The Vicar of Wakefield Character Analysis

Dr. Charles Primrose

Dr. Charles Primrose is the novel’s protagonist. He is a country vicar, husband, and father of six. Deeply kindhearted, he is nevertheless guilty of excessive pride, often sabotaging his family through his inflexible morals… read analysis of Dr. Charles Primrose

Mr. Burchell (Sir William Thornhill)

Mr. Burchell is a charitable and seemingly destitute stranger whom the Primroses meet on their way to Squire Thornhill’s lands. After Burchell is unable to pay his bill at the inn because he gave… read analysis of Mr. Burchell (Sir William Thornhill)

Squire Thornhill

Squire Thornhill is the villain of The Vicar of Wakefield. A frivolous, disengaged landlord, the Squire leaves all the administration of his land to his steward, preferring to hunt or spend time in… read analysis of Squire Thornhill

George

George is the Primrose family’s eldest son. George is a serious, honorable man with scholarly inclinations. Engaged at the start of the novel to Miss Arabella Wilmot, the engagement falls through after Dr. Primrose… read analysis of George

Olivia

Olivia is the older of the two Primrose daughters. Known for her beauty, Olivia is the more carefree and adventurous of the two, constantly seeking to please the people around her. She is musically talented… read analysis of Olivia

Sophia

Sophia is the younger of the two Primrose daughters. Renowned for her beauty like her sister, Olivia, Sophia is the quieter and more serious of the two. Like Olivia, Sophia is musically gifted, and… read analysis of Sophia

Mrs. Deborah Primrose

Mrs. Primrose is the wife of Dr. Primrose and the mother of George, Moses, Olivia, Sophia, Dick, and Bill. A steady, dependable woman, Mrs. Primrose holds together the worldly… read analysis of Mrs. Deborah Primrose

Ephraim Jenkinson (A Distinguished Old Man)

Ephraim Jenkinson is a gifted criminal. He’s a smooth talker who is very skilled in the art of disguise. With the help of his footman Abraham, Jenkinson convinces Moses to spend the money Moses… read analysis of Ephraim Jenkinson (A Distinguished Old Man)

Miss Arabella Wilmot

Miss Arabella Wilmot is the daughter of Mr. Wilmot. She is known for her kindness and moral goodness. At the beginning of the novel, she is George’s fiancée, but Mr. Wilmot breaks off the… read analysis of Miss Arabella Wilmot

Moses

Moses is the Primroses’ second son. A steady, dependable personality, Dr. Primrose envisions a future in business for Moses. However, Moses’s business skills prove less than exceptional—Jenkinson swiftly cheats Moses out of the money… read analysis of Moses

Dick

Dick is the one of the Primroses’ two younger sons. The more talkative of the two, Dick illustrates Dr. Primrose’s moral lectures with fables, telling the story of the giant and the dwarf to accompany… read analysis of Dick

Mr. Wilmot

Mr. Wilmot is the wealthy father of Miss Arabella Wilmot, George’s fiancée and eventual wife. Mr. Wilmot initially breaks off his daughter’s engagement to George after learning that the Primrose family has lost… read analysis of Mr. Wilmot

The Town Ladies (Lady Blarney and Miss Carolina Wilelmina Amelia Skeggs)

The town ladies, Lady Blarney and Miss Carolina Wilelmina Amelia Skeggs, are two women of extremely distinguished appearance who come to stay with Squire Thornhill, supposedly visiting from London. The Primroses, ignorant of city… read analysis of The Town Ladies (Lady Blarney and Miss Carolina Wilelmina Amelia Skeggs)

The Butler (The Well-Dressed Gentleman)

The disguised butler is Mr. Arnold’s servant who presents himself to Dr. Primrose as the master of the house. After meeting Dr. Primrose in a tavern, the disguised butler insists that Dr. Primrose accompany him… read analysis of The Butler (The Well-Dressed Gentleman)

Flamborough

Flamborough is the Primroses’ neighbor. A simple, kindhearted farmer, Flamborough and his family initially provoke contempt in the Primroses, who do everything they can to one up him, such as commissioning the limner to paint… read analysis of Flamborough

Farmer Williams

Farmer Williams is a simple, kindhearted farmer who is in love with Olivia. Mrs. Primrose uses him to goad the Squire into making a proposal, hoping that the fear of competition will force the… read analysis of Farmer Williams

Timothy Baxter

Timothy Baxter is a very tall, long-legged criminal with red hair and a distinctive scar over his eyebrow. He is also, according to Jenkinson, the fastest runner in England, able to outpace even Mr.… read analysis of Timothy Baxter

The Primroses’ Cousin

The Primrose’s cousin in London is an unnamed, equally impoverished relative to whom George goes in search of work. The cousin, however, is unable to help George find work in a school and suggests instead… read analysis of The Primroses’ Cousin

The Young Aristocrat

The young aristocrat is George’s tutee in Paris. He’s a young British gentleman who is known for his extreme stinginess. The aristocrat attempts to spend as little money as possible on their trip, and… read analysis of The Young Aristocrat

The Prisoners

The prisoners inhabit the gaol where Dr. Primrose is imprisoned for his debts. While Dr. Primrose finds the prisoners’ morals lacking, his preaching successfully reforms them. As they listen to his sermons, they submit to… read analysis of The Prisoners

The Officers of Justice

The officers of justice are sent to take Dr. Primrose to the gaol for his debts. Though they exercise their immoral duty without question, they are kind to Dr. Primrose in his weak state and… read analysis of The Officers of Justice

Minor Characters

Bill

Bill is the one of the Primroses’ two younger sons. A gifted singer, Bill learns to sing country songs from farmer Williams while Williams is courting Olivia. Bill almost exclusively appears alongside his brother Dick. Like Dick, Bill is very attached to Mr. Burchell, who frequently brings him gifts.

The Gaoler

The gaoler is the warden of the gaol where Dr. Primrose is imprisoned for his debts. Despite his office, the gaoler is noted for the kindness he shows Dr. Primrose, such as allowing Dick and Bill to sleep in the cell too or facilitating George’s daily visits.

The Parishioners

The parishioners are the members of Dr. Primrose’s congregation on Squire Thornhill’s land. They are honest peasants with a simple country lifestyle. Already opposed to the Squire for his careless, hedonistic lifestyle, they attempt to prevent Dr. Primrose’s arrest but desist when he chastises them for challenging the law.

The Squire’s Chaplain

The Squire’s chaplain is Squire Thornhill’s personal priest, and a frequent member of his hunting party. The chaplain is sent by the Squire to give the Primrose family venison, and to invite them to dine with the Squire.

The Squire’s Steward

The Squire’s Steward handles the daily business of the Thornhill estate, demanding the rent from all of the Squire’s tenants. When the Primroses are unable to pay, the steward seizes their cattle as collateral.

The Fortune-Teller

The fortune-teller is a travelling seer who, for a fee, predicts that in under a year Olivia will marry the Squire and that Sophia will marry another lord soon after. While Dr. Primrose ridicules this prediction, it ultimately comes true, albeit in a very unexpected way.

Dr. Primrose’s Old Colleague

Dr. Primrose’s old colleague is a fellow man of the church whom Dr. Primrose meets while trying to sell his horse, Blackberry.

The Actor

The actor is a member of same the theater company as George. He encounters Dr. Primrose on the road. The men bond over their dislike of Elizabethan theater and go to a tavern together.

The Manager of the Theater Company

The manager is the leader of the theater company in which George plays the role of Horatio.

Mr. Arnold

Mr. Arnold is Miss Wilmot’s uncle, and the real master of the house that the disguised butler claims to own.

Abraham, the Footman

Abraham is the disguised Jenkinson’s footman. He helps Jenkinson cheat Flamborough, Moses, and Dr. Primrose out of their money.

The Philanthropic Bookseller

The philanthropic bookseller, a reference to the real 18th-century publisher and friend of Goldsmith’s John Newbery, gives Dr. Primrose the money to pay his bill at the inn. There, he laments his unsuccessful pursuit of Olivia. He previously published Dr. Primrose’s tracts arguing for monogamy.