Pale Fire | Teaching Key Figures

Character Descriptions

This section provides a short description of all the major characters in the book. This can be printed out as a study guide for students, used as a "key" for leading a class discussion, or you can jump to the quiz/homework section to find worksheets that incorporate these descriptions into a variety of question formats.

Characters

Charles Kinbote/King Charles Xavier the Beloved of Zembla - A socially awkward professor at Wordsmith University in New Wye who lives next to, and idolizes, the poet who penned "Pale Fire".

John Shade - This renowned poet teaches at Wordsmith University, and wrote the autobiographical poem "Pale Fire," in the month prior his death in July 1959.

Sybil Shade - This person is the love interest of the author of "Pale Fire", and the only character who sees the poem prior to its completion.

Hazel Shade - This character commits suicide after being...
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