# Sir Charles Lyndon — The Luck of Barry Lyndon character guide

> Sir Charles Lyndon in The Luck of Barry Lyndon by William Makepeace Thackeray.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Sir Charles Reginald Lyndon, Sir Charles, the deceased Sir Charles Lyndon

**First appearance:** 0016-xv-i-pay-court-to-my-lady-lyndon

## Snapshot

Lady Lyndon's ailing first husband, a baronet whose cruelty and gambling leave a widow, an estate, and an opening for a fortune-hunter.

## Who they are

Sir Charles Lyndon holds the title, the estate, and the wife that Barry Lyndon covets, and he holds them badly: he bullies Lady Lyndon into signing away her property, spends the proceeds in taverns, and keeps his children from her as a threat. His cruelty is the quiet engine of the marriage plot, since every cruelty he commits makes his widow easier for Barry to court and his fortune easier to seize. He matters because Barry's rise depends less on charm than on the vacancy Sir Charles leaves behind.

## Relationships

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

_family_

Sir Charles Lyndon is Lady Lyndon's first husband, an older man she married for status, leading to a loveless union.

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

_rivalry_

Barry Lyndon competes with Sir Charles Lyndon for Lady Lyndon's attention and inheritance, viewing him as an obstacle.

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

_family_

Sir Charles Lyndon is Lady Lyndon's first husband, an older man she married for status, leading to a loveless union.

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

_rivalry_

Barry Lyndon competes with Sir Charles Lyndon for Lady Lyndon's attention and inheritance, viewing him as an obstacle.

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

_rivalry_

Barry Lyndon competes with Sir Charles Lyndon for Lady Lyndon's attention and inheritance, viewing him as an obstacle.

## In the story

### [XIII: I Continue My Career as a Man of Fashion](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_luck_of_barry_lyndon_se/chapters/xiii-i-continue-my-career-as-a-man-of-fashion)

A dying, gout-ridden man who cynically warns Barry about the misery of marrying Lady Lyndon, yet tolerates Barry's courtship with sardonic humor.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_luck_of_barry_lyndon_se/characters/sir_charles_lyndon
- 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