Vanity Fair [Tantor] characters

Also known as Becky Sharp

Appears from the start

An intelligent, accomplished young woman leaving Miss Pinkerton's academy with no fortune or protective family. She understands that charm, observation, and performance are her means of advancement and is determined not to remain in a dependent position.

Also known as Emmy Sedley

Appears from the start

Becky's gentle, affectionate friend and fellow pupil at Miss Pinkerton's. The daughter of a prosperous London merchant, Amelia returns to a loving household and expects to marry George Osborne, whom she has idealized since childhood.

Also known as Barbara Pinkerton

Appears from the start

The imposing proprietor of the academy attended by Amelia and Becky. She values social position, propriety, and wealthy pupils, and sends the two young women into the world with markedly different degrees of warmth.

Also known as Jos Sedley

First appears in chapter 3

Amelia's vain, wealthy older brother, recently returned from service in India. Becky identifies him as a possible husband and flatters his stories, appetite, and self-importance while he vacillates between infatuation and social caution.

First appears in chapter 5

Amelia's handsome, fashionable fiancé, the son of a wealthy merchant. He accepts Amelia's devotion as his due and is far more attentive to pleasure, appearance, and his father's expectations than to the depth of her loyalty.

Also known as Dobbin

First appears in chapter 5

George Osborne's awkward, honest fellow officer and closest friend. He has loved Amelia quietly for years, but protects George's place in her affections and repeatedly works for her happiness without expecting recognition.

First appears in chapter 7

An elderly baronet whose crude manners contrast with his concern for rank and property. He hires Becky as governess at Queen's Crawley, where her competence and flattery quickly make her useful throughout his contentious family.

Also known as Captain Crawley

First appears in chapter 10

Sir Pitt's younger son, a cavalry officer with debts, appetites, and easy manners. He is the favorite nephew of his wealthy aunt and becomes fascinated by Becky while visiting Queen's Crawley.

Also known as Matilda Crawley

First appears in chapter 10

Sir Pitt's rich, unmarried half sister, whose fortune makes her the focus of family attention. Clever, imperious, and amused by social irreverence, she takes a liking to Becky and expects her relatives to compete for favor.

First appears in chapter 11

The wife of Sir Pitt's elder son, Reverend Bute Crawley. Practical and combative, she manages her household and campaigns energetically to keep the wealthy Miss Crawley's inheritance away from rival branches of the family.

Also known as John Osborne

First appears in chapter 18

George's wealthy father, a businessman who considers family obedience and commercial standing inseparable. He approves Amelia while the Sedleys prosper but treats affection as subordinate to money, reputation, and his authority.

First appears in chapter 35

Sir Pitt's kind younger wife, formerly Lady Jane Sheepshanks. She treats Rawdon and Becky with generosity and offers their household practical support without sharing the Crawley family's appetite for intrigue.

Also known as Georgy

First appears in chapter 35

Amelia and George Osborne's son, born after his father's death and adored by his mother. His resemblance to George deepens Amelia's attachment to the past, while his grandfather sees in him a chance to continue the Osborne name.

First appears in chapter 35

The young son of Becky and Rawdon Crawley. He is largely left to servants while his parents pursue money and society, though his father shows him a tenderness absent from Rawdon's other relationships.

First appears in chapter 36

A powerful and disreputable aristocrat who presides over an exclusive social world in London. He becomes Becky's patron, using wealth and influence to advance her while making the nature and cost of that favor increasingly dangerous.