# Captain Quin — The Luck of Barry Lyndon character guide

> Captain Quin in The Luck of Barry Lyndon by William Makepeace Thackeray.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** John, Quin, Captain John Quin, Mr. Quin, Jack Quin

**First appearance:** 0003-ii-i-show-myself-to-be-a-man-of-spirit

## Snapshot

Prosperous English officer who wins Nora Brady's hand, survives Barry's duel by a trick, and reappears to unsettle the adventurer's later fortunes.

## Who they are

Quin is the rival whose income makes him irresistible to the Brady family, and the duel with Barry is quietly arranged so that no one need die and the inconvenient cousin can be got out of Ireland. He recovers, marries Nora, and pays off the mortgage at Castle Brady, converting humiliation into settlement. His reappearance later in the narrative reminds Barry, and the reader, that the man he once shot with tow has a long memory and a long purse.

## Relationships

### [Nora Brady](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_luck_of_barry_lyndon_se/characters/nora_brady)

_romantic_

Captain Quin is engaged to Nora Brady, but the relationship is based on social convenience and quickly falls apart.

### [Ulick Brady](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_luck_of_barry_lyndon_se/characters/ulick_brady)

_social_

Captain Quin and Ulick Brady are acquaintances through the Brady family, with Ulick acting as a go-between for Quin and Nora.

### [Captain Fagan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_luck_of_barry_lyndon_se/characters/captain_fagan)

_professional_

Captain Fagan and Captain Quin are fellow officers in the British army, with Fagan acting as Quin's superior.

### [Barry Lyndon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_luck_of_barry_lyndon_se/characters/barry_lyndon)

_rivalry_

Barry Lyndon and Captain Quin are rivals for Nora Brady's hand, leading to a duel and lasting enmity.

### [Ulick Brady](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_luck_of_barry_lyndon_se/characters/ulick_brady)

_social_

Captain Quin and Ulick Brady are acquaintances through the Brady family, with Ulick acting as a go-between for Quin and Nora.

### [Captain Fagan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_luck_of_barry_lyndon_se/characters/captain_fagan)

_professional_

Captain Fagan and Captain Quin are fellow officers in the British army, with Fagan acting as Quin's superior.

### [Nora Brady](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_luck_of_barry_lyndon_se/characters/nora_brady)

_romantic_

Captain Quin is engaged to Nora Brady, but the relationship is based on social convenience and quickly falls apart.

### [Nora Brady](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_luck_of_barry_lyndon_se/characters/nora_brady)

_romantic_

Captain Quin is engaged to Nora Brady, but the relationship is based on social convenience and quickly falls apart.

### [Barry Lyndon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_luck_of_barry_lyndon_se/characters/barry_lyndon)

_rivalry_

Barry Lyndon and Captain Quin are rivals for Nora Brady's hand, leading to a duel and lasting enmity.

### [Captain Fagan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_luck_of_barry_lyndon_se/characters/captain_fagan)

_professional_

Captain Fagan and Captain Quin are fellow officers in the British army, with Fagan acting as Quin's superior.

## In the story

### [The Luck of Barry Lyndon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_luck_of_barry_lyndon_se/chapters/the-luck-of-barry-lyndon)

Barry's rival in the duel that forced him to flee Ireland.

### [II: I Show Myself to Be a Man of Spirit](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_luck_of_barry_lyndon_se/chapters/ii-i-show-myself-to-be-a-man-of-spirit)

The Englishman Barry hates; he slinks away after Nora faints, and Barry is determined to fight him.

### [A False Start in the Genteel World](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_luck_of_barry_lyndon_se/chapters/iii-a-false-start-in-the-genteel-world)

Referenced as the man Barry killed in a duel, which Barry uses to intimidate Fitzsimons.

### [IV: In Which Barry Takes a Near View of Military Glory](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_luck_of_barry_lyndon_se/chapters/iv-in-which-barry-takes-a-near-view-of-military-glory)

Revealed to have survived the duel (the bullet was made of tow), married Nora Brady, and paid off the Brady mortgage.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_luck_of_barry_lyndon_se/characters/captain_quin
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_luck_of_barry_lyndon_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_luck_of_barry_lyndon_se/characters