David Copperfield Characters

David Copperfield

David Copperfield is often called a Bildungsroman, a German term for a novel of learning or...

Tommy Traddles

When Traddles first appears as one of David's school friends at Salem House, we think he's just...

James Steerforth

Steerforth is one of those effortlessly graceful people who turn everything they touch into gold....

Miss Betsey Trotwood

We. Love. Miss. Betsey. Like, if there is a fan club for Miss Betsey out there, then we want to...

Mr. Dick

Mr. Dick is an older man living with Miss Betsey in her cottage at Dover. He is mentally...

Dora Spenlow

David falls in love with his boss's daughter, Dora Spenlow, at first sight. And, quite frankly,...

Agnes Wickfield

Agnes Wickfield is an angel. We know it because David tells us so, like, a million times. But she...

Mr. Wickfield

Mr. Wickfield is a lawyer and businessman living in the town of Canterbury, where David goes to...

Uriah Heep

Uriah Heep is not a person; he's an evil machine. He's like a really slow-acting version of the...

Peggotty

Peggotty is David's old nurse and his mother's housekeeper. Her primary characteristic, so far as...

Mrs. Clara Copperfield

We think Miss Betsey Trotwood says it best when she describes Mrs. Copperfield as "a very Baby"...

Mr. Murdstone

Let's just say this up front: Mr. Murdstone is one mean dude. He's a vicious tyrant who gets his...

Mr. Micawber

Mr. Micawber is Comic Relief – in the grimmest part of the novel, when David has been cast...

Mr. Peggotty

Mr. Peggotty, the elder brother of David's old nurse, is a fisherman living in the coastal city...

Emily

Emily is a lovely, graceful child, and David falls in love with her as soon as he sees her (when...

Ham Peggotty

Ham is Peggotty's nephew, the son of her brother Joe Peggotty, who drowned when Ham was a child....

Doctor Strong

Doctor Strong is the headmaster of David's second, much better, school. Unlike Mr. Creakle, he...

Mrs. Annie Strong

Annie is Doctor Strong's much younger wife. She is the object of a ton of gossip and suspicion...

Adams

Adams is the Head Boy (like a class president) at Doctor Strong's school when David arrives as a...

Captain Bailey

When David's in the midst of his schoolboy crush on Miss Larkins, David makes the mistake of...

Mr. Barkis

Mr. Barkis is a cart-driver who brings David from his home village of Blunderstone, Suffolk, to...

The Butcher

This young butcher announces that he'll beat the tar out of any of the boys who attends Doctor...

Mr. Chestle

Mr. Chestle is an unattractive older man who Miss Larkins plans to marry. He admires David's...

Mr. Chillip

If Mr. Chillip could be given another name, his name would be Plot Device. He's basically around...

Mr. Copperfield

We never actually meet Mr. Copperfield in the flesh (since he dies before David is even born),...

Mr. Creakle

Mr. Creakle is the headmaster of Salem House, David's first boarding school. He is acquainted...

Mrs. Creakle

Mr. Creakle's abusive sadism isn't limited to the boys in his school. He is also an absolute...

The Creakle Children

Miss Creakle is Mr. Creakle's daughter, and like Mrs. Creakle, she appears to be terrified of the...

Sophy Crewler

Sophy is Traddles's beloved fiancée. She is so patient, caring, and hard-working that her...

Reverend Crewler and Mrs. Crewler

Sophy's father and mother, and Traddles's in-laws.

The Crewler Girls

The Beauty is also known as Caroline Crewler, Sophy's oldest sister. She is much admired by the...

Mrs. Crupp

Ms. Crupp is the owner of the apartment building David rents rooms in when he first gets his...

Miss Rosa Dartle

Miss Dartle is living proof to us (if we need more evidence) that Steerforth's fatal flaw is his...

Martha Endell

Martha Endell is barely a character at all. Even though she plays a pivotal role in the plot of...

Mrs. Fibbitson

Mrs. Fibbitson is a friend and neighbor of Mrs. Mell's in the poor house. She comes over to...

Grainger

One of the two friends of Steerforth's that accompany David and Steerforth on David's one,...

Mrs. Gummidge

Mrs. Gummidge is the widow of Mr. Peggotty's business partner. Mr. Peggotty takes her into his...

Mrs. Heep

Mrs. Heep is Uriah Heep's devoted mother. Uriah Heep lives with her while he works as a clerk for...

Janet

Janet is Miss Betsey's maid at her cottage in Dover. She is a sensible, neat, pretty girl of...

Jip

Jip is Dora Spenlow's lapdog, an irritable little animal whom she spoils rotten. He's a jealous...

Joram

Joram the carpenter works with Mr. Omer. He's the one who builds the coffin that holds Mrs....

Mr. Jorkins

Mr. Jorkins is the business partner of David's employer, Mr. Spenlow. He exists mostly as a...

Miss Larkins

Miss Larkins is a woman of about thirty and David's next serious crush after Miss Shepherd. He...

Littimer

Littimer is Steerforth's extremely discreet and formal servant. His presence always makes David...

Jack Maldon

Jack Maldon is Annie Strong's cousin. He's a fairly useless guy. He can't hold down a job on his...

Markham

One of Steerforth's two friends to accompany David and Steerforth on David's drunken excursion to...

Mrs. Markleham

Mrs. Markleham is also known as "the Old Soldier," because she is constantly maneuvering around...

Mealy Potatoes

Mealy Potatoes is one of the boys working at Mr. Murdstone's factory alongside David. Once, he...

Mr. Mell

Mr. Mell is one of Salem House's three masters, along with Mr. Sharp and Mr. Creakle. He is a...

Mrs. Mell

Mrs. Mell is David's mentor Mr. Mell's mother. She gives David lunch when Mr. Mell goes to meet...

Mrs. Micawber

Like Mr. Micawber, Mrs. Micawber is primarily Comic Relief. She shares his talent for big words...

Master Micawber

Master Micawber is Mr. Micawber's oldest son. He's a restless, smart kid who doesn't really...

Miss Micawber

Miss Micawber is the eldest daughter of the Micawber family; she's a year younger than Master...

Miss Julia Mills

Miss Mills is a friend of Dora's. She is a couple of years older – around 21 when David and...

Miss Mowcher

Miss Mowcher, like Mr. Dick, is living proof of that old saying that you shouldn't judge a book...

Miss Murdstone

Miss Murdstone is the unmarried elder sister of Mr. Murdstone. As soon as Mr. Murdstone moves in...

The Infant Murdstone

David's little brother never gets a name in the novel, in part because he lives for so little...

Mr. Omer

Mr. Omer runs a clothing store in Yarmouth with a helpful sideline in undertaking. He prepares...

Minnie Omer

Minnie is Mr. Omer's daughter. We first meet her when David is traveling home to his mother's...

Mary Anne Paragon

Mary Anne is David and Dora's first servant. When she comes to them, they have references for her...

Mr. Passnidge

Mr. Passnidge is Mr. Murdstone's friend. He meets Mr. Murdstone and Mr. Quinion at a Blunderstone...

Mr. Quinion

Mr. Quinion manages the accountant portion of Mr. Murdstone's business, a wine merchant called...

Mr. Sharp

Mr. Sharp is the second master of Salem House. He doesn't take a particular interest in David, as...

Miss Shepherd

Miss Shepherd goes to a local girls school in Canterbury. Her school pairs up with David's school...

Mr. Spenlow

Considering that this man is the father of David's first wife, we don't actually get to see very...

Miss Lavinia Spenlow

Miss Lavinia is one of Dora Spenlow's two aunts, the ones who take Dora in to their home when her...

Miss Clarissa Spenlow

Miss Clarissa is the second of Dora Spenlow's two aunts. When David comes over to explain his...

Mrs. Steerforth

Mrs. Steerforth is like a walking, talking explanation for why Steerforth is such a bad person....

Miss Betsey Trotwood's Husband

This is Miss Betsey's estranged husband, whose name we never learn. Heartbroken and enraged,...

Tungay

Tungay is the caretaker of Salem House. He has a wooden leg. He absolutely hates all of the...

Mick Walker

Mick Walker is one of the boys working at Mr. Murdstone's factory Like David, it is Mick's job to...

Mr. Waterbrook

Mr. Waterbrook is Mr. Wickfield's agent. He hosts the Wickfields when Agnes and Mr. Wickfield...

Mrs. Waterbrook

Mr. Waterbrook's wife. Both the Waterbrooks use their dinner party as an occasion to remind their...

Yawler

Yawler is a former schoolmate of David and Traddles from Salem House. He helps Traddles get...