Major Characters
Jane Eyre: Main character of entire novel. Young orphan who grows up, goes to school, works, marries, creates a life for herself.
Mrs. Reed: Jane's harsh and cruel aunt who takes Jane in against her will, because of a promise made to her husband, Jane's late uncle.
Eliza Reed: Mrs. Reed's second daughter who is rather more serious and quiet; she eventually becomes a noviate and then a Catholic nun.
John Reed: Mrs. Reed's arrogant and spoiled son who likes to beat Jane for punishment and amusement.
Georgiana Reed: Mrs. Reed's attractive and self-absorbed first daughter, who eventually marries well in London.
Jane's mother: Jane Reed, who married against her family's wish, was disowned, and who died when Jane was a baby.
Jane's father: John Eyre, a clergyman, who died with his wife.
Bessie: The nurse at Gateshead
Abbot: The maid at Gateshead.
Mr. Reed: Mrs. Reed's late husband, and Jane's late uncle on her mother's side.
Dr. Lloyd: The doctor who comes to see Jane after she has been ill in the Red-Room. He suggests to Mrs. Reed that Jane go to school.
Mr. Brocklehurst: The cruel, intolerant, overzealous and money-pinching master of Lowood Institution, a pastor, who humiliates Jane in public, when she comes to Lowood.
Miss Miller: One of the teachers at Lowood.
Miss Maria Temple: The superintendent of Lowood Institution, whom Jane wishes to emulate, and who cares for both Helen and Jane.
Miss Scatcherd: The history teacher at Lowood, who often punishes Helen Burns with a whipping.
Helen Burns: The overly mature, fatalistic, religious best friend of Jane while she is at Lowood; Helen dies early from tuberculosis at Lowood.
Reverend Nasmyth: The man whom Miss Temple eventually marries.
Mrs. Fairfax: The widow who initially inquires after a governess for Adèle Varens, at Thornfield Hall.
Miss Adèle Varens: The bastard child of Céline Varens, a mistress of Rochester's while he was in Paris; Rochester takes Adèle back with him to England, as his ward.
Mr. Edward Fairfax Rochester: The master of Thornfield Hall, traditional Gothic male hero, and eventual husband of Jane Eyre.
Sophie: The nurse or "bonne" of Adèle Varens, who is French.
Mme Pierrot: Jane's French teacher at Lowood Institution.
Leah: The maid at Thornfield Hall, who assists Grace Poole often.
Grace Poole: The woman whom Rochester hires to watch over and care for his mad first wife, Bertha.
Pilot: Rochester's dog.
Rowland: Rochester's dead elder brother.
Céline Varens: Adèle's mother, and Rochester old French mistress, who ran off and left her daughter.
Charge of the Vicomte: The French officer with whom Céline was cheating unknown to Rochester.
Miss Blanche Ingram: The beautiful, cold, snotty, arrogant and condescending upper-class woman whom Rochester leads to believe he wishes to marry.
Mesrour: Rochester's horse.
Mr. Mason: Bertha Mason, Rochester's first bride's, brother. He is from Jamaica, West Indies.
Sibyl: The gypsy fortune-teller character played by Rochester.
Doctor Carter: The surgeon who cares for Mr. Mason when Bertha attacks him.
Bessie's sister: She dies.
Robert Laven: Bessie's husband and the coachman of Gateshead Hall.
Uncle John Eyre: The uncle of both Jane, St. John, Diana and Mary, who dies, lived in Madeira, and leaves Jane a fortune of twenty-thousand pounds.
Mr. Briggs: The solicitor from London who handles Jane's fortune, and breaks up Rochester's attempt at a bigamous marriage.
Bertha Mason: Rochester's first wife from Jamaica, who is mad and he keeps in his attic of Thornfield Hall. It was an arranged marriage.
St. John Rivers: Jane's cold, exacting, distant and intellectual cousin who was the pastor of Morton Parish. He asks Jane to marry him and go to India to do missionary work; she refuses and he goes alone.
Diana Rivers: The beautiful, refined and caring first sister of St.John, and Jane's cousin.
Mary Rivers: The quieter, more cautious but equally intelligent second sister of St.John, and also Jane's cousin.
Hannah: The older woman/maid who lives with Mary and Diana at Moor House.
Jane Elliot: The pseudonym which Jane takes on when she arrives at Moor House.
Miss Rosamond Oliver: The beautiful and childlike heiress with whom St. John is in love. She eventually marries Mr. Granby.
Mr. Granby: Wealthy Morton resident who marries Rosamond.
Mary and John: Couple who takes care of Rochester at Ferndean Manor, when he is blind and crippled.
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