Sir Philip Gardiner Character Analysis

Sir Philip Gardiner, the novel’s antagonist, arrives in Boston from England at the same time that Everell does, accompanied by Roslin. He dresses like a sober Puritan, albeit a refined and dapper one. However, he is actually a Catholic; he came to New England in search of better fortunes, initially affiliated with Thomas Morton. Upon Sir Philip’s arrival in town, Everell invites him to the Winthrops’ house. Sir Philip quickly falls for Hope Leslie, and securing her becomes his new obsession. Sir Philip flirts with Hope in a more forward manner than she is accustomed to, but she puts up with his gallantry in an effort to put Everell and Esther together—leading Sir Philip to mistake Hope’s tolerance of him for genuine affection. Sir Philip has a capacity for pity, but it doesn’t override his selfish, two-faced character, as shown by the way he alternates between tolerating and abusing Rosa. When his declaration of love to Hope is not reciprocated, Sir Philip tries to secure her gratitude by having Faith kidnapped, and he tries to curry favor with Governor Winthrop by seeking to secure Magawisca’s political secrets. However, his two-facedness is revealed to the public during Magawisca’s trial. Undeterred, he attempts to kidnap Hope and take her back to England, but he ends up being killed when Rosa blows up Chaddock’s ship.