# George Osborne — Vanity Fair character guide > George Osborne in Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Mr. Osborne, George, Captain Osborne, young Osborne **First appearance:** 0002-ii-in-which-miss-sharp-and-miss-sedley-prepare-to-open-the-campaign ## Snapshot A handsome, vain young officer and merchant's son, George Osborne accepts Amelia's adoration as his due while his father's fortune and favor hang over him. ## Who they are George is the glittering prize of Amelia's girlhood, a lieutenant whose diamond shirt-pin and easy graces convince her she loves a hero. In truth he is selfish and shallow, more in love with his own image than with her, and his friendship with Dobbin reveals a man who takes loyalty for granted. His courtship and marriage against his father's wishes set the plot's central conflict between romantic feeling and mercenary family ambition. ## Relationships ### [Amelia Sedley](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/vanity_fair_se/characters/amelia_sedley) _romantic_ Amelia is passionately in love with the vain and unfaithful George Osborne, whom she marries and who dies at Waterloo. ### [Amelia Sedley](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/vanity_fair_se/characters/amelia_sedley) _romantic_ Amelia is passionately in love with the vain and unfaithful George Osborne, whom she marries and who dies at Waterloo. ### [Amelia Sedley](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/vanity_fair_se/characters/amelia_sedley) _romantic_ Amelia is passionately in love with the vain and unfaithful George Osborne, whom she marries and who dies at Waterloo. ## In the story ### [The Green Silk Purse](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/vanity_fair_se/chapters/iv-the-green-silk-purse) Dines with the family; appears during the thunderstorm and finds Rebecca and Joseph in a romantic pose. ### [Dobbin of Ours](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/vanity_fair_se/chapters/v-dobbin-of-ours) Shown as a popular, handsome schoolboy and later a confident lieutenant; Dobbin's idol and friend, he invites Dobbin to the Sedley dinner and Vauxhall. ### [Vauxhall](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/vanity_fair_se/chapters/vi-vauxhall) Accompanies Amelia to Vauxhall, buys Rebecca a hat and spenser as a parting gift, and is secretly resented by Rebecca for preventing her marriage. ### [XII: Quite a Sentimental Chapter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/vanity_fair_se/chapters/xii-quite-a-sentimental-chapter) Absent for much of the chapter; his sisters claim he is always at Amelia's, but the narrator hints he is not always with her, suggesting neglect. ### [XIII: Sentimental and Otherwise](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/vanity_fair_se/chapters/xiii-sentimental-and-otherwise) Revealed as engaged to Amelia; enjoys high reputation in his regiment; visits Amelia and later dines with his family, where he attempts to cajole his father. ### [XIII: Sentimental and Otherwise](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/vanity_fair_se/chapters/xiii-sentimental-and-otherwise) Shows open displeasure at Amelia's presence; confronts George about the engagement after dinner. ### [Miss Crawley at Home](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/vanity_fair_se/chapters/xiv-miss-crawley-at-home) Visits Miss Crawley's home, attempts to patronize Becky, but is coolly put down by her; he makes plans with Rawdon for billiards and horse-trading. ### [How Captain Dobbin Bought a Piano](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/vanity_fair_se/chapters/xvii-how-captain-dobbin-bought-a-piano) Mentioned as the subject of a Gazette announcement of his promotion; Rawdon speculates he will break off his engagement with Amelia due to the Sedley bankruptcy. ### [Who Played on the Piano Captain Dobbin Bought](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/vanity_fair_se/chapters/xviii-who-played-on-the-piano-captain-dobbin-bought) Torn between his father's commands and his love for Amelia; he writes a letter asking her to come to him, and is deeply moved by Dobbin's report of her condition. ### [Who Played on the Piano Captain Dobbin Bought](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/vanity_fair_se/chapters/xviii-who-played-on-the-piano-captain-dobbin-bought) Vindictive toward John Sedley, breaks off the engagement, and writes a brutal letter to Amelia; his hostility is fueled by past obligations and a need to justify his cruelty. ### [In Which Captain Dobbin Acts as the Messenger of Hymen](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/vanity_fair_se/chapters/xx-in-which-captain-dobbin-acts-as-the-messenger-of-hymen) Reconciles with Amelia, feeling generous and powerful in his decision to marry her; also jokes about Miss Swartz's appearance and wealth. ### [A Quarrel About an Heiress](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/vanity_fair_se/chapters/xxi-a-quarrel-about-an-heiress) Schemes to marry his son George to the heiress Miss Swartz, viewing her fortune as a path to ennobling the Osborne name. ### [A Quarrel About an Heiress](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/vanity_fair_se/chapters/xxi-a-quarrel-about-an-heiress) Resists his father's command to court Miss Swartz, remaining devoted to Amelia Sedley and angered by the family's mercenary plans. ### [A Marriage and Part of a Honeymoon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/vanity_fair_se/chapters/xxii-a-marriage-and-part-of-a-honeymoon) Marries Amelia despite his father's opposition; nervous and agitated before the wedding, but later enjoys Brighton. ### [Captain Dobbin Proceeds on His Canvass](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/vanity_fair_se/chapters/xxiii-captain-dobbin-proceeds-on-his-canvass) Though absent, his marriage to Amelia is the central event driving the chapter's action. ### [In Which Mr. Osborne Takes Down the Family Bible](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/vanity_fair_se/chapters/xxiv-in-which-mr-osborne-takes-down-the-family-bible) Furious and betrayed, he reviews George's childhood mementos and rages against the Sedley family, refusing to accept the marriage. ### [In Which Mr. Osborne Takes Down the Family Bible](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/vanity_fair_se/chapters/xxiv-in-which-mr-osborne-takes-down-the-family-bible) Absent but central; his secret marriage to Amelia is the catalyst for the chapter's conflict. ### [In Which All the Principal Personages Think Fit to Leave Brighton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/vanity_fair_se/chapters/xxv-in-which-all-the-principal-personages-think-fit-to-leave-brighton) Cheerful about the campaign, reassures Amelia, and agrees to take her to Brussels. ### [Between London and Chatham](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/vanity_fair_se/chapters/xxvi-between-london-and-chatham) Arrives in London with his bride, hosts a lavish dinner, attends the theatre alone, and confronts his father's solicitors to claim his inheritance. ### [In Which Amelia Joins Her Regiment](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/vanity_fair_se/chapters/xxvii-in-which-amelia-joins-her-regiment) Proudly presents his wife to the regiment, escorts her to Mrs. O'Dowd's party, and enjoys her popularity. ### [In Which Amelia Invades the Low Countries](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/vanity_fair_se/chapters/xxviii-in-which-amelia-invades-the-low-countries) Hosts a dinner for the Bareacres family in Brussels; spends lavishly despite Amelia's discomfort. ### [Brussels](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/vanity_fair_se/chapters/xxix-brussels) Buys a horse, flirts openly with Rebecca Crawley, gambles with Rawdon, and neglects Amelia, believing himself a man of fashion. ### [The Girl I Left Behind Me](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/vanity_fair_se/chapters/xxx-the-girl-i-left-behind-me) Mentioned as having given Becky a watch; preoccupied with his own affairs and grief at parting from Amelia. ### [In Which Jos Sedley Takes Care of His Sister](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/vanity_fair_se/chapters/xxxi-in-which-jos-sedley-takes-care-of-his-sister) Absent, having marched with his regiment; his hat and belongings remain in the house. ### [In Which Jos Takes Flight, and the War Is Brought to a Close](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/vanity_fair_se/chapters/xxxii-in-which-jos-takes-flight-and-the-war-is-brought-to-a-close) Mentioned as having bravely cut down a French lancer and survived the battle, though his fate remains a source of anxiety for Amelia. ### [Widow and Mother](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/vanity_fair_se/chapters/xxxv-widow-and-mother) Though deceased, George's memory looms large; his father mourns him and seeks to understand his son's final days at Waterloo. ### [Widow and Mother](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/vanity_fair_se/chapters/xxxv-widow-and-mother) The proud, grief-stricken father travels to Brussels to visit the battlefield and confront the reality of his son's death, haunted by their estrangement. ### [A Family in a Very Small Way](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/vanity_fair_se/chapters/xxxviii-a-family-in-a-very-small-way) Deceased; his memory is kept alive through his son Georgy, who strongly resembles him in pride and manner. ### [A Family in a Very Small Way](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/vanity_fair_se/chapters/xxxviii-a-family-in-a-very-small-way) Mentioned as having never concerned himself with the expenses of George's burial or Amelia's situation. ### [XLII: Which Treats of the Osborne Family](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/vanity_fair_se/chapters/xlii-which-treats-of-the-osborne-family) Now a bitter, lonely old man, his temper worsened by gout and his son's death; he tyrannizes over his daughter Jane and lives a life of gloomy routine. ### [Struggles and Trials](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/vanity_fair_se/chapters/xlvi-struggles-and-trials) George Osborne's father, who offers to take Georgy as his heir and make Amelia an allowance, but his proposal is angrily rejected. ### [Georgy Is Made a Gentleman](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/vanity_fair_se/chapters/lvi-georgy-is-made-a-gentleman) Proud of Georgy, he indulges him with luxuries and plans a grand future for him, though his own ignorance is exposed. ### [Eothen](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/vanity_fair_se/chapters/lvii-eothen) Takes pride in humiliating his old rival Sedley by offering financial aid, and provides money for Georgy's upbringing. ### [In Which Two Lights Are Put Out](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/vanity_fair_se/chapters/lxi-in-which-two-lights-are-put-out) Attends his grandfather's funeral and is noted by old Mr. Osborne. ### [In Which Two Lights Are Put Out](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/vanity_fair_se/chapters/lxi-in-which-two-lights-are-put-out) Begins to acknowledge Major Dobbin's social standing and reputation. ### [In Which We Meet an Old Acquaintance](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/vanity_fair_se/chapters/lxiii-in-which-we-meet-an-old-acquaintance) Receives lessons from Major Dobbin and a German master, and rides out. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/vanity_fair_se/characters/george_osborne - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/vanity_fair_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/vanity_fair_se/characters