The Last Man

Narrator

Also known as the Sibyl’s decipherer · the native of England

The first-person editor of the Sibylline leaves, who recounts finding them with a companion in the Cumæan Sibyl’s Cave and shaping them into a continuous narrative. The story within the leaves is narrated by Lionel Verney.

Narrator’s companion

Also known as my companion · my friend · selected and matchless companion of my toils

The narrator’s close companion in discovering and collecting the Sibylline leaves; the narrator later says this companion is lost.

Cumæan Sibyl

Also known as the Sibyl · Cumæan damsel

Ancient prophetess said to have received divine inspiration; the narrator attributes the Sibylline leaves to her.

Lionel Verney

Also known as Lionel · Verney

The story’s first-person narrator, an orphaned shepherd from Cumberland and son of a once-celebrated courtier. He marries Idris and protects his family and surviving communities through the plague; after Adrian, Clara, and Evelyn die in a shipwreck, he becomes the last human survivor and records his story before setting out to wander the emptied world by boat.

Lionel’s father

Also known as my father · the king’s friend · the favourite

A witty, gifted former favorite of the English court and friend of the king, whose gambling and debts drove him into retreat in Cumberland. He married a poor cottager’s daughter and died leaving two children; the king’s letter of support for his family was long lost.

The king

Also known as the youthful sovereign · the late king · the last king of England · Earl of Windsor

The last king of England, a friend of Lionel’s father who gave him financial help and later regretted their separation. He abdicated, became Earl of Windsor, and was Adrian and Idris’s father.

The queen

Also known as the haughty princess of Austria · the ex-queen · the Countess of Windsor

The king’s Austrian-born wife, who opposed his friendship with Lionel’s father and became an ambitious influence on her children. She tried to send Idris to Austria and arrange a marriage, but Idris escaped; aged and still hostile to Lionel, she lived with Adrian and died during the emigrants’ journey.

Lionel’s mother

Also known as my mother · the cottager’s daughter · the poor cottager’s daughter

The gentle daughter of a poor cottager who nursed Lionel’s father through illness and married him. Left destitute with two children after his death, she died when Lionel was five.

Lionel’s sister

Also known as Perdita

Lionel’s younger sister, named Perdita by their dying mother. She marries Lord Raymond and has a daughter, Clara; after estranging herself from Raymond, she regrets the separation and travels to Greece to reunite with him.

Adrian

Also known as Adrian, second Earl of Windsor · the young Earl of Windsor · the Earl of Windsor

The former king’s son and heir, raised by his ambitious mother but committed to republican principles. He befriends Lionel, serves in the Greek army under Raymond, and leads England’s response to plague and invasion; after helping the survivors emigrate, he dies in a shipwreck with Clara and Evelyn.

Adrian’s sister

Also known as the fairy sister · Idris · Lady Idris

Adrian’s younger sister, lovely, frank, and strong-willed despite her mild nature. She marries Lionel after escaping her mother’s plot to take her to Austria, and is a loving, deeply protective mother to their children.

Prince Zaimi

Ambassador to England from the free States of Greece and a favored visitor in the ex-queen’s household; he is Evadne’s father. He later dissipates his fortune and reputation.

Evadne

Also known as Princess Evadne · the young Princess Evadne · the beauteous Greek · the Ionian · Evadne Zaimi

The Greek ambassador’s intelligent, energetic daughter, who loves Lord Raymond but is not loved in return. Widowed and impoverished, she secretly supports herself through art, then disguises herself as a soldier and dies from a battlefield wound while delirious with love for Raymond.

Lord Raymond

Also known as Raymond

An impoverished nobleman who became a celebrated commander in the Greek wars and returned to England wealthy. He marries Perdita, becomes Lord Protector, then resigns and returns to Greece; after being captured and tortured by the Turks, he is rescued and resumes command. He dies when Constantinople is destroyed while he enters it alone during the siege.

Lord Raymond’s family

Also known as his noble family

A noble but impoverished family of which Lord Raymond is described as the sole surviving member.

The nobleman entrusted with Lionel’s father’s letter

An unnamed nobleman to whom Lionel’s father entrusted his final letter for the king; he did not deliver it, and it was later found among old papers.

The nobleman’s heir

The unnamed heir of the nobleman who had kept Lionel’s father’s letter; he eventually gave the still-sealed letter to Adrian.

The gamekeeper who led Lionel’s capture

Also known as the wounded keeper

An unnamed keeper on Adrian’s estate who leads Lionel’s capture and beats him; Lionel wounds his hand during the struggle.

The gamekeeper

Also known as the keeper’s comrade

An unnamed keeper who helps capture Lionel poaching on Adrian’s estate.

Lionel’s dog

Also known as my trusty dog · my faithful dog

Lionel’s loyal sheepdog, which watches his flock while he joins his companions and later grows sleek on their food scraps.

The shepherd-boy

An unnamed boy whose shout is heard from above while the narrator and his companion explore the cave.

The nobleman

Also known as the impoverished nobleman

An unnamed impoverished nobleman with vast inherited wealth who leads the popular party in Parliament. He opposes Lord Raymond’s efforts to restore the monarchy and moves to make such an attempt treason.

The balloon pilot

Also known as the pilot

The unnamed pilot who steers Lionel’s sailing balloon on his journey toward Scotland to visit Adrian.

The Duke of Athol

Also known as the Duke

The Duke of Athol provides Adrian a secluded place at his seat near Dunkeld during Adrian’s illness and period of madness.

Clara

Also known as Raymond and Perdita’s daughter · their little girl

The daughter of Lord Raymond and Perdita, described as lovely and strongly resembling her father. She remains close to Adrian and Lionel, worries about her father’s absence, and accompanies Perdita to Greece, where she is reunited with Raymond. After Raymond’s death, Lionel takes her in; she tends the sick and helps care for Evelyn, and later serves her family devotedly. At fourteen she is serious, dutiful, affectionate, and deeply religious; she dies in a shipwreck with Adrian and Evelyn.

The Greek draughtsman

Also known as the artist

An unnamed Greek woman who secretly designs a proposed national gallery for Lord Raymond. Discovered by Raymond living in poverty in London, she earns her living through drawings and paintings.

The Greek intermediary

Also known as the mysterious Greek

An unnamed middle-aged Greek man who brings the national gallery design to Lord Raymond and conveys his instructions to its hidden designer, Evadne.

Evadne’s husband

Also known as the wealthy Greek merchant

An unnamed wealthy Greek merchant settled at Constantinople who married Evadne. After bankruptcy and flight from Turkey, he became despondent and died by suicide in England.

Idris’s maid

Also known as her own maid

An unnamed maid in Idris’s service whom the Countess’s plan excludes from the forced journey to Austria.

The Countess’s servant

Also known as her mother’s servant · the attendant

An unnamed servant of the Countess who brings Idris the drugged drink and helps prepare to take her to Austria.

The post-boy

An unnamed post-boy who draws the chaise to the place where Lionel and Idris are waiting.

Mr. Ryland

Also known as Ryland

A popular candidate for Lord Protector and Lord Raymond’s former political antagonist. He withdraws from the election, allowing Raymond to be chosen. Later elected Protector, he is overwhelmed by the plague and tries to flee; he is eventually found dead in isolation, surrounded by unused stores.

The Duke of——

Also known as the Duke

An unnamed duke and aristocratic candidate for Lord Protector, supported by the republic’s aristocrats. He is eliminated during the election.

The former Protector

The unnamed outgoing Lord Protector, who administers the oaths and presents the insignia of office to Raymond.

The member who nominated Ryland

An unnamed member of Parliament who announces that Mr. Ryland has resigned his candidacy.

Raymond’s dining companion

Also known as the man who sat near Raymond

An unnamed guest at Raymond’s late-night gathering who tells a story that makes the others laugh.

Argyropylo

The Greek commander-in-chief, whose battlefield wound leads Raymond to assume command of the whole army.

The two Turkish soldiers

Also known as the soldiers who fought over the girl

Two unnamed soldiers in Adrian’s account of a captured city who fight over a young woman and attack the old man trying to protect her.

The young woman in the captured city

Also known as the girl

An unnamed woman whom Adrian tries to protect from two Turkish soldiers during the massacre of a captured city.

The old man who defended the young woman

Also known as the old man with a silver beard

An unnamed elderly man who tries to shield the young woman from the soldiers and is killed by a battle axe.

The Turkish soldier who wounded Adrian

Also known as the fellow who struck Adrian

An unnamed Turkish soldier who stabs Adrian with a bayonet when Adrian intervenes to protect the young woman.

The boatman on Raymond’s river trip

Also known as the boatman

An unnamed boatman who attends to the sail while Raymond steers the shallop carrying Lionel and Clara.

Lionel’s servant

Also known as my servant

An unnamed servant who attends Lionel while he buries Evadne near the battlefield.

Palli

Also known as Georgio Palli

A Greek chieftain described as intriguing and a leader gathered at Raymond’s palace during the siege of Constantinople. Later identified as Georgio Palli, vice-admiral of the Greek fleet and a friend and supporter of Raymond; he helps arrange Perdita’s burial beside Raymond.

Karazza

A Greek chieftain described as warlike and a leader gathered at Raymond’s palace during the siege of Constantinople. He is also an admiral of the Greek fleet, whose dispatches tell Raymond that Turkish soldiers have fled the city.

Ypsilanti

A Greek chieftain described as accomplished; he is among the leaders gathered at Raymond’s palace during the siege of Constantinople.

Florio

Also known as Raymond’s dog · his faithful dog · the dog

Raymond’s dog, who accompanies him into Constantinople and is trapped in the city’s destruction. Clara recognizes his howls among the ruins; he dies beside Raymond’s body.

The captain of the steam packet

An unnamed captain who tells Lionel that his ship must depart early, prompting Lionel to take Perdita and Clara aboard for England.

Perdita’s attendant

Also known as the woman watching her

An unnamed woman assigned by Lionel to watch Perdita aboard the ship to England. She briefly leaves Perdita to check on Clara at Perdita’s request.

The sole crewman who reached Portsmouth

Also known as the plague-stricken sailor

An unnamed, gravely ill man found dead on the beach after leaving a derelict American-built ship at Portsmouth. He is believed to have died of the plague; the ship may have been the Fortunatas, which had sailed from Philadelphia.

Merrival

Also known as the old astronomer

An astronomer who studies the long-term changes in Earth’s climate and the prospect of a future earthly paradise. During the plague he remains absorbed in his studies, unaware of his family’s hardship; after his wife and children die, grief overwhelms him, and he dies beside their graves.

Lionel and Idris’s second child

Also known as their second child

An unnamed child of Lionel and Idris who dies while Lionel is in Greece, leaving Idris fearful for their surviving children.

Alfred

Also known as Lionel and Idris’s son

Lionel and Idris’s nine-year-old son, described as upright, generous, persevering, and firm. He begins school at Eton and dies of the plague while the family is in London.

Evelyn

Also known as Lionel and Idris’s youngest child · their youngest

Lionel and Idris’s youngest child. His innocent laughter comforts the family during the plague scare; he later recovers from a severe fever and travels with the survivors. He dies of typhus at Lake Como, aged about five.

The Italian lad

Also known as the Italian boy

An unnamed Italian boy among the guests at Windsor who tells a crowd, including Alfred and Evelyn, a vivid account of horrors he has witnessed in plague-stricken places.

Ryland’s servant

Also known as one of his servants

An unnamed servant attending Ryland who suddenly falls dead from the plague, convincing Ryland that the disease has reached him.

The plague-stricken man at Bolter’s Lock

Also known as the deserted wretch · the unhappy stranger

An unnamed man from a group fleeing London who is left behind in a hut near Bolter’s Lock after falling ill with the plague. Lionel finds him dead there.

The mechanic who prophesied the end of time

Also known as the man under the arcade

An unnamed mechanic driven into hunger and grief after losing his wife and infant to the plague. Believing himself sent by heaven, he escapes confinement and preaches that the end of time is near.

The mechanic’s wife

Also known as the young wife

The unnamed wife of the mechanic who prophesies the end of time; she dies of the plague.

The mechanic’s infant

Also known as the lovely infant

The unnamed infant child of the mechanic who prophesies the end of time; the child dies of the plague.

Idris’s old nurse

Also known as the old servant · our poor nurse

An unnamed longtime servant who nursed Idris in infancy and was regarded by her as a beloved maternal figure. She contracts the plague on a visit to her married daughter and dies at Windsor Castle.

The nurse’s daughter

Also known as the married daughter

The unnamed married daughter of Idris’s old nurse, who lives in the neighbourhood of London. Her mother visits her and contracts the plague on the return journey.

The peasant who collapsed in the market

Also known as the poor wretch

An unnamed peasant who collapses in convulsions and dies after the plague prophet declares that he is infected.

The magistrates’ deputies

Also known as the people deputed by the magistrates

Unnamed people sent by the magistrates to remove the dead peasant’s body from the market.

Martha

Also known as old Martha

An elderly former soldier’s wife who is a trusted adviser in Little Marlow. Having once recovered from the plague, she courageously tends the sick, supplies the poor, and inspires the village with hope.

Merrival’s wife

Also known as his pale wife · his companion

Merrival’s unnamed, devoted wife, who works to support their children and cares for her husband despite poverty and hardship. She dies of the plague, leaving Merrival bereft.

Merrival’s children

Also known as his numerous offspring · the children

Merrival and his wife’s unnamed children, who endure poverty while their father is absorbed in astronomical work; they all die in the plague.

Juliet

Also known as the high-born girl · the fair Juliet

The youngest daughter and sole surviving member of the ducal house of L——. After losing her family and husband to the plague, she has a daughter, joins the emigrants in Paris, and becomes a fervent follower of the impostor-prophet. She once rescued Idris; later she frees Lionel from prison, but is held back by her child, then killed by the prophet while exposing his crimes.

Juliet’s father, the Duke of L——

Also known as the Duke of L—— · the duke

Juliet’s father, an unnamed duke who separates her from her childhood sweetheart and dies of the plague after dismissing the danger.

Juliet’s mother

Also known as her mother

Juliet’s unnamed mother, who dies of the plague along with the rest of her immediate family.

Juliet’s brothers

Also known as her brothers

Juliet’s unnamed brothers, who die of the plague.

Juliet’s sisters

Also known as her sisters

Juliet’s unnamed sisters, who die of the plague.

Juliet’s lover

Also known as the young lover · her childhood sweetheart

An unnamed man of lower social standing who was Juliet’s schoolmate and close childhood friend. After promising to return when worthy of her, he finds her amid her dead family, and they marry; he later dies of the plague.

The aged grandmother of a Castle servant

Also known as the old woman

An unnamed centenarian who has lived in isolation to avoid the plague. After a dying stranger grips her wrist, she believes herself infected, seeks out her granddaughter at Windsor Castle, and dies there.

The aged woman’s son

Also known as her son

The unnamed son of the aged woman who isolates herself from the plague; he had left food for her before dying of the disease.

The aged woman’s granddaughter

Also known as her grand-daughter

An unnamed granddaughter of the aged woman who lives at Windsor Castle as a servant; her grandmother comes there after believing she has contracted the plague.

The dying stranger in the cornfield

Also known as her unknown companion · the half-naked figure

An unnamed plague-stricken person found beside the aged woman in a cornfield, dying and desperately asking for water.

The plague-stricken wife in Holborn

Also known as the poor creature · the unfortunate inquirer

An unnamed woman who seeks her husband, George, at a public house and learns he has been sent to the plague hospital. Lionel escorts her to St. Bartholomew’s, where she finds him alive.

George

Also known as the plague-stricken husband

The unnamed husband of the woman who seeks him in Holborn; he falls ill with the plague after a night of drinking and is taken by his companions to St. Bartholomew’s Hospital.

The landlady in Holborn

Also known as the landlady

An unnamed public-house landlady who tells George’s wife that he has been taken to the plague hospital.

The barmaid in Holborn

Also known as the more compassionate bar-maid

An unnamed barmaid who explains to George’s wife how he came to be sent to St. Bartholomew’s Hospital.

The first actor of the age

Also known as the actor who played Macbeth

An unnamed celebrated actor performing Macbeth at Drury Lane Theatre during the plague. His performance helps Lionel and the audience briefly escape their fear.

The actor who played Rosse

Also known as the player of Rosse

An unnamed, initially described as an inferior actor, who becomes convincing as he speaks of Macbeth’s murdered family, visibly sharing the audience’s fear.

The actor who played Macduff

Also known as the player of Macduff

An unnamed actor performing Macduff in the Drury Lane production of Macbeth; he delivers the anguished lines about his murdered family.

The chorister

Also known as one of the choristers

An unnamed chorister who dies suddenly during a service at Westminster Abbey and is buried in the vaults.

Juliet’s brother’s friend

Also known as the schoolfellow and friend

An unnamed schoolmate and friend of Juliet’s brother, who spent holidays at the duke’s mansion and became Juliet’s childhood sweetheart; he is later reunited with her and marries her.

The elderly peasant woman’s sick companion

Also known as the dying stranger

An unnamed plague victim who dies in a cornfield after asking the aged woman for water. The encounter leads her to believe she is infected.

The Irish invaders

Also known as the Irish

An unnamed individual from the invading Irish forces who takes part in the advance into England. Adrian’s intervention stops the battle and leads the invaders and English troops to lay down their arms and join together.

The man Adrian tried to save at the battle

Also known as the poor wretch · the dying man

An unnamed wounded man from the fighting between the English and Irish forces. Adrian binds his wound, but he dies in Adrian’s arms, prompting both armies to lay down their weapons.

The poor woman who nursed Merrival

Also known as the woman who acted as nurse

An unnamed woman working as a nurse during the plague. She tells Lionel that Merrival’s family has died and that Merrival is overcome by grief.

The charity girl

Also known as the little girl

An unnamed orphan of about ten whom Lionel and Adrian find alone in an abandoned London house. Her former protectors had mistreated her and died; she joins Adrian, accompanied by her dog, Lion. She later dies at Auxerre during the emigrants’ journey.

Lion

Also known as the large Newfoundland dog

A Newfoundland dog who accompanies the orphaned charity girl and plays with her in the abandoned London house. She says he is with her when Adrian asks whether she is alone.

The woman who helped Idris

Also known as her friend · the gentle female voice

An unnamed compassionate woman who finds Idris injured and collapsed in a rain-soaked London street. She shelters and supports Idris as she tries to return home.

The sick man in the London house

Also known as the negro

An unnamed Black man suffering from a severe, foul-smelling illness, found in a dark room in the house where Lionel’s family is staying. In his delirium he clutches Lionel, exposing him to the disease.

Lucy Martin

Also known as Lucy

The devoted daughter of an infirm widowed mother, first introduced as Lucy Clayton and later as Lucy Martin through her marriage. She marries the head-waiter of the Salt Hill inn to secure care for her mother, then survives the plague and appeals to Idris for help when left isolated in Datchet. She nurses the sick during the emigrants’ journey and dies of the plague at Dijon.

Lucy’s father

Also known as the father

The unnamed father of the Clayton family, who dies bankrupt after the family suffers a series of reverses.

Lucy’s mother

Also known as the mother · Lucy’s parent

Lucy’s unnamed, invalid mother, whom Lucy devotedly supports through poverty and isolation. She dies in Datchet shortly before Lionel reaches her.

Lucy’s younger siblings

Also known as her five children · her younger brothers and sisters · her brothers and sisters

Lucy’s four younger siblings, part of the family of five children. They are driven from the inn by Lucy’s husband’s avarice and ill temper and earn their living elsewhere; their later fate is not given.

The country-curate’s son

Also known as Lucy’s first lover · her lover · the youth

An unnamed generous, educated young man and Lucy’s first love. After his father dies, he goes to India, is taken prisoner in the war there, and eventually returns, but Lucy has married another; he later dies of the plague.

Lucy’s husband

Also known as the head-waiter at the inn at Salt Hill · the innkeeper

An unnamed former head-waiter who becomes Lucy’s husband and sets up an inn at Datchet. His brutal temper and drinking worsen his affairs; during the plague he leaves for London, where he dies.

The gentleman who took Lucy’s lover to India

Also known as the gentleman

An unnamed gentleman who offers Lucy’s first lover the opportunity to travel with him to India.

The man who carried Lucy’s letter

Also known as the man just come from Slough · the countryman

An unnamed traveler who finds Lucy and her mother alone in Datchet and delivers Lucy’s letter to Idris.

Samuel Woods

An unnamed man named by Lucy in her letter as someone who stayed behind with his large family because of a newborn child. When Lucy seeks their help, she finds their house deserted.

Samuel Woods’s wife and children

Also known as his wife and children · a large family of them

The unnamed family of Samuel Woods, whose newborn child led them to remain among the last people in the area. Their house is found deserted when Lucy goes to ask for help.

The Countess’s attendant

Also known as the Countess of Windsor’s attendant

An unnamed attendant of the Countess of Windsor, who is given charge of Lucy at the inn after Lucy’s mother is buried.

The emigrants’ chief

Also known as the chief

An unnamed leader of Adrian’s emigrants who examines the two steamboats at Dover’s harbour in preparation for the voyage.

The nine English deputies

Also known as the nine men · the deputies

Nine unnamed Englishmen from the two divisions of emigrants in Paris who arrive by boat at Dover. Sent by rival factions to have Adrian arbitrate their disputes, they argue bitterly among themselves.

The impostor-prophet

Also known as the impostor · the preacher · the leader of the elect · the methodist · the chief

An unnamed religious impostor who gathers followers in Paris by claiming divine authority and promising salvation from the plague to those who obey him. He imprisons Lionel, secretly murders followers who fall ill, kills Juliet, and then kills himself when his crimes are exposed.

Juliet’s infant daughter

Also known as her child · her infant · her babe

Juliet’s unnamed daughter, born after her husband’s death and less than a year old when Lionel finds her with the prophet’s followers. The impostor holds her as a hostage and later strangles her; Juliet carries her body when she exposes his crimes.

The man who tried to assassinate Adrian

Also known as the emissary of the leader of the elect · the wretch

An unnamed follower of the impostor-prophet who attempts to stab Adrian at Versailles. Adrian intervenes to protect him from the angry crowd.

The mother who witnessed the murders

Also known as the female

An unnamed woman among the prophet’s followers who discovers the secret killing of sick believers and her own child. She is stabbed by the prophet before she can alert the others.

Lionel’s favourite horse

Also known as my favourite horse · the gallant animal

Lionel’s unnamed horse, which carries him through the night from Villeneuve-la-Guiard to Versailles to reach Adrian. The exhausted horse collapses and dies at the castle gate.

The opera-dancer

Also known as the goblin · the dying wretch

An unnamed dancer from the troop that deserted Lionel at Villeneuve-la-Guiard. Sick and delirious, he performs imagined leaps and bows on the road before dying; his companions had abandoned him.

The Black Spectre

Also known as the French noble · the spectral rider

A French nobleman of distinction who, after the plague left him alone in his district, followed the emigrants for months in a spectral guise, longing for human company but afraid to approach them because of contagion. He dies of the plague after revealing why he shadowed their troop.

The blind old man

Also known as the old musician · the father of the young woman in Ferney

A blind German from Saxony who plays the bellows for his daughter’s organ music at a rural church in Ferney. Unaware that the plague has emptied the surrounding country, he dies shortly after his daughter.

The young woman in Ferney

Also known as the German musician’s daughter · the organist

A young German woman from Saxony who has guided her blind father since childhood and plays the organ for him. Her German student lover dies of the plague; she later falls ill herself and dies, followed by her father.

The young German student

Also known as the German student · the young noble

A young German nobleman who joins the musician and his daughter after fleeing his friends’ persecution. He loves the daughter and dies early in the plague.

Robinson Crusoe

A literary castaway whom Lionel compares with himself while reflecting on his solitude. Unlike Lionel, Crusoe could hope for rescue and return to other people.

The unnamed master of the Campagna sheepdog

Also known as his master

The unnamed shepherd who owned the shaggy dog Lionel finds tending sheep in the Campagna. He is dead, though the dog continues to watch the flock in expectation of his return.

The shaggy Campagna dog

Also known as my only companion · my dog

A shaggy dog, part water dog and part sheepdog, that continues tending its dead master’s flock until Lionel finds it. It becomes Lionel’s companion in Rome and accompanies him on his final voyage.