The School for Scandal · Character
Crabtree
A doddering scandalmonger who inflates every rumor into a duel, a wound, and a death, and cannot bear to let his nephew finish a sentence.
supporting
Also known as Crabtree That, old Crabtree, Crabtree There, Crabtree Who, Crabtree Sir Peter, Crabtree O Lud, Crabtree Nay, Crabtree Austrian, Mr. Crabtree
First appearance: act i
As a supporting figure in The School for Scandal, Crabtree is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.
Free preview opens at this moment — character cards, Character Web, and themes sit beside the text as you read.
Crabtree haunts Lady Sneerwell's circle as the school's most tireless inventor, forever arriving breathless with fresh particulars of Sir Peter's duel or some other catastrophe he has half-heard and wholly embellished.
Continue beside the text
The fuller portrait of Crabtree sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.
See Crabtree in act iCharacter Web
17 connectionsA slice of how Crabtree sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.
Relationship types
- Other
Character groups
- Central characters and gossips
- Minor figures and background
+12 more in the full Character Web
Open in readerNarrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This scene is the dramatic climax because it represents the emotional and psychological peak of the scandal’s…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingRelationships
- Sir Oliver Surface
social · negative
Crabtree is a gossipy acquaintance who spreads malicious stories about Sir Oliver's… How this plays out →
- Sir Benjamin Backbite
social · ambivalent
Relationship notes
How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.
See Crabtree in act i