The Belle of Amherst | Characters & Character Analysis

The Belle of Amherst Characters

Emily Elizabeth Dickinson

Emily Dickinson is a delicate fifty-three year old woman when the play opens. She is described as sensitive and quaint but with inner strength. Her manner is described as childlike, whimsical, and deeply poignant. She has auburn hair and appears younger than her age. She is dressed in white and remains so throughout the play. Emily's personality is best described as eccentric. She asks the audience to forgive her if she seems frightened as she rarely sees strangers and hardly knows what she says. She admits that she wanders back and forth through time and is easily confused.

Emily is a poet, and is described by the neighbors as "Squire Edward Dickinson's half-cracked daughter." She admits that she has not left the house is several years. She has contempt for the gossip of her neighbors. Her neighbors believe she dresses in "bridal white," because she has been disappointed in love...
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