# Rev. Samuel Gardner — Mrs. Warren’s Profession character guide

> Rev. Samuel Gardner in Mrs. Warren’s Profession by George Bernard Shaw.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Rev. S., the Rev. Samuel Gardner, Sam Gardner, Sam, the Reverend Samuel, Gardner

**First appearance:** 0003-act-ii

## Snapshot

The rector of a rebuilt thirteenth-century church, a pompous, stammering clergyman whose respectable façade conceals an old acquaintance with Mrs. Warren.

## Who they are

Rev. Samuel Gardner presides over the rectory garden with fussy hospitality and a clergyman's sore throat, buying his sermons and fretting about Mr. Praed's social position. His panic at the Warrens' arrival, and his helplessness when Frank bullies him into greeting them, reveal a man whose respectability is entirely a matter of appearances. His buried history with Mrs. Warren quietly implicates the very respectability the play holds up to scrutiny.

## Relationships

### [Frank Gardner](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mrs_warren_s_profession_se/characters/frank_gardner)

_family_

Frank is the son of Reverend Gardner, and their relationship is marked by filial disrespect and Frank's mocking attitude toward his father's hypocrisy.

### [Sir George Crofts](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mrs_warren_s_profession_se/characters/sir_george_crofts)

_social_

They are acquaintances in the same social circle, with the reverend deferring to Crofts' status while privately disapproving of his morals.

### [Vivie Warren](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mrs_warren_s_profession_se/characters/vivie_warren)

_social_

Reverend Gardner is a polite but ineffectual older acquaintance of Vivie, unaware of the deeper secrets connecting their families.

### [Mrs. Warren](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mrs_warren_s_profession_se/characters/mrs_warren)

_social_

They share a past connection through the village and church, but Mrs. Warren regards him with a mix of contempt and amusement.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mrs_warren_s_profession_se/characters/rev_samuel_gardner
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mrs_warren_s_profession_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mrs_warren_s_profession_se/characters