Antagonist

Character Role Analysis

The Mothers-in-Law

The evil mothers-in-law who thwart their sons' plans to marry a pious Christian girl are almost indistinguishable from one another; even their method—casting Custance out to sea in a rudderless boat—is the same. Although these women do antagonize Custance, their ultimate goal—to maintain their birth faith in their homelands—focuses not so much on her as on her religion. For this reason, we can characterize the Sultan's Mother and Donegild as antagonists of Christianity as much as of Custance.