charactersketch of akk the characters of the Canterville ghost.? (each character's sketch must be of 15 line)

The character sketches have already been provided on our website. Kindly refer to the same.

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LORD CANTERVILLE:

A member of the English aristocracy, he is a descendant of Sir Simon de Canterville—the old ghost of Canterville Chase. He is described as ‘a man of the most punctilious honour’. This becomes evident when he confesses to Mr. Otis about the presence of a ghost in Canterville Chase. He considers it his duty to warn the American about the ghost in the house that he wishes to buy. This sense of honour is on display once again when he refuses to accept the jewels gifted to Virginia Otis by the ghost.

SIR SIMON THE CANTERVILLE:

 

He is a sixteenth-century ancestor of Lord Canterville. When alive, he murders his wife, Lady Eleanore, for being a poor housekeeper. Later, he is starved to death by his wife’s brothers in retribution for his crime. His skeleton, chained in a little room, is discovered in the late nineteenth century by the American residents of the house. For three hundred years, the disembodied spirit of Sir Simon roams Canterville Chase, haunting and terrorising its inhabitants. He takes especial pleasure in frightening his relations. He goes about his nocturnal expeditions with a strong sense of duty. It is the sole reason for his existence. He takes pride in scaring people to insanity and death. He delights in recalling his long list of victims and his different ghostly attires such as the Blood-Sucker of Bexley Moor, the Headless Earl and Jonas the Graveless.

Mr. HIRAM B. OTIS:

He is the American ambassador to the royal court of England. He is a rational and pragmatic American Republican. He comes ‘from a modern country’ which has everything that can be bought. He refuses to believe that Canterville Chase is haunted despite what his acquaintances say. Later, however, after the constant reappearance of the bloodstain in the library, he has to accept the existence of the disembodied spirit.

MRS. LUCRETIA OTIS:

 

She is the wife of the American ambassador to the royal court of England. Before marriage, she was called Miss Lucretia R. Tappan and was well known for her beauty. She is described as ‘a very handsome, middle-aged woman, with fine eyes, and a superb profile’. The author praises her for having ‘a magnificent constitution’ and ‘a really wonderful amount of animal spirits’. He says that on this account she was more English than American.

WASHINGTON OTIS:

He is the eldest of the Otis children. We are told that Washington, named after the first President of the United States, does not like his name very much. He is described as ‘fair-haired’, ‘good-looking’ and an ‘excellent dancer’. He is said to display an excessive fondness towards the nobility. This sets him apart from his father who does not approve of titles and the enfeebling influences of the ‘pleasure-loving aristocracy’

VIRGINIA OTIS:

She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Otis. She was born in a London suburb ‘shortly after Mrs. Otis returned from a trip to Athens’. She is athletic and free-spirited, with golden hair and large blue eyes. She is a good rider who once raced and beat Lord Bilton. Virginia is shown to have a sense of right and wrong. She censures the ghost for murdering his poor wife. She has a great regard for her family. So, she takes offence when the ghost calls her family ‘horrid, rude, vulgar, dishonest’.

THE OTIS TWINS:

They are the youngest members of the Otis family. They study at Eton, an English boarding school. We are told that ‘The Star and Stripes’—a reference to the American flag—is the nickname for the twin brothers. They prove to be the Canterville ghost’s nemeses. They attack him with pillows and pea shooters. They dress up as ghosts to scare him off his wits. They set trip wires and butter slides in different parts of the house to make him fall. 

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The ghost: The ghost of the castle for centuries. He was Sir Simon de Canterville and died in 1584, his spirit still haunts the Chase. His aspect is very terrible: “He is an old man, his eyes were as red burning coals, long grey hair fell over his shoulders in matted coils, his garments, which were of antique cut, were soiled and ragged, and from his wrists and ankles hung heavy manacles and rusty gyves.”

 

Mr. Otis: The father of the Otis family. He is a middle-aged American minister; he is determinated, inflexible, rational, practical and pragmatic, in conclusion a true American. In fact at the beginning he believes that the ghost doesn’t exist, then, when he personally meets him, he is indifferent: he has more important things to do, making money, for example.

 

Virginia: “She is a little girl of fifteen, lithe and lovely as a fawn, and with a fine freedom, in her large blue eyes. She is a wonderful amazon. In respect to her family she is kind and with weling heart.”The daughter is the only one in the family who is scared by the ghost. She never speaks except to the ghost, at the end of the story.

 

Washington: the Otises' oldest son; “he is a fire-haired rather cood-loooking young man; gardenias and peerage are his only weaknesses.”

 

The twins: “they are usually called The stars and stripes, they are delightful boys and the only true republicans of the family.” These children always play tricks on the ghost and make him depressed and desperate. All  along  the story, they imagine jokes and even dress up as ghosts.

 

Mrs Otis:  The mother isn't scared of the ghost and even asks him if he wants a remedy for his stomach. “She is a very handsome middle-aged woman with fine eyes and a superb profile. She has a magnificent constitution and a wonderful amount of animal spirits.”

 

Duke of Chesire: He is a handsome young scapegrace” desperately in love with the fifteen-year old Virginia Otis. However, his guardians pack him off to Eton, and he must wait to marry. When Virginia vanishes, he insists on being part of the search party. As soon as she reappears, he smothers her with kisses. His devotion is rewarded, and Virginia consents to become the Duchess of Cheshire.

 

Lord Canterville: A respectable descendent of the Canterville family, that was the owner of the Canterville Chase. “He is an English men of the most pounctilious honour.”

 Mrs.Umney: the old house-keeper of Canterville Chase is very terrified by the ghost and tries to warn the family.

Gipsies, Rev. Augustus Dampier: there isn’t a description because they are only nominated.

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 She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Otis. She was born in a London suburb ‘shortly after Mrs. Otis returned from a trip to Athens’. She is athletic and free-spirited, with golden hair and large blue eyes. She is a good rider who once raced and beat Lord Bilton. Virginia is shown to have a sense of right and wrong. She censures the ghost for murdering his poor wife. She has a great regard for her family. So, she takes offence when the ghost calls her family ‘horrid, rude, vulgar, dishonest’.


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Main characters: The ghost, Virginia and Mr. Otis

Secondary characters: Washington, Mrs. Otis, the twins, Duke of   Chesire and Lord Canterville, Mrs. Umney, gypsies an  Rev  Augustus Dampier

 If we consider this story as a fairy tale, we can define the characters by means of their functions, the typical ones of the traditional stories according to the famous categories devised by Propp and the structural literary analysis.

 Characters in chapters 1 to 4

 Functions:

  • Protagonist: Mr. Otis

  • Antagonist: the ghost

  • Object: to turn out the ghost

  • Protagonist’s helper: Washington and the twins

  • Antagonist’s helper: his supernatural powers

Characters in chapters 5 to 7

 Functions:

  • Protagonists: the ghost

  • Antagonist: Mr Otis

  • Object: the ghost soul’s liberation

  • Protagonist’s helper: Virginia

  • Antagonist’s helper: his family, excluding Virginia, and the Duke of Chesire

 Descriptions of the characters

 

The ghost: The ghost of the castle for centuries. He was Sir Simon de Canterville and died in 1584, his spirit still haunts the Chase. His aspect is very terrible: “He is an old man, his eyes were as red burning coals, long grey hair fell over his shoulders in matted coils, his garments, which were of antique cut, were soiled and ragged, and from his wrists and ankles hung heavy manacles and rusty gyves.”

 

Mr. Otis: The father of the Otis family. He is a middle-aged American minister; he is determinated, inflexible, rational, practical and pragmatic, in conclusion a true American. In fact at the beginning he believes that the ghost doesn’t exist, then, when he personally meets him, he is indifferent: he has more important things to do, making money, for example.

 

Virginia: “She is a little girl of fifteen, lithe and lovely as a fawn, and with a fine freedom, in her large blue eyes. She is a wonderful amazon. In respect to her family she is kind and with weling heart.” The daughter is the only one in the family who is scared by the ghost. She never speaks except to the ghost, at the end of the story.

 

Washington: the Otises' oldest son; “he is a fire-haired rather cood-loooking young man; gardenias and peerage are his only weaknesses.”

 

The twins: “they are usually called The stars and stripes, they are delightful boys and the only true republicans of the family.” These children always play tricks on the ghost and make him depressed and desperate. All  along  the story, they imagine jokes and even dress up as ghosts.

 

Mrs Otis:  The mother isn't scared of the ghost and even asks him if he wants a remedy for his stomach. “She is a very handsome middle-aged woman with fine eyes and a superb profile. She has a magnificent constitution and a wonderful amount of animal spirits.”

 

Duke of Chesire: He is a handsome young scapegrace” desperately in love with the fifteen-year old Virginia Otis. However, his guardians pack him off to Eton, and he must wait to marry. When Virginia vanishes, he insists on being part of the search party. As soon as she reappears, he smothers her with kisses. His devotion is rewarded, and Virginia consents to become the Duchess of Cheshire.

 

Lord Canterville: A respectable descendent of the Canterville family, that was the owner of the Canterville Chase. “He is an English men of the most pounctilious honour.”

 

Mrs.Umney: the old house-keeper of Canterville Chase is very terrified by the ghost and tries to warn the family.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gipsies, Rev. Augustus Dampier: there isn’t a description because they are only nominated.

 

By Sarah and Cindy, Ilaria and Francesca

 

 
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