# Martin Doul — The Well of the Saints character guide

> Martin Doul in The Well of the Saints by J. M. Synge.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Martin, Martin Doul Sadly, Martin Doul Listening, Martin Doul Impatiently, Martin Doul Sitting, Martin Doul In, Martin Doul Interested, Martin Doul’ll

**First appearance:** 0000-persons-in-the-play

## Snapshot

A blind beggar whose long-cherished fantasy of being the finest man in the seven counties collides with the sight he suddenly gains at a saint's well.

## Who they are

Martin Doul spends his days on the roadside with his wife Mary, trading barbs and half-believed flatteries about their hidden beauty, and dreaming of seeing himself for one hour. When a wandering saint cures his blindness, the face he finally sees—his own and Mary's—shatters the lie that sustained him. His restless vanity and refusal to work make him both comic and painfully human as the play tests whether sight is a gift or a punishment.

## Relationships

### [Timmy the smith](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_well_of_the_saints_se/characters/timmy_the_smith)

_rivalry_

Martin and Timmy are bitter rivals for Molly Byrne's affection, with Timmy physically and verbally antagonizing Martin.

### [Molly Byrne](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_well_of_the_saints_se/characters/molly_byrne)

_romantic_

Martin is infatuated with Molly, pursuing her romantically, but she rejects and mocks him.

### [Bride](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_well_of_the_saints_se/characters/bride)

_romantic_

Bride is Martin's long-suffering wife, who remains loyal to him despite his neglect and cruelty.

### [Patch Ruadh](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_well_of_the_saints_se/characters/patch_ruadh)

_social_

Martin and Patch are fellow blind beggars who occasionally cross paths in the village.

### [Mary Doul](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_well_of_the_saints_se/characters/mary_doul)

_family_

Mary is Martin's mother, but they have a strained and distant relationship due to his blindness and wanderings.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_well_of_the_saints_se/characters/martin_doul
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_well_of_the_saints_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_well_of_the_saints_se/characters