Character guide

Daniel Deronda

major

Also known as Deronda, Mr. Deronda, Dan, little Daniel

Raised as ward to a baronet and educated like a gentleman, Deronda drifts through a life of privilege without a clear purpose, until an impulse to return a pawned necklace to a stranger sets his course. He is torn between the world that raised him and a growing sense of kinship with the dispossessed, especially the visionary Mordecai and his sister Mirah. His restless conscience and habit of taking others' suffering personally make him the moral center around which the novel's two plots slowly converge.

Gwendolen Harleth

major

Also known as Gwendolen, Miss Harleth, Harleth, Gwen

Gwendolen arrives in the neighborhood of Leubronn and Diplow as a celebrated beauty, accustomed to admiration and terrified of the poverty that could strip it away. Her gambler's nerve and theatrical self-possession mask a deep dread of being controlled, and she chooses Henleigh Grandcourt precisely because she thinks she can manage him. Her moral awakening begins when she meets Deronda at the gaming table and finds someone whose gaze she cannot charm or dismiss.

Mirah Lapidoth

major

Also known as Mirah, Lapidoth, Wesley Mirah

Mirah arrives in London destitute and nearly drowned, rescued by Deronda before she can finish the act she had resolved upon. She supports herself with her voice and her needle, guarding a fierce loyalty to the memory of her mother and the brother she believes dead. Her quiet dignity and refusal to be bought or pitied make her the emotional counterweight to Gwendolen, and her reunion with Mordecai becomes one of the novel's tenderest reckonings.

Henleigh Grandcourt

major

Also known as Grandcourt, Mr. Grandcourt, Henleigh Mallinger Grandcourt, young Grandcourt

Grandcourt is heir to Diplow and a fortune, a man so accustomed to getting his way that he has perfected the art of never appearing to want anything. He keeps a mistress, Lydia Glasher, and her children in waiting, and his courtship of Gwendolen is less desire than the satisfaction of owning something spirited. His coldness and his skill at making others feel their dependence turn Gwendolen's marriage into a moral trap from which she cannot see a clean escape.

Mordecai Cohen

major

Also known as Mordecai, Cohen, Ezra Cohen, Ezra

Mordecai, known in his family as Ezra, lives above a working-class household in the East End, his body failing while his mind burns with prophecies of Jewish renewal. He recognizes Deronda almost at once as the vessel for ideas he cannot live long enough to carry himself, and his insistence on this spiritual inheritance unsettles Deronda's English certainties. His reunion with the sister he thought lost gives his visionary fervor a human anchor, and his friendship becomes the hinge on which Deronda's identity turns.

Sir Hugo Mallinger

supporting

Also known as Sir Hugo, Hugo, Shakespeare Sir Hugo Mallinger

Sir Hugo is a bachelor of comfortable means and flexible morals, fond of Deronda with a fatherly affection that never quite explains itself. He steers his ward toward an English gentleman's life, and his discomfort whenever the subject of Deronda's origins arises hints at knowledge he has chosen not to share. His arrival in Genoa and his careful questions about Deronda's mother force the two men toward a frankness that will redefine their bond.

Mrs. Meyrick

supporting

Also known as Mrs. Meyrick, Mrs.  Meyrick

Mrs. Meyrick presides over a compact, affectionate household of four women and a Persian cat, reading Erckmann-Chatrian aloud and keeping her daughters' minds brightly visible. Her quick, articulate sympathy makes her the natural refuge for Mirah Lapidoth, whom she shelters without hesitation. In a novel full of calculating guardians and absent parents, she embodies the quiet, practical goodness that lets the story's displaced characters breathe.

Klesmer

supporting

Also known as Herr Klesmer, Julius Klesmer, the unconquered Klesmer

Klesmer arrives at the Meyricks' little parlor like a force of nature, stretching out his long hand to declare Mirah 'a musician' and then warning her, 'We are no skylarks.' His honesty is both gift and gate: he opens professional doors for Mirah while refusing to flatter, and his pronouncements carry the weight of genuine artistic authority. He matters because he represents the novel's standard of real vocation, against which Gwendolen's dilettantism and the drawing-room world's pretensions are measured.

Mrs. Davilow

supporting

Also known as aunt Davilow, Poor Mrs. Davilow, gentle Mrs. Davilow

Mrs. Davilow has known better days and now depends on the kindness of relatives and the hope of her daughters' marriages, worrying over Gwendolen with a love that Gwendolen finds both touching and stifling. Her passivity and financial helplessness throw her daughter's ambition into sharp relief, and her presence shadows every calculation Gwendolen makes about marriage and money. She is the tender, powerless center of the family whose fortunes the novel's marriage plot will decide.

Hans Meyrick

supporting

Also known as Hans, Meyrick, Hans Meyrick, poor Hans

Hans Meyrick is the light-haired, Gavarni-sketching son of the Meyrick family, torn between the security of his Cambridge fellowship and his yearning for art. His affectionate teasing and self-deprecating humor mask real stakes: he must eventually choose between income and vocation. As Deronda's closest friend, he offers warmth and irreverent perspective on Deronda's grave preoccupations, and his family's modest, generous world becomes one of the novel's moral touchstones.

Rex Gascoigne

supporting

Also known as Rex, the sweet-natured Rex, Poor Rex

Rex Gascoigne is the rector's son, a decent, unremarkable young man whose life is mapped out in terms of terms at Cambridge and a respectable future, until he falls hopelessly in love with his dazzling cousin Gwendolen. His father's rebuke—that he is not 'loosened from all bonds of duty'—exposes the generational pressure and masculine code that surround him. His rejected devotion establishes Gwendolen's power over others early and gives the novel a portrait of ordinary goodness wounded by her ambition.

Lush

supporting

Also known as Mr. Lush, Thomas Cranmer Lush, the objectionable Mr. Lush

Lush hovers at Grandcourt's elbow as secretary, go-between, and keeper of inconvenient secrets, a man whose easy cynicism and shabby respectability make him useful precisely because he has no illusions. He negotiates the delicate business of Grandcourt's past and present attachments, moving between the great house and the world outside it with an insider's knowledge and an outsider's resentments. He matters because he embodies the moral atmosphere surrounding Grandcourt—transactional, watchful, and quietly corrupt.

Mrs. Glasher

supporting

Also known as Lydia Glasher, Lydia, that Mrs. Glasher

Mrs. Glasher lives in careful obscurity, bound to Grandcourt by children he will not acknowledge and a promise he has no intention of keeping. When Gwendolen becomes his wife, Mrs. Glasher's letters and demands turn the new bride's triumph into a private torment, forcing her to reckon with the cost of the position she has won. She matters because she makes visible the cruelty beneath Grandcourt's polished surface and gives Gwendolen her first real taste of moral consequence.

Lady Mallinger

minor

Also known as innocent Lady Mallinger

Sir Hugo's sweet-natured but somewhat naive wife.

Anna Gascoigne

minor

Also known as Anna, little Anna, Ann, Gascoigne

Gwendolen's gentle and religious younger cousin.

Mrs. Gascoigne

minor

Also known as aunt Gascoigne, Mr. and Mrs. Gascoigne

Gwendolen's aunt and the wife of the rector.

Mr. Gascoigne

minor

Also known as Gascoigne, Mr. and Mrs. Gascoigne

The rector and Gwendolen's uncle, who advises her family.

Catherine Arrowpoint

minor

Also known as Catherine, Miss Arrowpoint, Arrowpoint

A wealthy heiress who defies her parents to marry Klesmer.

Mrs. Arrowpoint

minor

Also known as Mr. and Mrs. Arrowpoint, in Mrs. Arrowpoint

Catherine's snobbish mother who opposes her marriage to Klesmer.

Mr. Arrowpoint

minor

Also known as Mr. and Mrs. Arrowpoint

Catherine's father, a wealthy landowner.

Mab Meyrick

minor

Also known as Mab, Poor Mab, Amabel

One of Mrs. Meyrick's lively daughters and a friend to Mirah.

Kate Meyrick

minor

Also known as Kate, shrewd Kate

Another of Mrs. Meyrick's daughters, known for her sharp wit.

Amy Meyrick

minor

Also known as Amy, the graver Amy

The more serious of Mrs. Meyrick's daughters.

Jacob Cohen

minor

Also known as Jacob Alexander Cohen, Jacob, little Jacob, Skillful Jacob

Mordecai's young nephew, a mischievous but clever boy.

The Princess

supporting

Also known as Princess Halm-Eberstein, Leonora Halm-Eberstein, Leonora

The Princess Halm-Eberstein built a brilliant career by severing herself from her father, her faith, and the infant son she left behind. Cold, imperious, and exhausted by her own renunciations, she meets Deronda not with maternal warmth but with a confession delivered like a verdict. Her refusal to soften makes Deronda's discovery of his origins both a gift and a wound, and it sets him on the path that will define the rest of the novel.

Joseph Kalonymos

minor

Also known as Kalonymos, this Kalonymos

A Jewish banker who helps Deronda learn about his family history.

Lord Brackenshaw

minor

Also known as the Brackenshaw, the amiable Lord Brackenshaw, Brackenshaw

A genial nobleman and local landowner.

Mr. Vandernoodt

minor

Also known as Vandernoodt

A gossipy acquaintance who spreads news about Grandcourt.

Charisi

minor

Also known as Daniel Charisi

Deronda's deceased grandfather, a Jewish scholar whose legacy shapes the plot.

Young Mrs. Cohen

minor

Also known as Mrs. Cohen, young Mrs. Cohen, the elder Mrs. Cohen, old Mrs. Cohen

Mordecai's sister-in-law, wife of Ezra Cohen.

Rebecca

minor

Also known as Adelaide Rebekah, Adelaide

A Jewish woman mentioned in the context of Mordecai's circle.

Miss Merry

minor

Also known as Good Miss Merry, Merry

A kind governess who works for the Davilow family.

Mrs. Klesmer

minor

Also known as Klesmer

Catherine Arrowpoint after her marriage to Klesmer.

Madame von Langen

minor

A German singer who mentors Mirah briefly.

Warham

minor

A minor character, possibly a servant or local figure.

Lady Brackenshaw

minor

Also known as Lady Brackenshaw, Lady Brackenshaw⁠—and Mrs. Arrowpoint

A local aristocrat who hosts social events in the novel.

Juliet Fenn

minor

Also known as Miss Juliet Fenn, Juliet, Miss Fenn

A minor character at the Arrowpoint party, known for her singing.

Berenice

minor

Also known as the penitent Berenice, Poor Berenice

A historical figure referenced in the novel's epigraphs and discussions.

Mrs. Mompert

minor

A strict woman who interviews Gwendolen for a governess position.

Lady Pentreath

minor

An elderly aristocrat who appears at social gatherings.

Mrs. Torrington

minor

A minor character mentioned in the context of Gwendolen's social circle.

Mr. Middleton

minor

Also known as Middleton, poor Middleton

A curate who is a friend of the Gascoigne family.

Gideon

minor

A Jewish friend of Mordecai who participates in philosophical discussions.

Hermione

minor

A character from Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale, referenced in the novel.

Miss Cuttler

minor

A minor character at the Arrowpoint musical party.

Alice

minor

Also known as the amiable Alice

A minor character mentioned in passing at social events.

Fetch

minor

A dog owned by the Meyrick family.

Jocosa

minor

A minor character, possibly a servant or acquaintance.

Mr. Ram

minor

Also known as Ram

A Jewish friend of Mordecai who engages in debate.

Joel Dagge

minor

Also known as Joel

A young Jewish boy who assists Mordecai.

Fanny Davilow

minor

Also known as Fanny, poor Fanny, Fannie

Gwendolen's younger half-sister.

Mr. Bult

minor

Also known as Bult

A guest at the Arrowpoint party who is a politician.

Solomon

minor

A biblical figure referenced in the novel's epigraphs.

Old Mrs. Vulcany

minor

Also known as Mrs. Vulcany

An elderly woman mentioned in the context of Gwendolen's family.

Mr. Fraser

minor

Also known as Fraser

A minor character, possibly a lawyer or acquaintance.

Tasso

minor

Also known as Klesmer Tasso

A historical poet referenced in the novel's discussions of art.

Harry Brendall

minor

Also known as Henry

A minor character mentioned in the context of Gwendolen's past.

George Henry Lewes

minor

Also known as Henry, George

A contemporary writer and partner of George Eliot, referenced in the dedication.

Nancy

minor

A servant in the Davilow household.

Israel

minor

The Jewish nation, referenced as a collective entity in the novel.

Sawyer

minor

A minor character, possibly a servant or tradesman.

Quetcham

minor

A location or minor character associated with the Arrowpoints.

Miller

minor

A minor character mentioned in passing.

Mrs. Girdle

minor

A minor character, possibly a dressmaker or servant.

Mr. Lassman

minor

A Jewish acquaintance of Mordecai.

Nannie

minor

A servant or nurse in the Davilow household.

Lady Flora

minor

Also known as Lady Flora Hollis, republican Florence

A minor aristocrat mentioned in social contexts.

Signora

minor

An Italian singer or performer mentioned briefly.

Cath

minor

A minor character, possibly a servant or friend.

Addy

minor

Also known as Adam, Mrs. Adam

A minor character, possibly a servant.

Primrose

minor

A minor character or reference in the novel.

Mrs. Raymond

minor

A minor character mentioned in social circles.

Sigismund

minor

A minor character or historical reference.

Goodwin

minor

A minor character, possibly a servant.

Mackworth

minor

A minor character mentioned in the novel.

Bugle

minor

A minor character or possibly a dog's name.

Bertha

minor

A minor character referenced in the novel.

Rachel

minor

A biblical figure referenced in the novel.

Lily

minor

A minor character mentioned in passing.

Mr. Haynes

minor

A minor character, possibly a tradesman.

Mrs. Gadsby

minor

A minor character mentioned in the novel.

Banks

minor

Also known as Mrs. Banks

A minor character, possibly a servant.

Brewitt

minor

A minor character mentioned in the novel.

Robinson

minor

A minor character, possibly a servant.