The Two Noble Kinsmen Character Analysis

Arcite

Arcite is a Theban soldier and nobleman. He is Palamon’s cousin and close friend. Arcite’s most notable characteristics are his noble conduct and commitment to chivalry, but he’s also clever and calculating. For example… read analysis of Arcite

Palamon

Palamon is a Theban soldier, nobleman, and Arcite’s cousin and close friend. He complements Arcite’s cleverness and warrior ethos with his more emotional, intense personality. For example, Palamon’s love for Emilia immediately becomes irrational… read analysis of Palamon

Emilia

Emilia is Hippolyta’s younger sister and Theseus’s sister-in-law. Before Arcite and Palamon arrive in Athens, Emilia has little interest in men or marriage and spends her days admiring flowers. Moreover, there are… read analysis of Emilia

Theseus

Theseus is the Duke of Athens and Hippolyta’s husband. He is close friends with Pirithous, with whom he has endured many battles and hardships. Above all, Theseus is a principled, brave, and noble… read analysis of Theseus

Hippolyta

Hippolyta is the Queen of the Amazons who becomes the Duchess of Athens after marrying Theseus. Like her younger sister Emilia, Hippolyta is compassionate and merciful. She joins Emilia in convincing Theseus to… read analysis of Hippolyta

Pirithous

Pirithous is Theseus’s close friend. The men have developed a profoundly meaningful relationship due to the many battles and other hardships they’ve endured together. According to Hippolyta, the friends are so close that… read analysis of Pirithous

The Jailer’s Daughter

The Jailer’s Daughter is an impressionable young woman who helps her father, the Jailer, operate the jail where Theseus imprisons Arcite and Palamon. After Theseus frees Arcite, the Jailer’s Daughter continues tending to… read analysis of The Jailer’s Daughter

The Jailer

The Jailer operates the prison in Athens where Theseus imprisons Arcite and Palamon. He is a just, sympathetic man who treats his prisoners with respect. Although the Jailer isn’t wealthy, he works hard to… read analysis of The Jailer

The Wooer

The Wooer was the Jailer’s Daughter’s suitor before she fell in love with Palamon. Even though the Wooer belongs to a lower social class than noblemen like Arcite and Palamon, he behaves nobly… read analysis of The Wooer

Flavina

In a conversation with Hippolyta, Emilia recalls her loving relationship with Flavina, a close friend who died when both girls were 11 years old. Emilia recalls how she and Flavina would copy each other… read analysis of Flavina

The Prologue

The Prologue is an actor (who does not appear elsewhere in the play) who greets the audience before Act 1. He informs the audience that the play they are about to witness is based on… read analysis of The Prologue

Three Queens

The Three Queens (referred to only as First Queen, Second Queen, and Third Queen) are the wives of kings killed by the treacherous Creon, King of Thebes. When Creon doesn’t allow the queens to… read analysis of Three Queens

Creon

Creon is the corrupt King of Thebes and Arcite and Palamon’s uncle. He doesn’t appear in the play outside of other characters’ references to him. In Act 1, Theseus honors the request of Three… read analysis of Creon

Woman

When Arcite and Palamon look out their prison cell window and see Emilia for the first time, she is walking through a nearby garden, accompanied by an unnamed woman (a servant). Oblivious to her admirers… read analysis of Woman

The Countryfolk

The Countryfolk are a group of countrymen and countrywomen the Schoolmaster assembles to perform a traditional Morris dance for Theseus during the May Day festivities. After the Countryfolk perform their dance for Theseus and his… read analysis of The Countryfolk

The Doctor

The Doctor assesses the Jailer’s Daughter’s condition after her unrequited love for Palamon drives her to madness. To cure the daughter’s madness, the Doctor proposes that the Wooer disguise himself as Palamon and do… read analysis of The Doctor

Minor Characters

The Epilogue

The Epilogue is an actor who greets the audience after the final scene of Act 5. He is displeased when the audience appears not to have enjoyed the performance but predicts that they’ll return to the theater to see future productions of different plays.

The Schoolmaster

The Schoolmaster leads the Countryfolk in performing a traditional Morris dance for Theseus during the May Day festivities. However, he becomes frustrated when the dancers’ inattention and ineptitude threaten the success of his performance. He dramatically and wordily laments their failure to realize his artistic vision.

Knights

Palamon and Arcite return to Athens accompanied by knights who will fight by their sides in the contest Theseus has arranged to determine who will wed Emilia. The knights adhere to a chivalric code and feel a duty to defend their lords’ honor—even if they must die trying.

The Jailer’s Brother

After the Wooer finds and rescues the Jailer’s Daughter, he keeps her with her uncle, the Jailer’s Brother, until he can inform the Jailer of the daughter’s maddened state.

Artesius

Artesius is a soldier in Theseus’s court who attends Theseus and Hippolyta’s wedding. Theseus initially orders Artesius to go to Thebes to lead the fight against Creon, but Emilia, Hippolyta, and the Three Queens eventually persuade Theseus to go himself.

Valerius

Valerius is a Theban who informs Arcite and Palamon of the approaching Athenian army.