# Captain Oakley — Uncle Silas character guide

> Captain Oakley in Uncle Silas by J. Sheridan Le Fanu.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** The charming Captain, Oakley, the Captain

**First appearance:** 0047-volume-ii-x-a-chapter-full-of-lovers

## Snapshot

A handsome, polished officer whose fashionable charm dazzles Maud and Milly, and whose cold eye hints at appetites far less gallant.

## Who they are

Captain Oakley arrives at Bartram-Haugh as a visitor from the glittering world Maud has only read about, all soft hair, easy compliments, and worldly talk that flatters her inexperience. His attentions stir Milly's romantic hopes and Maud's first flutter of admiration, but a cruel curl of the lip and a coldness in the eye suggest the profligate beneath the polish. He matters less as a suitor than as a lesson: the first man Maud must learn to read, and the first proof that charm in this novel is rarely what it seems.

## In the story

### [IX: Monica Knollys](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_silas_se/chapters/volume-i-ix-monica-knollys)

Handsome, fashionable, and charming; his leave expires in two days; he amuses Maud with talk of society.

### [XIII: Before and After Breakfast](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_silas_se/chapters/volume-i-xiii-before-and-after-breakfast)

Captain Oakley pays compliments to Maud and expresses regret at having to leave. He is portrayed as charming but financially motivated.

### [V: In Which I Make Another Cousin's Acquaintance](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_silas_se/chapters/volume-ii-v-in-which-i-make-another-cousin-s-acquaintance)

Captain Oakley is the presumed author of romantic verses sent to Maud, which she and Milly discuss. His regiment is still in England.

### [The Rivals](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_silas_se/chapters/volume-ii-xi-the-rivals)

Sends a note to Maud, encounters her in the woods, and is brutally beaten by Dudley.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_silas_se/characters/captain_oakley
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_silas_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_silas_se/characters