The White Devil Characters

Neglected WifeVittoria gets the play rolling: she's at the center of the action, even if she's not quite as constant a presence as her brother, Flamineo. Basically, she's cheating on her husband Ca...

Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to KnowWhen the Duke of Brachiano gets killed in the last act of the play, Flamineo—his former ally—pays tribute to him, after Francisco (in disguise) asks him about the...

Fran. 'Tis a ridiculous thing for a man to be his own chronicle: I did never wash my mouth with mine own praise, for fear of getting a stinking breath.Marc. You 're too stoical. The duke will expec...

Lodovico is a sociopathic villain: he's kind of like Flamineo, except he's playing for the other team. But he wants to get revenge. Why, you ask? Simple: he was carrying a torch for Isabella, the w...

Cardinal Monticelso might be better at committing vengeance than being a priest—though it's not like that stopped him from becoming the Pope or anything. Technically, he's supposed to be on the r...

Cornelia is another one of the play's few "good guys"—though this doesn't work out very well for her. She's the mother of two corrupt children—Vittoria and Flamineo—and one nice boy named Mar...

Isabella is the Duke of Brachiano's extremely unfortunate wife. She shows admirable qualities like devotion and gentleness (and even fakes searing rage against Vittoria, in order to act like she's...

Camillo is Vittoria's husband… until he's not… because he gets murdered. We don't really get to learn too much about him, aside from the fact that he's not satisfying his wife sexually, and tha...

Marcello is Flamineo's younger brother—he's also one of Camillo's co-workers, helping to attack pirates on the coast of Italy. Even though he's meant to be one of the good guys, this noble teen (...

Giovanni is just a kid—also another one of the good guys. The son of Brachiano and Isabella, and successor as Duke after Brachiano dies, he doesn't get too many lines—but the lines he does get...

Zanche is a Moorish (North African) maid who works for Flamineo's family. She's carrying on an affair with Flamineo (not an extra-marital affair, though: she's basically his girlfriend), which earn...

Gasparo is Lodovico's henchman. He shows up in the first scene when Lodovico gets banished, and then later on, as Lodovico's accomplice in revenge (both are disguised as monks). He helps kill Brach...

Antonelli is just one of Lodovico's cronies. He only shows up in the story at the very beginning, talking with Lodovico and drawing out some information, which helps set the stage for the rest of t...

Doctor Julio is Brachiano's source for the poison he uses to murder his wife, Isabella. He's a corrupt doctor—clearly not keeping the Hippocratic Oath. Julio personally helps apply the poison, al...

Hortensio is one of the Duke of Brachiano's officers, but he apparently isn't a bad character. He senses evil is afoot, and musters the other officers and Giovanni—who don't arrive in time to pre...

These guys are like the chorus of the play and mostly express the audience's reactions. During Vittoria's courtroom scene, the French Ambassador says that he thinks Vittoria "liv'd ill"; the Englis...

The Conjurer uses magic—real magic!—to help Brachiano witness the murder of his wife and of Camillo. Although the Conjurer is helping Brachiano out, it seems like he's also a little skeptical a...

The two lawyers are both comic characters (Webster may have studied law himself at one time). Flamineo jokes around with the first lawyer, and Vittoria kicks the second lawyer out of the courtroom....

Christophero is one of Brachiano's henchmen—he helps poison Isabella. He's not referred to by name by any of the characters, and only has a name in the stage directions. He doesn't have any lines...

Brachiano calls for the armourer when he realizes that his helmet's been poisoned. The Armourer is innocent and really surprised—but Brachiano orders him sent away to torture.

The Matron shows up for a minute at the beginning of Act IV to ask Flamineo a question and get the action rolling. She works at the House of Convertites and lets Brachiano visit Vittoria there. Aft...

"Little Jacques the Moor" is listed as a character—he's the servant of Giovanni—but he doesn't have any lines or see anything. At no point is he referred to by any character by name as "Jacques...