Daniel Deronda
Daniel is a young English gentleman, well-educated and mannered, raised by an English wealthy gentleman named Sir Hugo Mallinger. Daniel is unsure of whom his parents are and it is suggested at one point that Daniel may be in fact Sir Hugo’s illegitimate son. Daniel has a kind hart and is always ready to put others above him. He helps one of his friends get a scholarship even if that meant that he lost a scholarship at Cambridge. He prevents a young woman from committing suicide and the two fall in love. From the beginning, Daniel constantly wonders who his parents are and if he is a gentleman by birth or not. Daniel enters deeper into the Jewish community through Mirah and Daniel starts to sympathize with them more and more, thinking that he is Jewish too. Daniel starts looking for answers regarding his past in the Jewish East End of London and in the end of the novel, it is revealed that Daniel is indeed Jewish.
Gwendolen Harleth Gradcourt
Gwendolen is the spoiled daughter of a widowed mother, born out of her mother’s first marriage. She is very beautiful and because of this many gentlemen court her but she refuses all of them. Gwendolen refuses to think that marriage is the only way through which she can be happy and tries to take care of herself and her family after they lose all their money. She works as a governess for a while and even tries to start a career in acting but is unsuccessful. Because of this, she marries Henleigh Grandcourt despite knowing that he is a cruel man and has a mistress with whom he has several children. Gwendolen is unhappy in her marriage but she finds support in Daniel Deronda. Although the novel is named after Daniel Deronda, a big portion of it contains Gwendolen’s story and the challenges she faces.
Henleigh Mallinger Grandcourt
Henleigh Grandcourt is Sir Hugo’s nephew and heir. He is proud, cruel and selfish and manipulates those around him. His sadistic nature comes to light when it is described the way Grandcourt treats Lush. He seduces a young wife and promises to marry her but instead he keeps her as his mistress and fathers numerous children with her. Grandcourt marries Gwendolen but continues to behave in the same way makes Gwendolen be unhappy in their marriage. Henleigh dies drowned and his will reveals that he let almost all his wealth to his illegitimate children instead of letting his wealth to Gwendolen.
Mirah Lapidoth
Mirah is a young beautiful Jewish girl whom Daniel saves from committing suicide. Mirah was born in England but she spent her childhood traveling with her father and working as a singer. Because her father had a major gambling problem and many debts, he planned to sell Myrah as a mistress to a European nobleman. Myrah flees to London after she finds about her father’s intention but she finds her old home destroyed and her mother and siblings nowhere to find. After she recovers from her suicide attempt, she tries to find work to sustain herself and meanwhile she and Daniel fall in love. In the end, they will get married shortly after Daniel finds about his Jewish origins.
Ezra Lapidoth
Ezra is Mirah’s brother who quickly becomes friends with Daniel. Ezra suffers from consumption and he is the one who teaches Daniel about Judaism. Ezra sees Daniel as his spiritual successor and even tries to convince him to continue his dream of building an ideal society for the Jewish community.
Fanny Davilow
Fanny is Gwendolen’s mother and from the beginning of the novel we find that she has been married twice, once with Gwendolen’s father who passed away and then with another man with whom she had 4 daughters. She loves Gwendolen and is very permissive with her, allowing her to do whatever she pleases and never questions her decisions. When the family is financially ruined, Fanny expects her daughter to solve the problem and help them.
Sir Hugo Mallinger
Sir Hugo is a respectable English gentleman who raised Daniel Deronda. He is kind and is very fond of Daniel who believes at one point that he is Sir Hugo’s illegitimate son. As the novel progresses, the reader finds that Sir Hugo was in love with an opera singer named Maria Alcharisi, Daniel’s mother. Because Sir Hugo loved her very much, he agreed to raise her son for her. After a short time, Sir Hugo married and he continued to care for Daniel as he promised.
Maria Alcharisi
Maria is Daniel’s mother, an opera singer with whom Sir Hugo felt in love with. Maria entrusted her son to Sir Hugo to be raised in a better environment that she could provide for her son.
Madame Von Langen
Madame von Langen appears in the beginning of the book, in Leubronn. She is the lady to whom Gwendolen goes after she finds about Lydia.
Mr. Vandernoodt
Mr. Vandernoodt appears at almost all parties that take place in the novel. He is present when Gwendolen loses her money the first time she meets with Daniel Deronda and he is also the person who tells Daniel about Gradcourt and his relationship with Lydia Glasher.
Mackworth
He is one of the men present when Gwendolin lost her money. He is one of the men who thinks that Gwendolin is too cold and that makes her inapproachable.
Thomas Granmer Lush
Lush is Henleigh Grandciurt’s associate and companion. He is treated like a slave by Grandcourt but he never complains about it. From the beginning, there seems to be a mutual dislike between Lush and Gwendolen. Lush is the one who sets up the meeting between Gwendolen and Lydia in an attempt to stop Gwendolen from accepting Grandcourt’s marriage proposal.
Lydia Glasher
Lydia is Henleigh Grandcourt’s mistress with whom he has several children. Lydia and Gwendolen meet after Lush finds that Grandcourt plans to propose to Gwendolen. Lydia makes Gwendolen promise not to accept Grandcourt’s marriage proposal as she is the one who is supposed to marry him. After the two women meet, Gwendolen runs away to Leubronn.
Anna Gascoigne
Anna is Gwendolen’s cousin with whom Gwendolen becomes friends for a short period of time. Anna is kind and gentle, Gwendolen’s complete opposite, and loves her family very much. Anna is attached to her brother Rex the most and after Gwendolen breaks her brother’s heart, she becomes cold and distant towards her.
Mr. Gascoigne
He is Gwendolen’s uncle through marriage and is frequently referred to as being the Rector. He is kind and gentle and wants to help Gwendolen find a good husband and dismisses her wife’s worries regarding Rex falling in love with Gwendolen. He changes after Gwendolen rejects Rex and becomes cold towards her and more suspicious of her behavior.
Rex Gascoigne
Rex is Anna’s brother and Gwendolen’s cousin. He falls in love with Gwendolen and confesses his feeling to her despite his parent’s disapproval. Rex is rejected by Gwendolen and he becomes depressed. He expresses his wish to go to Canada to recover from his broken heart but his father refuses to let him, telling him that he can’t give up his studies.
Mrs. Gascoigne
Mrs. Gascoigne is Anna and Rex’s mother and Gwendolen’s aunt. Mrs. Gascoigne is Mrs. Davilow’s sister and Mrs. Davilow admits that her sister had a better marriage than he had. Mrs. Gascoigne admits that she is afraid that Rex will fall in love with Gwendolen and is very protective when it comes to her children.
Herr Klesmer
Herr Klesmer is a singer from Gwendolen’s social circle. Herr Klesmer advices Gwendolen to not pursue a career in music or acting and tells Gwendolen in the beginning that she is not talented enough as a singer. Herr Klesmer marries Catherine Arrowpoint, one of Gwendolen’s friends.
Lady Mallinger
Lady Mallinger is Sir Hugo’s wife together with whom they only have daughters. Sir Hugo married her after he agreed to take care of Daniel and she quickly got attached to Daniel even if he wasn’t her son.
Ezra Cohen
Ezra is a shopkeeper in London with whom Mordecai lived for two years.
Mrs. Cohen
Mrs. Cohen is Ezra’s mother.
Addy Cohen
Addy is Ezra’s wife.
Clintock
Clintock is a gentleman from the same social circle as Gwendolen.
Jacob, Adelaide and Eugenia
They are Ezra and Addy’s children.
Miss Merry
Miss Merry is Davilow daughters’ governess.
Hans Meyrick
Hans is one of Daniel’s friends from Cambridge. Hans takes care of Mirah after Daniel leaves for a short period of time and quickly falls in love with her.
Mr. Lapidoth
Mr. Lapidoth is Mirah’s father who wanted to sell her as a mistress to a European nobleman. He has a gambling problem and because of this he accumulated a lot of debt.
Joseph Kalonymos
Joseph is an old man with whom Daniel meets in a synagogue. Daniel finds that Joseph and his grandfather used to be friends.
Warham Gascoigne
Warham is Anna’s brother who is in India.
Alice, Bertha, Fanny and Isabela
They are Gwendolen’s four younger step sisters.
Mr. Wiener
He is the man to whom Gwendolen sold her necklace. He is a Jew and Gwendolen thinks that he profited from her and even tells that he is unscrupulous.
Signora
She is the woman who lived with Mirah and her father in America.
Mrs. Mopert
Mrs. Mopert is Bishop Mopert’s wife who was supposed to interview Gwendolen for the governess position.
Mr. Arrowpoint
Mr. Arrowpoint is a gentleman from Offendene who appears frequently with his wife and daughter in the social gatherings Gwendolen goes to.
Mrs. Arrowpoint
Mrs. Arrowpoint is Mr. Arrowpoint’s wife and Catherine’s mother.
Miss Arrowpoint Catherine
Catherine is a young girl from Offendene who is roughly Gwendolen’s age. She is beautiful and a talented singer who ends up marring Herr Klesmer.
Bishop Mompert
Bishop Mompert offers Gwendolen a job as his daughter’s governess.
Mr. Middleton
He is a gentleman who starts visiting Offendene after Gwendole moves there and developes feelings for Gwendolen but he never confesses them.
Kate, Amy and Mab
The three girls are Hans Meyrick’s sisters.
Mrs. Meyrick
Mrs. Meyrick is Hans Mayrick’s widowed mother.
