# Lord Raymond — The Last Man character guide > Lord Raymond in The Last Man by Mary Shelley. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Raymond, the despised Raymond, the ambitious Raymond, O Raymond, Dearest Raymond **First appearance:** 0002-the-last-man ## Snapshot A dazzling, honey-tongued nobleman whose hunger for the first station in England turns every charm into an instrument of ambition. ## Who they are Raymond returns from Greek victories and sudden fortune to a country that once despised him, and he means to make it bow. He is courteous, magnetic, and utterly convinced that power is the only proof of worth, a creed that sets him against Adrian's idealism and unsettles everyone who loves him. His courtship of Perdita and his political maneuvering give the novel its first great engine of tension, since no one can tell whether his brilliance will build or destroy. ## Relationships ### [Evadne Zaimi](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_last_man_se/characters/evadne_zaimi) _romantic_ Evadne Zaimi is passionately in love with Lord Raymond, though her feelings are largely unrequited and lead to tragedy. ### [Ryland](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_last_man_se/characters/ryland) _rivalry_ Lord Raymond and Ryland are bitter political rivals, constantly vying for power and influence. ### [Clara](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_last_man_se/characters/clara) _romantic_ Clara and Lord Raymond share a romantic relationship, though it is complicated by external pressures. ### [Idris](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_last_man_se/characters/idris) _family_ Idris is Lord Raymond's sister, and their relationship is one of sibling affection and occasional tension. ### [Ryland](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_last_man_se/characters/ryland) _rivalry_ Lord Raymond and Ryland are bitter political rivals, constantly vying for power and influence. ### [Idris](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_last_man_se/characters/idris) _family_ Idris is Lord Raymond's sister, and their relationship is one of sibling affection and occasional tension. ### [Evadne Zaimi](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_last_man_se/characters/evadne_zaimi) _romantic_ Evadne Zaimi is passionately in love with Lord Raymond, though her feelings are largely unrequited and lead to tragedy. ### [Evadne Zaimi](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_last_man_se/characters/evadne_zaimi) _romantic_ Evadne Zaimi is passionately in love with Lord Raymond, though her feelings are largely unrequited and lead to tragedy. ## In the story ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_last_man_se/chapters/volume-i-iii) Returns from Greece; his worldly nature contrasts with Adrian's idealism, and he becomes the object of Evadne's love. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_last_man_se/chapters/volume-i-iv) Visits Perdita's cottage, displays his charismatic and contradictory nature, discusses his political ambitions and marriage to Idris, and reveals his plan to become king. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_last_man_se/chapters/volume-i-v) Triumphant after the debate; reconciles with Perdita and pledges his love; taunts Lionel with his ambition. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_last_man_se/chapters/volume-i-vi) Departed for the continent with Perdita; Lionel refrains from asking him for financial help due to Raymond's worldly principles. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_last_man_se/chapters/volume-i-vii) The ambitious candidate for Lord Protector; initially despondent after humiliation, he becomes determined and wins the election, displaying both charm and inner turmoil. ### [Chapter VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_last_man_se/chapters/volume-i-viii) As Protector, he is full of ambitious plans for public works and visits Evadne, unaware of her identity. ### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_last_man_se/chapters/volume-i-ix) Raymond is now Protector, enjoying power but struggling with the secret of his visits to Evadne. He experiences remorse and resolves to return fully to Perdita. ### [Chapter X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_last_man_se/chapters/volume-i-x) Consumed by ambition and remorse, he descends into dissipation and neglects his duties as Protector, confessing his love for Perdita and his affair with Evadne to Adrian and Idris. ### [Chapter XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_last_man_se/chapters/volume-i-xi) Absent in Greece; leads cavalry charges; reported missing and possibly dead after the Battle of Makri; his horse found by the Hebrus. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_last_man_se/chapters/volume-ii-i) Released from Turkish imprisonment as a dying man; slowly recovers in Athens and Eleusis. He is inspired by Greek gratitude and vows to unite his fate with theirs, leading the army against the Turks. ### [Chapter II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_last_man_se/chapters/volume-ii-ii) Raymond is deeply melancholic and convinced of his impending death due to Evadne's prophecy. He confides in Lionel, entrusts his family to him, and resolves to conquer Constantinople despite the plague. ### [Chapter III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_last_man_se/chapters/volume-ii-iii) Deceased hero; his body is retrieved and buried in a tomb on Hymettus, and his memory is eulogized by Lionel. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_last_man_se/characters/lord_raymond - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_last_man_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_last_man_se/characters