# Mr. Greenmantle — Short Fiction character guide

> Mr. Greenmantle in Short Fiction by Anthony Trollope.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** these Mr. Greenmantle, III Mr. Greenmantle, Greenmantle, Here Mr. Greenmantle

**First appearance:** 0108-iii-mr-greenmantle-is-much-perplexed

## Snapshot

A perplexed father in Plumplington whose two telegraph-girl daughters, Lucy and Sophy, turn a steady engineer's attentions into a domestic crisis.

## Who they are

Mr. Greenmantle watches his daughters navigate lodgings, late hours, and the arrival of Abraham Hall, a solid, smutty, well-spoken engineer who seems a pillar of strength. The trouble is that both girls take an interest, and Sophy's finery and forwardness clash with Lucy's proud rule that a girl should be sought, not seeking. His bewilderment as a parent anchors the comedy of manners and the quiet contest of character at the story's heart.

## Relationships

### [Emily Greenmantle](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_4_se/characters/emily_greenmantle)

_family_

Emily Greenmantle and Mr. Greenmantle are husband and wife, sharing a conventional but emotionally distant marriage.

### [Emily Greenmantle](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_4_se/characters/emily_greenmantle)

_family_

Emily Greenmantle and Mr. Greenmantle are husband and wife, sharing a conventional but emotionally distant marriage.

### [Emily Greenmantle](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_4_se/characters/emily_greenmantle)

_family_

Emily Greenmantle and Mr. Greenmantle are husband and wife, sharing a conventional but emotionally distant marriage.

## In the story

### [Miss Ophelia Gledd](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_4_se/chapters/miss-ophelia-gledd)

The narrator and a friend of both Miss Gledd and Mr. Pryor. He is an Englishman who observes the social dynamics and is consulted by Mr. Hoskins about Miss Gledd's romantic status.

### [The Adventures of Fred Pickering](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_4_se/chapters/the-adventures-of-fred-pickering)

A gentleman well known in the literary world who helps Fred gain access to the British Museum library and offers candid advice about the difficulty of a literary career.

### [How Bessy Pryor Was to Be Banished](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_4_se/chapters/vi-how-bessy-pryor-was-to-be-banished)

Mr. Gregory (likely a variant of Mr. Greenmantle) proposes his sister in Avranches as a suitable place for Bessy's exile.

### [I: The Two Girls](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_4_se/chapters/i-the-two-girls)

The stern bank manager and father of Emily, who forbids her marriage to Philip Hughes and insists on his authority.

### [II: “Down I Shall Go”](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_4_se/chapters/ii-down-i-shall-go)

Emily's father, who opposes her relationship with Philip Hughes. He has pressed his lips together and refused to discuss the matter, leaving Emily feeling hopeless.

### [III: Mr. Greenmantle Is Much Perplexed](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_4_se/chapters/iii-mr-greenmantle-is-much-perplexed)

Perplexed and stern, he is determined to prevent his daughter Emily from marrying Philip Hughes, the bank cashier, and feels insulted by Mr. Peppercorn's suggestion that they are in a similar situation.

### [Jack Hollycombe](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_4_se/chapters/iv-jack-hollycombe)

Mentioned as a fellow father in a similar situation, with a daughter Emily who is also determined to marry against her father's wishes.

### [V: Dr. Freeborn and Philip Hughes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_4_se/chapters/v-dr-freeborn-and-philip-hughes)

The banker who decides to take his daughter Emily to the south of France to separate her from Philip Hughes, and later informs Hughes of his decision.

### [The Young Ladies Are to Be Taken Abroad](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_4_se/chapters/vi-the-young-ladies-are-to-be-taken-abroad)

Discovers Philip with Emily, angrily orders him out, and insists on taking Emily abroad for a prolonged residence.

### [The Young Ladies Are to Remain at Home](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_4_se/chapters/vii-the-young-ladies-are-to-remain-at-home)

Struggles against the conspiracy of neighbors and his daughter's illness, feeling pressured to give in.

### [Christmas-Day](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_4_se/chapters/viii-christmas-day)

Reluctantly agrees to attend the dinner, concerned about social rank and association with the Peppercorns.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_4_se/characters/mr_greenmantle
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_4_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_4_se/characters