# Doctor Manette — A Tale of Two Cities character guide > Doctor Manette in A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Manette, Dear Doctor Manette, the Doctor, the shoemaker, Alexandre Manette, Monsieur Manette, the Doctor of Beauvais **First appearance:** 0008-vi-the-shoemaker ## Snapshot A physician broken by eighteen years in the Bastille, slowly rebuilt by his daughter's love, yet never fully free of his past. ## Who they are Manette was 'recalled to life' from the Bastille, a shoemaker by compulsion whose mind still retreats to his prison bench in moments of stress. Restored to energy and purpose in London, he becomes a respected physician and a devoted father, but his old suffering leaves him fitful and fragile beneath the surface. When Darnay returns to revolutionary France, Manette's influence and his buried history with the Evrémondes become the pivot on which the family's survival turns. ## Relationships ### [Lucie Manette](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tale_of_two_cities_se/characters/lucie_manette) _family_ Doctor Manette is Lucie's father, and their bond is one of deep love, healing, and mutual devotion after his release from prison. ### [Charles Darnay](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tale_of_two_cities_se/characters/charles_darnay) _family_ Darnay becomes Doctor Manette's son-in-law, and despite initial tension over his family history, they develop a respectful bond. ### [Madame Defarge](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tale_of_two_cities_se/characters/madame_defarge) _rivalry_ Madame Defarge holds a deep grudge against Doctor Manette for his past imprisonment and his connection to the Evrémonde family. ### [Sydney Carton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tale_of_two_cities_se/characters/sydney_carton) _friendship_ Doctor Manette grows to trust and appreciate Carton, who ultimately sacrifices his life to save Darnay, the doctor's son-in-law. ### [Madame Defarge](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tale_of_two_cities_se/characters/madame_defarge) _rivalry_ Madame Defarge holds a deep grudge against Doctor Manette for his past imprisonment and his connection to the Evrémonde family. ### [Charles Darnay](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tale_of_two_cities_se/characters/charles_darnay) _family_ Darnay becomes Doctor Manette's son-in-law, and despite initial tension over his family history, they develop a respectful bond. ### [Charles Darnay](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tale_of_two_cities_se/characters/charles_darnay) _family_ Darnay becomes Doctor Manette's son-in-law, and despite initial tension over his family history, they develop a respectful bond. ### [Sydney Carton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tale_of_two_cities_se/characters/sydney_carton) _friendship_ Doctor Manette grows to trust and appreciate Carton, who ultimately sacrifices his life to save Darnay, the doctor's son-in-law. ### [Lucie Manette](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tale_of_two_cities_se/characters/lucie_manette) _family_ Doctor Manette is Lucie's father, and their bond is one of deep love, healing, and mutual devotion after his release from prison. ### [Lucie Manette](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tale_of_two_cities_se/characters/lucie_manette) _family_ Doctor Manette is Lucie's father, and their bond is one of deep love, healing, and mutual devotion after his release from prison. ### [Madame Defarge](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tale_of_two_cities_se/characters/madame_defarge) _rivalry_ Madame Defarge holds a deep grudge against Doctor Manette for his past imprisonment and his connection to the Evrémonde family. ### [Sydney Carton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tale_of_two_cities_se/characters/sydney_carton) _friendship_ Doctor Manette grows to trust and appreciate Carton, who ultimately sacrifices his life to save Darnay, the doctor's son-in-law. ## In the story ### [Book the First: Recalled to Life](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tale_of_two_cities_se/chapters/book-the-first-recalled-to-life) Found in Defarge's garret after eighteen years of imprisonment, in a deteriorated mental state, compulsively making shoes. ### [The Wine-Shop](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tale_of_two_cities_se/chapters/v-the-wine-shop) The unseen occupant of the locked garret, who has been imprisoned for so long that opening the door would cause him to rave or harm himself. ### [The Shoemaker](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tale_of_two_cities_se/chapters/vi-the-shoemaker) Discovered in a state of extreme isolation and mental deterioration, working as a shoemaker in Defarge's garret; slowly recognizes his daughter through her golden hair. ### [Book the Second: The Golden Thread](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tale_of_two_cities_se/chapters/book-the-second-the-golden-thread) Attends the trial; his past imprisonment is referenced. ### [A Sight](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tale_of_two_cities_se/chapters/ii-a-sight) Present as a witness for the prosecution, with strikingly white hair and an intense, pondering expression that softens when he speaks to his daughter. ### [IV: Congratulatory](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tale_of_two_cities_se/chapters/iv-congratulatory) Appears recovered but shows signs of his past trauma, especially a strange look of distrust toward Darnay. ### [Hundreds of People](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tale_of_two_cities_se/chapters/vi-hundreds-of-people) Appears in good spirits but is deeply disturbed by Darnay's story of a dungeon inscription, reacting with sudden distress. ### [X: Two Promises](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tale_of_two_cities_se/chapters/x-two-promises) Grants Darnay's request for a promise, but insists on delaying Darnay's revelation of his identity; shows signs of inner struggle and returns to shoemaking after the conversation. ### [The Fellow of Delicacy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tale_of_two_cities_se/chapters/xii-the-fellow-of-delicacy) Mentioned as the father of Lucie, whose feelings Mr. Lorry considers. ### [The Fellow of No Delicacy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tale_of_two_cities_se/chapters/xiii-the-fellow-of-no-delicacy) Mentioned as the head of the household where Carton often visits but never shines. ### [One Night](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tale_of_two_cities_se/chapters/xvii-one-night) Reflects on his imprisonment, his past visions of a daughter, and the happiness Lucie has brought him; blesses her and reassures her of his joy. ### [Nine Days](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tale_of_two_cities_se/chapters/xviii-nine-days) After the wedding, relapses into his shoemaking obsession, becoming unresponsive and working tirelessly for nine days. ### [An Opinion](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tale_of_two_cities_se/chapters/xix-an-opinion) Recovered from his relapse, he provides an opinion on his own case and reluctantly sanctions the destruction of his old workbench. ### [Echoing Footsteps](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tale_of_two_cities_se/chapters/xxi-echoing-footsteps) Doctor Manette's firm and equal step is among the echoes; he remains active and self-possessed in the household. ### [Drawn to the Loadstone Rock](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tale_of_two_cities_se/chapters/xxiv-drawn-to-the-loadstone-rock) Darnay writes to him, entrusting Lucie and their child to his care; the Doctor is kept ignorant of the plan until after Darnay leaves. ### [Book the Third: The Track of a Storm](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tale_of_two_cities_se/chapters/book-the-third-the-track-of-a-storm) Uses his influence as a former Bastille prisoner to protect Darnay, but his past testimony condemns him. ### [I: In Secret](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tale_of_two_cities_se/chapters/i-in-secret) Mentioned as Lucie's father, once a prisoner in the Bastille. ### [The Grindstone](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tale_of_two_cities_se/chapters/ii-the-grindstone) Uses his identity as a former Bastille prisoner to gain the mob's trust and goes to La Force to save Charles. ### [Calm in Storm](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tale_of_two_cities_se/chapters/iv-calm-in-storm) Returns after four days, having been taken to La Force; recognizes his suffering as strength and becomes a steady, confident figure working to save Charles Darnay. ### [The Wood-Sawyer](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tale_of_two_cities_se/chapters/v-the-wood-sawyer) Doctor Manette supports Lucie, claiming he can save Charles, and informs her of Charles's summons for trial the next day. ### [Triumph](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tale_of_two_cities_se/chapters/vi-triumph) Sits under the President in his usual quiet dress; testifies on Darnay's behalf, leveraging his personal popularity to sway the crowd and secure acquittal. ### [A Knock at the Door](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tale_of_two_cities_se/chapters/vii-a-knock-at-the-door) Has redeemed his promise to save Charles; stands as a statue when the arrest happens, then questions the men. ### [The Game Made](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tale_of_two_cities_se/chapters/ix-the-game-made) Denounced as one of the accusers, protests indignantly but is rebuked by the President; sits trembling after. ### [X: The Substance of the Shadow](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tale_of_two_cities_se/chapters/x-the-substance-of-the-shadow) His written narrative from the Bastille is read in court, revealing his abduction and imprisonment by the Evrémonde brothers. ### [Dusk](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tale_of_two_cities_se/chapters/xi-dusk) Follows Lucie, wrings his hands in anguish, and agrees to appeal to the Prosecutor and President after dark. ### [Fifty-Two](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tale_of_two_cities_se/chapters/xiii-fifty-two) Darnay writes to him, confiding his wife and child to his care, hoping to rouse him from despondency. ### [The Knitting Done](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tale_of_two_cities_se/chapters/xiv-the-knitting-done) Mentioned as the object of Monsieur Defarge's weakness; not directly present in the chapter. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tale_of_two_cities_se/characters/doctor_manette - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tale_of_two_cities_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tale_of_two_cities_se/characters