments. She and Sir Andrew Ffoulkes quickly become attached to one another.

First appears in chapter 2

The landlord of the Fisherman's Rest at Dover. Mr Jellyband is hospitable, patriotic, and fond of political discussion, though the international plots passing through his inn are more dangerous than he realizes.

First appears in chapter 6

The Comtesse's husband, who remains connected to the peril facing aristocrats in France while his wife and children take refuge in England. His family's safety is one of the concerns surrounding the Pimpernel's continuing work.

First appears in chapter 10

The Prince of Wales and a leader of fashionable English society. He admires Marguerite, welcomes the rescued French family, and treats Percy as an entertaining fixture of his circle, unaware of the full danger developing around them.