Brother of Albano and responsible, along with Jacomo and his other brother Randolfo, for the plan to disguise Soranza as Albano to prevent Celia from marrying Laverdure.
ALBANO BELLETZO
Albano Belletzo is the husband of Celia, supposed drowned in a shipwreck. He returns just after the launching of the plot to pass Soranza off as him. Consequently he goes unrecognized until he appeals to the Duke and convinces Celia of his true identity.
[PIETRO] ARETINO
A "ghost character" mentioned by Quadratus as a satirist whose opinion he would respect and to whom he compares his friend Canaidus.
ATTICUS
Atticus discusses the play, the audience and the author with Doricus and Philomuse in the Induction.
AURELIUS TUBER
A "ghost character;" another suitor of Celia.
BALTHAZAR
A "ghost character." Former suitor of Meletza.
BATTUS
One of the pupils of the Pedant.
BIDET, [BOSPHOROS CARMELYDON HONORIFICACUMINOS]
Bidet is the page of Laverdure. He overhears the plot to disguise Soranza as Albano and warns his master. He himself plots with the other pages and disguises himself as a fool when Holifernes Pippo dresses up as a merchant's wife.
CANAIDUS
A "ghost character" mentioned by Quadratus as a satirist whose opinion he would respect.
CATO
Cato of Utica, the famous Censor, is the role that Quadratus proposes to act before the Duke.
CELIA
Celia is the wife of Albano. Believing him dead, she is keen to marry Laverdure, but seems content to be reclaimed by Albano at the end.
DOIT
Doit is a page who discusses the nature of pages and their masters with Noose, Trip, Holifernes Pippo, Bidet and Slip.
DON KINSAYDER
A name used elsewhere by Marston himself, here applied by Quadratus either to Lampatho Doria or possibly to Simplicius Faber. In 1598 Marston published his pamphlet The Scourge of Villanie under the name W. Kinsayder, and in 1601 (the same year as this play) his character in the anonymous Return from Parnassus was named Kinsayder.
DORICUS
Doricus discusses the play, the audience and the author with Atticus and Philomuse in the Induction.
DUPATZO
A "ghost character." Former suitor of Meletza.
FABIUS
A "ghost character." Former suitor of Meletza.
FRANCISCO SORANZA
Francisco Soranza is a perfumer who, because of his remarkable resemblance to Albano, is commissioned by Jacomo and Albano's brothers to impersonate him.
HOLIFERNES PIPPO
One of the pupils of the Pedant until he is chosen by Simplicius Faber as a page. He subsequently dresses up as a merchant's wife to fool his master.
JACOMO
Jacomo is in love with Celia, and therefore, along with her brothers-in-law, concocts the plan to dress Soranza as Albano, convincing her that her husband is still alive, and thus preventing her from marrying Laverdure.
LADY
An unnamed lady is seen with Lorenzo Celsi in his first appearance.
LAMPATHO DORIA
The egregiously vain and bombastic Lampatho Doria is the main butt of Quadratus's satire.
LAVERDURE
Laverdure is a French knight who is planning to marry Celia until he realizes that her first husband, Albano, is still alive.
LORENZO CELSI
Lorenzo Celsi is the dissolute, tobacco-smoking Duke of Venice. It is he who recognizes the real Albano.
LUCEA
Lucea is Celia's maid. The name is also twice applied in error to Celia herself.
LYZABETTA
Lyzabetta attends on Celia.
MASTIGOPHORUS
A "ghost character" mentioned by Quadratus as a satirist whose opinion he would respect.
MELETZA
Meletza is the sister of Celia. Quadratus, Simplicius Faber and others court her.
NATHANIEL
One of the pupils of the Pedant.
NOOSE
Noose is a page who discusses the nature of pages and their masters with Doit, Trip, Holifernes Pippo, Bidet and Slip.
NOUS
One of the pupils of the Pedant.
PEDANT
The Pedant teaches Battus, Nous, Nathaniel, and Holifernes Pippo until the latter is chosen as a page.
PERPETUANA
Perpetuana is the name used by Holifernes Pippo when he disguises himself as a merchant's wife to gull Simplicius Faber.
PHILOMUSE
Philomuse discusses the play with Atticus and Doricus in the Induction. He is identified as a friend of the author and he speaks the Prologue.
PHYLUS
Page of Jacomo.
PISO
A "ghost character;" another suitor of Celia.
QUADRATUS
Quadratus is a cynical scorner of the world. He is a friend of Jacomo and warns Laverdure that Lampatho Doria is a parasite, but his impulses are generally satirical rather than charitable. He castigates Simplicius Faber as a poor specimen of the satirist.
RANDOLFO
Brother of Albano and responsible, along with Jacomo and his other brother Adrian, for the plan to disguise Soranza as Albano to prevent Celia from marrying Laverdure.
SIMPLICIUS FABER
The foolish Simplicius Faber is an associate of Lampatho Doria's. Albano beats him for insisting that Albano is Soranza. He is gulled by Holifernes Pippo's disguise as a woman named Perpetuana.
SLIP
Albano's page.
TRIP
Trip is a page who discusses the nature of pages and their masters with Noose, Doit, Holifernes Pippo, Bidet and Slip.