• A Sicilian lord in The Winter''s Tale

Nearly invulnerable Greek hero who was eventually slain by an arrow that pierced his heel.

• Portrayed as a traitorous ally and a treacherous foe in Troilus and Cressida

• Deputy to Duke Vincentio in Measure for Measure

• Shakespeare used this name for characters in Much Ado About Nothing, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Tempest, The Merchant of Venice and Twelfth Night

Friend to Julius Caesar, foe to Augustus, and lover of Cleopatra.

• One of the title characters in Antony and Cleopatra, and a hero of Julius Caesar

• A minor character in Henry IV, Pt. I

• A rival to the title character in King John

• Shakespeare used this name for servants in Romeo and Juliet, The Comedy of Errors, The Mechant of Venice and Much Ado About Nothing

• The confirmed bachelor who first matches wits (then protestations of love) with Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing

• An attendant to Lady Anne in Richard III

• The name of a wrestler in As You Like It and also the name of various grandees in Shakespeare''s history plays

• The tipsy tinker for whom The Taming of the Shrew is performed as a play-within-a-play

• A helpful old shepherd in As You Like It

• Petruchio''s servant in The Taming of the Shrew

• A servant in Henry IV, Pt. II

• A servant in As You Like It

• A vocal participant in Cade''s Rebellion as portrayed in Henry VI, Pt.II

• A quirky villain in Much Ado About Nothing

• Name of several English noblemen in Shakespeare''s plays, including kings Edward IV and V who appear in Henry VI, Pt. III and Richard III

• Wooer of Miss Anne Page in The Merry Wives of Windsor

• He falls in love with the innocent Miranda in The Tempest

• He conspires with the lovely Hero to restore her good name in Much Ado About Nothing

• A usurping villain who finally sees the error of his ways in As You Like It

• This historical personage appears in Henry VI, Pt.III as an opportunist and in Richard III as one of the title character''s victims

• Quarreling servant of the Capulets in Romeo and Juliet

• Unsuccessfully attempts to protect the young prince Arthur in King John

• A Welsh parson who torments Falstaff in The Merry Wives of Windsor

• A nobleman featured in all the Henry plays

King of England, 1199-1216.

• In King John, Shakespeare ''''improved'''' the story of his tumultuous reign with a number of non-historical scenes

• The servant of Proteus, he moons over a milkmaid and complains of his dog Crab in The Two Gentlemen of Verona

• The kindly monk who performs the ceremony uniting Romeo and Juliet in their star-crossed marriage

• Patriarch of the young hero''s house in Romeo and Juliet

• A young nobleman in Henry IV, Pt. II

• A comically pedantic clergyman in Love''s Labor''s Lost

• The scheming and eloquent King of the Fairies in A Midsummer Night''s Dream

• He begins as a villain and ends as a lover in As You Like It

• The gallant hero and Rosalind''s devoted love in As You Like It

• The braggart pretender to the Welsh princedom in Henry IV, Pt. I

In Greek legend, a Trojan shepherd-prince.

• He sympathizes with Troilus'' love-sickness in Troilus and Cressida; another character with this same name is killed in a duel with Romeo in Romeo and Juliet

King of France, 1180-1223.

• He wavers between belligerence against and alliance with the title character in King John

• Friend and follower of Antony in Antony and Cleopatra

• Falstaff''s page in The Merry Wives of Windsor

• The passionate hero of Romeo and Juliet

• A Scottish thane in Macbeth

• A servant to the Capulets in Romeo and Juliet

• Retainer to the Earl of Northumberland in Henry IV, Pt. 2

• The heroine''s cousin, killed by the hero in Romeo and Juliet

• Minor characters in both Titus Andronicus and Twelfth Night share this name with a fickle young lover in Two Gentemen of Verona

• A combatant in Henry VI, Pt. I

• Minor characters share the Bard''s name in As You Like It and Henry IV, Pt. II

• Illegitimate son of the Duke of Gloucester who usurps the birthright of his brother Edgar in King Lear

King of England, 1377-99.

• The poignantly flawed anti-hero of Richard II

King of England, 1399-1413.

• The title character of Henry IV, Pts. I and II

King of England, 1422-61 and 1470-71.

• The title character of the Henry VI, Pts. I, II and III, he is portrayed as a simple soul who longs for a life of peaceful obscurity

King of England, 1483-85.

• His progress in villainy and murder is traced through Henry VI, Pts. I and II and continued until he meets his end on Bosworth Field at the end of Richard III

King of England, 1485-1509.

• Portrayed as the youthful Earl of Richmond in Henry VI, Pt. III; at the conclusion of Richard III he slays the title character and establishes the Tudor dynasty

King of England, 1509-47.

• One of Shakespeare''s last plays, Henry VIII, was a shameless propaganda piece celebrating the glories of Tudor rule

King of Scotland, 1034-40.

• Victim of the title character in Macbeth

• A friend to Antony in Antony and Cleopatra; this is also the name of a villian in Titus Andronicus and one of the quartet of lovers in A Midsummer Night''s Dream

• Characters with this name appear in Henry VI, King John, Romeo and Juliet and Measure for Measure

• A servant in Pericles

• Characters with this name appear in Henry IV, Henry VI, Richard II, Richard III and Measure for Measure.

• The Governor of Tarsus in Pericles

• A courtier in Hamlet; also the name of the queen''s doctor in Cymbeline

• One of four lords of Sicily in The Winter''s Tale

• The King of Naples in The Tempest

• Viola''s twin brother in Twelfth Night

• He and his friends unsuccessfully attempt to forswear romance in Love''s Labor''s Lost

• A wise old counsellor to the King of Naples in The Tempest

• Minor characters in Coriolanus and The Tempest share this name

• A tipsy butler caught up in his delusions of grandeur in The Tempest

• Magical servant of the wizard Prospero in The Tempest; this male character is often played by a woman

• Servant to Polonius in Hamlet

• Devoted companion to the young prince in Hamlet

• One of the city guards who first sees the ghost of the title character''s father in Hamlet

• One of the castle guards who confronts the old king''s ghost in Hamlet

• This title character of the tragedy Othello is a Venetian captain of Moorish descent, deceived by his jealous lieutenant Iago into believing his wife Desdemona is unfaithful to him; in a jealous rage, he kills her, then himself

• The cunning, jealous ensign who works a terrible revenge on the title character in Othello

• The wronged heir to the Duke of Gloucester, and fellow exile of the title character, in King Lear

• Steward to the evil princess Goneril in King Lear

• A Scottish nobleman in Macbeth

• Lover of Hero in Much Ado About Nothing; also the name of a handsome rake who is condemned for his indiscretions in Measure for Measure

• A complex young gallant in Measure for Measure

• A haughty, fickle nobleman, who finally sees the error of his ways in All''s Well That Ends Well

• A steward in All''s Well That Ends Well

Son of King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy.

• He is portrayed as a paragon of martial chivalry in Troilus and Cressida

Son of Priam, the king of Troy.

• Featured in Troilus and Cressida

• Characters with this name appear in Henry VI, Pt. II and Troilus and Cressida

This is another name for Odysseus, the hero of Homer's epic The Odyssey.

• A leader among the Greeks besieging Troy, he disdains Cressida in Troilus and Cressida

A Greek leader in the Trojan War.

• In Troilus and Cressida, he claims he would gladly join his fellow Greeks in attacking Troy if not for his great age

• A Roman general who is the protagonist of the bloody tragedy Titus Andronicus

• The son of the title character in Titus Andronicus

• Son to the title character in Titus Andronicus

• Brother to the title character in Titus Andronicus, and, like him, a Roman aristocrat

• A villain in Titus Andronicus

• A noble Roman in Titus Andronicus

• A noble Athenian who is visited with many troubles and bitterly forswears the company of others in Timon of Athens

• A combative Roman soldier in Coriolanus

• A tribune of the people in Coriolanus

• A Roman citizen in Coriolanus

Nephew of Julius Caesar. Winner of the civil war that followed his uncle's death, he become the first Roman emperor, reigning under the name Augustus from 27 B.C. to 14 A.D.

• Portrayed as an honorable military leader in both Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra

Political figure who unsuccessfully struggled to maintain the republican government of ancient Rome.

• This ''''noblest Roman of them all'''' is portrayed as a reluctant leader of the conspirators who assassinate Julius Caesar

• One of the Roman nobles who conspire to assassinate the title character in Julius Caesar

• Faithful servant to Brutus in Julius Caesar

• Elopes with Jessica, Shylock''s daughter, in The Merchant of Venice

• Servant to Bassanio in The Merchant of Venice

• Shylock''s friend in The Merchant of Venice

• Shylock''s servant in The Merchant of Venice

• Drinks, dances and wenches his way through Twelfth Night in the company of the foolish Sir Andrew Aguecheek

• A foolish knight, companion to Sir Toby Belch in Twelfth Night

• Servant to Olivia in Twelfth Night

As commander of the English forces in France, caused Joan of Arc to be burned at the stake.

• Featured in Henry IV, Pts. I and II

• A traitor found out by the title character of Henry V

• Traitor in Henry V

English nobleman and soldier.

• A faithful old adherent to the king in Henry V

• One of the common soldiers who unknowingly converses with his disguised king in Henry V

• One of the common soldiers who discuss the horrors of war with the disguised title character of Henry V

• Character in Henry V

• Faithful old servant to Orlando in As You Like It; traditionally, one of the parts played by Shakespeare himself

Soldier, author, and dictator of ancient Rome.

• As the title character of Julius Caesar, he is tranquil in the face of portents of his own assassination

King of England, 1413-22.

• As Young Prince Hal in Henry IV, Parts I and II, he is the reckless companion of Falstaff and his cronies; in Henry V he is transformed into a symbol of English nationalism

King of Scotland, 1059-93.

• Flees the murderous ambition of the title character in Macbeth, then returns to oppose him in battle and succeed to the Scottish throne

King of Scotland, 1040-57.

• Title character of Macbeth, who treacherously claims the throne of Scotland, but has no joy of it

• Character in Romeo and Juliet

• Dallies with the likes of Toby Belch and Andrew Aguecheek in Twelfth Night; traditionally her name is given the ''''muh-RI-uh'''' pronunciation

• An adventuress in All''s Well That Ends Well; the goddess of the same name appears to the title character in Pericles

• Wife to Antipholus of Ephesus in The Comedy of Errors

• A country girl wooed by the clown Touchstone in As You Like It

• Niece to the title character in King John

• Confidante and companion to the heroine Rosalind in As You Like It

• Attendant to the Egyptian queen in Antony and Cleopatra

• The name of both the adventurous heroine of All''s Well That Ends Well and Demetrius''s determined lover in A Midsummer Night''s Dream

• One of the fiesty young lovers in A Midsummernight''s Dream

• She successfully retrieves her lost reputation in Much Ado About Nothing

• Disguised as a boy, she pursues her lover Proteus to Milan in The Two Gentlemen of Verona

• This is not only the name of the star-crossed heroine of Romeo and Juliet, but also that of a woman wronged by the cruel Claudio in Measure for Measure

• Title character of The Taming of the Shrew, who battles her suitor Petruchio tooth and nail, but ultimately finds peace in his arms

• Lady attending the princess of France in Love''s Labor''s Lost

• Clever servant to Julia in The Two Gentlemen of Verona

• In The Comedy of Errors she is shocked by the amourous attentions of a man she believes is her brother-in-law, but in fact is his twin

Sister of Octavius Caesar and wife of Mark Antony.

• Portrayed as heart-broken at the civil war and her husband''s unfaithfulness in Antony and Cleopatra

• Sheperdess torn between Ganymede and Silvius in As You Like It

• Disguises herself as the male forester Ganymede to pursue her banished lover Orlando in As You Like It

• Dallies with the love-sick Biron before consenting to marry him in Love''s Labor''s Lost

• There are many rivals for her hand in The Two Gentlemen of Verona

• The tempestuous queen of the fairies in A Midsummer Night''s Dream

• A gentlewoman attending Hero in Much Ado About Nothing

Queen of Egypt; lover of both Julius Caesar and Marc Antony.

• Romantic heroine of Antony and Cleopatra

Religiously inspired peasant girl who rallied the French armies against English invaders. Burned at the stake; later canonized.

• Portrayed as a witch and libertine in Henry VI, Pt. I

• A jolly shepherdess in The Winter''s Tale

• Daughter of the title character in Cymbeline, who marries for love against her father''s will

In ancient Greek legend, a semi-diety reputed to be the most beautiful woman in the world. Her abduction by Paris from her Greek husband Menelaus caused the Trojan War.

• Portrayed as a pleasure-loving sensualist in Troilus and Cressida

• The falsely accused queen in The Winter''s Tale

• Princess who is abandoned and raised in ignorance of her birth in The Winter''s Tale

• Courageous noblewoman who obtains justice for the wronged queen Hermione in The Winter''s Tale

• Prospero''s daughter, who discovers a ''''brave new world'''' when an expedition reaches their lonely island in The Tempest

• Shakespearean character from Hamlet

• Comes to a tragically romantic end in Hamlet

• The tragic wife of the jealous title character in Othello

• Wife of the treacherous Iago and faithful retainer of the doomed Desdemona in Othello

• One of the traitorous daughters of the title character in King Lear

• The truthful, faithful daughter of King Lear

• Conspires to recover Angelo''s affections in Measure for Measure

• A nun in Measure for Measure

In Homer's Iliad, Trojan prophetess whose unerring predictions are never believed.

• Princess of Troy in Troilus and Cressida

• Servant to Imogen in Cymbeline

• The fickle, heart-breaking heroine of Troilus and Cressida

• The daughter of the title character in Titus Andronicus

• The deadly queen of the Goths in Titus Andronicus

• Wife to the title character of Coriolanus

• She pleads with the title character of Coriolanus to have pity on Rome

• In Julius Caesar, this is the name of Brutus'' devoted wife; in The Merchant of Venice, a character with this name impersonates a lawyer to argue for her lover''s life

• Waiting maid, confidante and co-conspirator of the heroine Portia in The Merchant of Venice

• Shylock''s daughter in The Merchant of Venice

• Falls in love with Duke Orsino while disguised as his boy page in Twelfth Night

Queen to Charles V of France.

• Her daughter Katherine marries the title character in Henry V

French princess who married Henry V of England.

• Wooed by the title character in Henry V

• Attendant to princess Catherine of France in Henry V

• The hapless queen who is wronged and then wooed by the title character of Richard III

• The clever, sarcastic comic heroine who matches wits with and finally falls for Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing

• Cassio''s paramour in Othello; also the name of the title character''s younger sister in The Taming of the Shrew, forbidden marry until her man-hating sister does

• The passionate Dutchess of Brittany in King John

Queen to Louis VII of France, then to Henry II of England. Mother of kings Richard and John of England.

• Powerful, protective mother of the title character in King John

Queen to King Edward IV of England.

• She impresses her husband with her virtue in Henry VI, Pt. III, then mourns him and their sons in Richard III

• The staunchly virtuous heroine of Measure for Measure

Queen to King Henry VI of England.

• She is a conspiring murderess in Henry VI, Parts I, II and III, and returns to curse the entire House of York in Richard III

• The guilt-ridden mother of the title character in Hamlet

• Noblewoman who is loved by Duke Orsino, but prefers his messenger Cesario, in Twelfth Night