Sybil Gerard

Charles Egremont

Charles is deeply in love with Sybil, and their relationship is the central romantic arc of the novel, bridging class divides.

Stephen Morley

Stephen Morley is a suitor to Sybil, but his obsessive and manipulative nature creates a tense, unrequited dynamic.

Lord Marney

Lord Marney, as a harsh aristocratic landlord, is in direct opposition to Sybil's working-class family and political ideals.

Alfred Mountchesney

Alfred Mountchesney is a wealthy aristocrat who interacts with Sybil in high society, representing the fashionable world she observes.

Mr. Tanner

Mr. Tanner is a minor acquaintance who interacts with Sybil in political and social contexts.

Mr. Tadpole

Mr. Tadpole is a political operative who encounters Sybil in the context of electioneering and party machinations.

Duke of Fitz-Aquitaine

The Duke of Fitz-Aquitaine is a high-ranking aristocrat who moves in the same social circles as Sybil, representing the old nobility.

Ursula Trafford

Ursula Trafford is a kind and supportive friend to Sybil, offering companionship and refuge in times of need.

Mr. Trotman

Mr. Trotman is a local figure who interacts with Sybil in her community, likely as a neighbor or tradesman.

Charles Egremont

Charles is deeply in love with Sybil, and their relationship is the central romantic arc of the novel, bridging class divides.

Stephen Morley

Stephen Morley is a suitor to Sybil, but his obsessive and manipulative nature creates a tense, unrequited dynamic.

Charles Egremont

Charles is deeply in love with Sybil, and their relationship is the central romantic arc of the novel, bridging class divides.

Sybil

Introduced as a central figure representing the moral and spiritual resilience of the poor.

Book I

Introduced as the devout and beautiful daughter of Walter Gerard, living in a humble cottage and reading to her father.

Book II

Introduced as the daughter of Walter Gerard, a devout and compassionate young woman who reads to her father and embodies the resilience of the working class.

V

Appears in the Lady Chapel, singing the evening hymn, described as a seraphic figure.

Chapter VIII

The Religious; reflects on the martyrdom of the last abbot of Marney and expresses hope for the restoration of her family's lands and the people to the soil.

XIII

Arrives at the Warner home, sent by her father Walter Gerard.

XIV

Visits the Warner family, brings food and comfort, and engages in a conversation with Egremont about the plight of the poor and the desecration of Marney Abbey.

Chapter XVI

Though not present in the chapter, she is the central subject of Egremont's thoughts and Gerard's conversation; she is preparing to live with her father but still considers taking the veil.

Book III

Central figure whose journey through social and political turmoil deepens.

Chapter V

Engages in a passionate discussion about moral power and the plight of the people; sings a requiem at her father's request.

Chapter VI

Sybil walks to the convent, speaks cheerfully with Egremont about her father, Stephen Morley, and her dedication to the Church and the people.

VIII

Visits Trafford's factory with Egremont; is condescendingly approached by Lady Maud and her friends in the garden; refuses Lady Maud's invitation to Mowbray Castle.

IX

Present during the evening conversation; leaves with Egremont while Morley and Gerard talk privately.

Chapter X

Absent when Egremont first visits; returns to the cottage; accepts his gift of Thomas à Kempis with emotion.

Book IV

Sybil remains a central figure, embodying the moral and spiritual resilience of the people.

VI

Walks with Egremont, speaks of her father's struggle and the People's cause, leads him to her home in Smith's Square.

VIII

Shocked and hurt by Egremont's revelation, she asserts the impassable gulf between their classes.

Chapter IX

Engages in a fervent discussion with Morley about the people's cause and her father's role; meets Hatton with interest and defends frankness with Egremont.

Chapter X

Sybil is the object of Hatton's guilt and ambition; he envisions restoring her to a baroness and founding a Catholic house through her.

Chapter XV

Sybil is torn between her love for Egremont and her deep-seated convictions about class and justice. She rejects his proposal, insisting the social gulf is impassable, and speaks of a life of penitence or the cloister.

Book V

Sybil's character develops as she navigates her father's political activities and her feelings for Egremont.

I

Reads Egremont's speech and reflects on her changing views of society and the people.

II

Expresses deep unhappiness and disillusionment with the people's cause; anxious about her father's safety; admits her earlier confidence was a hallucination.

III

Pleads with her father to leave London, sensing impending danger and government action against the Convention.

IV

Sybil is caught between Morley's confession and her concern for her father's safety; she defends Egremont's honor and tries to focus on saving her father.

V

Overcome with emotion after Morley's passionate appeals, she prays to the Virgin and saints for strength, then ventures alone into London to find her father.

VI

Sybil is the protagonist of this chapter, urgently trying to reach her father through perilous streets.

VIII

Arrives at the secret meeting in a panic, collapses, and is arrested as a prisoner of state. Writes a letter to Egremont from Bow Street.

IX

Imprisoned after the riot, she endures a night of anguish and prays for deliverance; she is released by a warrant and rescued by Egremont.

Chapter X

Watches her father's triumphal procession, deeply moved by the display of popular support.

Book VI

Sybil is arrested as a prisoner of state, highlighting her involvement in the political upheaval.

II

Lived at York convent during her father's imprisonment; now back at Mowbray convent; her desire to take the veil has waned.

Chapter V

Sybil expresses fear and opposition to the planned strike, urging her father to reconsider for the sake of their family.

Chapter XI

Sybil is on a charitable mission for Ursula Trafford, becomes alarmed for her father's safety upon hearing of the mob, and is persuaded to go to Mowbray Castle.

XII

Arrives at Mowbray Castle, anxious for her father; later rescued by Egremont from attackers.

Chapter XIII

Receives the box of papers from Dandy Mick, mourns her father's death, is taken to Marney Abbey by Lady Marney, and eventually marries Egremont.