The document provides character sketches of important characters from A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. It summarizes Charles Darnay as a French aristocrat who rejects his class and proves heroic by saving Gabelle and facing the revolutionary jury with stoicism. Sydney Carton is introduced as a drunkard and lazy lawyer but finds redemption by sacrificing his life to save Darnay. Lucie Manette is described as epitomizing female qualities by being loving, generous and inspiring affection in others like Carton, Stryver, Lorry and Pross. Doctor Manette is Lucie's father who suffers 18 years of mysterious imprisonment in France. Monsieur and Madame Defarge strongly support the revolution and pursue the
The document provides character sketches of important characters from A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. It summarizes Charles Darnay as a French aristocrat who rejects his class and proves heroic by saving Gabelle and facing the revolutionary jury with stoicism. Sydney Carton is introduced as a drunkard and lazy lawyer but finds redemption by sacrificing his life to save Darnay. Lucie Manette is described as epitomizing female qualities by being loving, generous and inspiring affection in others like Carton, Stryver, Lorry and Pross. Doctor Manette is Lucie's father who suffers 18 years of mysterious imprisonment in France. Monsieur and Madame Defarge strongly support the revolution and pursue the
The document provides character sketches of important characters from A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. It summarizes Charles Darnay as a French aristocrat who rejects his class and proves heroic by saving Gabelle and facing the revolutionary jury with stoicism. Sydney Carton is introduced as a drunkard and lazy lawyer but finds redemption by sacrificing his life to save Darnay. Lucie Manette is described as epitomizing female qualities by being loving, generous and inspiring affection in others like Carton, Stryver, Lorry and Pross. Doctor Manette is Lucie's father who suffers 18 years of mysterious imprisonment in France. Monsieur and Madame Defarge strongly support the revolution and pursue the
The document provides character sketches of important characters from A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. It summarizes Charles Darnay as a French aristocrat who rejects his class and proves heroic by saving Gabelle and facing the revolutionary jury with stoicism. Sydney Carton is introduced as a drunkard and lazy lawyer but finds redemption by sacrificing his life to save Darnay. Lucie Manette is described as epitomizing female qualities by being loving, generous and inspiring affection in others like Carton, Stryver, Lorry and Pross. Doctor Manette is Lucie's father who suffers 18 years of mysterious imprisonment in France. Monsieur and Madame Defarge strongly support the revolution and pursue the
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PECHS Campus
Tale of Two Cities - Character Sketches
Grade 8
Charles Darnay Charles Darnay appears at the beginning of the novel and is one of the protagonists. A well-groomed and civilized young man, he becomes a model of English manners on account of his civility and refined manners. Darnay is a French aristocrat, but he rejects their system. He spends his time between France and England, eventually disassociating himself from the French aristocratic cruelty. He proves to be a mirror in the juxtaposition of the thematic strands sprawled in the novel. Darnay meets Sydney Carton in the court and causes doubt to the jury due to similarities between them. As the main protagonist, Darnay also has heroic features that make him prominent among the rest of the characters. His heroism lies in saving Gabelle from certain death and facing the revolutionary jury with stoicism. Not only does he prove a true love but also a very loyal friend and a kind and generous hero throughout the novel.
Sydney Carton As one of the dynamic characters of the novel, Sydney Carton is not only a drunkard but also a lazy lawyer whose main interest lies in drinking. He is aware of wasting his life and admits that he cares for nothing. Despite his inarticulacy at the beginning of the novel, he demonstrates his genuine love and true feelings for Lucie Manette. However, Lucie does not return his feelings and marries Charles Darnay. Carton, by the end of the novel, sacrifices his life for Charles Darnay. This final act of sacrifice may be considered a case of redemption on his part on account of wasting his own life. However, it seems that he becomes a Christ-like man, a martyr who takes care of the happiness of others sacrificing his own.
Lucie Manette Lucie is an epitome of the female characters, showing the best qualities. Despite being a minor character, she shows a link between other characters. She is doctor Alexandre Manette’s daughter who was brought up in England. As a loving and generous, Lucie extends her impacts on other characters with a spectacular conversation. Though she marries Charles Darnay by the end, Carton and Stryver vow to love her and even inspires Lorry and Pross to love her as their daughter. Lucie’s character does not develop much throughout the story, but she shows the best characteristics of a female character.
Doctor Manette Doctor Manette or Alexandre Manette, Lucie’s father, is a mysterious character as stated by Jarvis Lorry. He learns about the torture of the Evermonde aristocratic family in France and is arrested for reporting them to the government. Like his character, his imprisonment in France stayed a mystery until the end. His task of passing his time in shoemaking in prison makes it known how he suffers from this cruel incarceration.
Monsieur Earnest Defarge
Owner of a wine shop in Paris, Monsieur Defarge, and his wife are strong supporters of the revolution. They keep Alexander Manette with them who have suffered incarceration for eighteen long years. Although he seems quite loyal to Manette, Defarge does this to inspire revolution among other patriots. Dr. Manette becomes a tool in his hand to malign the French aristocracy and propagate its torture. As a leader of the community, he leads the people when storming Bastille
Madame Thérèse Defarge
Madame Thérèse Defarge is Earnest Defarge’s wife. She is a cruel and vindictive lady who exacts revenge against the Evermonde family. His revengeful nature forces her to pursue Lucie and Darnay and even their children. Thérèse does so to seek revenge against the Evermonde for the deaths of her relatives. Her rage, the arrogance of the Marquis and accidental death of a child a at Marquis’ hands play a major role in her destructive actions. She refuses to accept Darnay’s conversion to a good man and finally meets her end at the hands of Pross.
Jarvis Lorry Mr. Lorry presents English virtue and manners through his eating etiquettes. He is an old man wearing good but inexpensive clothes and also shows his nature by wearing linen and symbolizing purity of heart. A calm and composed person, Mr. Lorry’s work at Tellson’s Bank has formalized his manners. He becomes very loyal and trustworthy for the Manette family, helping both the father and the daughter whenever they need.
Jerry Cruncher Working as a porter in Tellson’s Bank in London, Jeremiah or Jerry Cruncher also works as a resurrection man. He helps the Manette family when he goes with Lucie and Jarvis to Paris and bring Dr. Manette back to England. He also proves a helping hand for Carton against Barsad. Although he is abusive and torturous toward his wife, by the end when leaving Paris, he becomes very gentle and vows to renounce grave-robbing job.
Marquis Evrémonde Marquis is Charles Darnay’s Uncle, a twin brother of Charles’ father, and a French aristocrat. His character demonstrates the role of the aristocracy and its conditions in France. His manners reveal his true cruel nature as he accidentally kills a child. Despite appearing in just three chapters, he leaves the last impression on the readers’ minds merely on account of his pitilessness, arrogance and brutal nature. Gaspard, the father of the child murdered by Marquis, kills him after one year of the child’s death. Mr. Stryver An ambitious lawyer, Stryver dreams of climbing the social ladder. Unlike his associate, Sydney Carton, Stryver is bombastic, proud, and foolish.
John Barsad Like Roger Cly, John Barsad is a British spy who swears that patriotism is his only motive. Barsad falsely claims to be a virtuous man of upstanding reputation.
Roger Cly Like John Barsad, Roger Cly is a British spy who swears that patriotism alone inspires all of his actions. Cly feigns honesty but in fact constantly participates in conniving schemes.
A Tale of Two Cities In Plain and Simple English (Includes Study Guide, Complete Unabridged Book, Historical Context, Biography and Character Index)(Annotated)
