# Reginald Hotchkiss — Getting Married character guide

> Reginald Hotchkiss in Getting Married by George Bernard Shaw.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Sinjon Hotchkiss, Hotchkiss, Reginald, St. John Hotchkiss

**First appearance:** 0054-getting-married

## Snapshot

A quicksilver controversialist who can dissolve any wedding toast into a lecture on Swedish divorce law, Clapham morality, and the varieties of marriage.

## Who they are

Hotchkiss arrives at the wedding armed with statistics and mischief, insisting that the respectable Englishman who defends marriage cannot even say which marriage he means — civil, sacramental, polygamous, or South Dakotan. His gift for unanswerable quibbling exposes the muddle beneath everyone's pieties, and his refusal to let a comfortable phrase stand unchallenged makes him the play's sharpest irritant. He matters because he turns the breakfast table into a debating chamber where the real subject — what marriage is for — cannot be avoided.

## Relationships

### [The General](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/getting_married_se/characters/the_general)

_rivalry_

Reginald Hotchkiss and The General are antagonists, clashing over social status and romantic interests.

### [Rejjy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/getting_married_se/characters/rejjy)

_friendship_

Reginald Hotchkiss and Rejjy are close friends or companions, sharing lighthearted banter and mutual support.

### [Edith](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/getting_married_se/characters/edith)

_social_

Edith and Reginald Hotchkiss are acquaintances with a flirtatious undertone, but no deep emotional bond.

### [The Bishop](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/getting_married_se/characters/the_bishop)

_social_

Reginald Hotchkiss and The Bishop are polite acquaintances, often engaging in intellectual or social conversation.

### [Soames](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/getting_married_se/characters/soames)

_rivalry_

Reginald Hotchkiss and Soames are rivals, competing for attention or status within the household.

### [Lesbia](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/getting_married_se/characters/lesbia)

_romantic_

Lesbia and Reginald Hotchkiss share a flirtatious, romantic tension, though it is not fully realized.

### [Leo](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/getting_married_se/characters/leo)

_friendship_

Leo and Reginald Hotchkiss are friends, sharing witty exchanges and a sense of camaraderie.

### [Cecil Sykes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/getting_married_se/characters/cecil_sykes)

_rivalry_

Cecil Sykes and Reginald Hotchkiss are rivals, competing for Edith's affection and social standing.

## In the story

### [Preface to Getting Married](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/getting_married_se/chapters/preface-to-getting-married)

Referenced as a participant in the discussion of marriage.

### [Hearth and Home](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/getting_married_se/chapters/hearth-and-home)

Alluded to in the discussion of libertines and the revolt against respectability.

### [Getting Married](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/getting_married_se/chapters/getting-married)

Engages in debate about marriage and personal freedom.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/getting_married_se/characters/reginald_hotchkiss
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/getting_married_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/getting_married_se/characters