Christine de Pizan
Christine de Pizan is the author of the book, but she is also its central character and narrator. In the text, Christine de Pizan is initially discouraged to read books by men that criticize women. This reading leads Christine to believe that God hates women, and she is distraught to think that her sex is unworthy of God's grace. When the three Ladies appear to Christine, they help restore her faith in women and explain to her that women are actually integral to the shaping of society. Christine, at the behest of the three Ladies, builds an idyllic "City of Ladies" where women can live freely, in the absence of men, in perfect moral and social harmony.
Lady Reason
Lady Reason is the first Lady to speak with Christine. Lady Reason is the one who encourages Christine and who tells her that she has to do great things with her life. Lady Reason is benevolent and honest at the same time and she does stop herself from criticizing Christine when she realizes that Christine has adopted the misogynistic point of view lodged by the men in Christine's books. Lady Reason is also the character who gives Christine examples of good women who were different from the way men made them out to be.
Lady Rectitude
Lady Rectitude is the second Lady to speak and she represents goodness. She is different from Lady Justice even though they both encourage and support the notion of equality. Lady Rectitude represents what is morally and socially acceptable and she has a ruler to help her distinguish between good and evil. Lady Rectitude gifts the ruler to Christine, hoping that the ruler will help Christine create a morally righteous society where virtuous women can live in peace.
Lady Justice
Lady Justice is the last of the three Ladies to speak but she can be considered the most important one. Lady Justice claims that she has a special bond with God and suggests at one point that she is the daughter of God. She even tells Christine that God is in her and she is in God and they are both one, thus hinting that her role is similar to the one Jesus Christ occupies in the Christian tradition.
Lady Justice makes sure that everyone gets what they deserve, meaning every person has to face the consequences of his or her actions. She does not discern any difference between a man and a woman and she makes sure that every person has the same opportunities. Her point of view is also shared by Christine, who sees the City of Ladies as an equal and just society.
The Queen of Heaven
The Queen of Heaven is a character that appears only at the end of the text, when Christine finished building her city. After she finishes the city, she has to find a ruler who is suitable and she chooses the Queen of Heaven. While it is not explicitly said, it is hinted that the Queen is actually the Virgin Mary, a woman Christine and the Ladies mention many times throughout the text.
The Virgin Mary
While the text is ambiguous about whether the Queen of Heaven is indeed the Virgin Mary, there is no ambiguity regarding the Ladies' appreciation and veneration of Mary throughout the narrative. Lady Reason, Lady Rectitude, Lady Justice, and Christine herself all allude to the Virgin Mary at least once throughout their conversations, emphasizing her as the ideal figure for women to honor and look up to. Mary is presented in the text as virtuous, kind, selfless, and strong. For the Ladies in the city, she is the ultimate figure of women's capability and empowerment.
Sappho
Sappho is just one of the myriad of women that Lady Reason refers to during her conversation with Christine. Sappho is an important figure both historically and literarily; she was an ancient Greek poet from the island of Lesbos who was quite prolific in her writing of poetry. She is best known for her lyric poetry which often showcases queer themes of love and intimacy between women.
Mary Magdalene
Along with the Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene is another female figure from the Christian Bible who appears frequently in the text. Mary Magdalene was a woman who, according to the Gospels, followed Jesus and witnessed his crucifixion and resurrection. She was allegedly a wealthy woman, though she was later conflated with a prostitute starting in the year 591. Christine and the Ladies perceive Mary Magdalene as another capable and dedicated woman (clearly dispelling with the notion of her as a prostitute) who bore witness to the miracle of Christ.
Lucretia
Lucretia, or Lucrece, is alluded to by Lady Rectitude in the second book of the text. Lucretia was an ancient Roman noblewoman who was violently raped by Sextus Tarquinius, the son of the last king of Rome. She subsequently committed suicide. The incident catalyzed a rebellion in Rome that led to its transition from a kingdom to a republic. In the text, Lucretia is upheld as another admirable woman whose efforts changed the course of history indelibly.
Medea
In the second book of the text, Lady Rectitude also makes references to Medea, an ancient Greek mythological figure who aided Jason in his quest for the Golden Fleece. She is sometimes depicted as a witch or a sorceress, but in the myth of the Golden Fleece she is known to have used her magic to save Jason's life. She also killed her own brother in order to free Jason, and later married Jason before being abandoned by him 10 years later. Medea is presented as a figure of perseverance and power, and she is an example of yet another woman whose efforts aided the reputation of a celebrated, albeit mythical, male figure.
