Dulness
The goddess offspring of Chaos and Night; ruler of the world since days primeval. Her face veiled behind a shroud of fog which obscures her identity, she has been tasked by the poet with the responsibility of bringing that element which gives the goddess her name to a society gone mad. She has installed Bayes as King of Dulness following the death of Eusden, the poet laureate. She is worshipped far and wide and is the enemy of Order, Arts, and the Sciences. Dulness is often linked to major reigning feminine figures like Hera and the Virgin Mary through symbols and imagery such as carnations, Argus, and the sleeping Cibber held in her lap like the baby Jesus.
The Ghost of Elkanah Settle
Pope first took aim at Settle in a poem titled “To the Author of a Poem, Entitled, Succession” for a work by Settle which praised members of the House of Hanover. The Dunciad is in large part a reaction to what Pope viewed as the lowered standards of the British monarchy under the corrupt occupation of King George II, a Hanoverian. The character of Settle appears as a ghost in a dream sequence in which he reveals images of the future to the King of Dulness.
The Harlot
Not appearing until the fourth volume of the Dunciad, the harlot acts as an agent of information. The information she supplies is partial but pointed: how Dulness has claimed victory over Italian opera by ostracizing Handel. With the great composer exiled to Ireland, the music of chaos can now reign supreme.
The Educator
The Educator is the man who gives the Dunciad its title and the kingdom its persistence. The Educator is Scottish philosopher John Duns Scotus, castigated by Pope and others as purveyors of the Scholastic approach to education, placing too much emphasis on the subtleties of grammar rather than communicating meaningful things.
Eliza, the Poetess
Eliza is the prize for the pissing contest that takes place in Book II. She is described as exceptionally beautiful and is compared to Juno, Jove's wife, in language suggesting her fertility. The Poetess, then, is valued purely as an inspiration for men. This is also likely a reference to Eliza Needham, the owner of one of England's most notorious brothels. Eliza may also be the harlot we see depicted in Book IV.
Curll
Curll in this poem is Edmund Curll, a bookseller and publisher, who had bad blood with Pope. Curll had published a manuscript of Pope's as part of a larger volume, despite Pope instructing him not to do so. In response, Pope poisoned Curll to make him violently ill during a meeting between the two of them, and printed his own writings to try to sway public opinion in his favor. Curll lashed out by attacking Pope's religious views. The two remained bitter rivals until the end of their careers.
In this poem, Curll competes in more than one of the races in Book II, winning the race for the phantom poet, though not without first slipping in his wife's waste and calling on the help of the gods to win. Cloacina responds and assists him so that he might be victorious.
Jove
The most powerful of the Roman gods and goddesses. Jove is used in the invocation of Book I and also appears in Book II, where he may choose to interfere or not on behalf of contestants. He elects to dignore Curll's cries during the race for the phantom poet.
Cloacina
Cloacina is the minor Roman goddess of the sewer system. It is she who answers Curll's cries during the Book II phantom poet race. She is also a servant of Jove and a goddess known for protecting sexual intercourse in marriage. Pope writes that Curll pulls his work from Cloacina's sewers—a pointed jab.
Bavius
Bavius and Maevius were notoriously bad Roman poets known for critiquing superior writers brutally. Bavius in this text acts as the figure responsible for dulling poet's souls in the Underworld before they might be sent to Earth to live out human lives. He also anoints King Cibber with the poppy as a sign that he will bring about the visions of Chaos that Cibber sees in the Underworld.
Aristarchus
Aristarchus speaks on behalf of the Universities in The Dunciad, explaining to Dulness how they, too, are serving her by keeping minds stuck on pointless endeavors and arguments. Aristarchus, however, was a figure known for exploring the universe using science and mathematics and posited the very first heliocentric model of our solar system (a model with the sun at the center). While Copernicus received credit for this idea, he himself attributed it to Aristarchus.
Silenus
Silenus, who appears in Book IV, was a satyr-like figure from Greek mythology who acted as a tutor to Dionysus, the god of partying and wine. Silenus himself was often drunk or asleep, and in this poem, he has to be roused to perform his duties as well. In the text, he leads a group of youth to Dulness so that they might drink from the cup of Magus.
Annius and Mummius
Annius and Mummius are two antiquities dealers who deal in stolen or forged goods in Book IV of The Dunciad. Both try to persuade Dulness to aid them in their business against the other, but she appeases and is pleased by both of them and so the two reconcile and leave their interview with her hand-in-hand. Scholar Richard Nash argues that these two characters might reflect a fad at the time in England for imported antiquities. Pope implies that the obsession with the physical relics of antiquities likes ancient coins and mummies, comes at the cost of true appreciation of the spirit of the past, its true value.
The Young Nobleman
The Young Nobleman is brought forward to testify before Dulness in Book IV about his experiences studying abroad. He verifies that he learned nothing, that his intellectual skills have suffered as a result, and that he has only increased his knowledge in the fields of fine dining and partying. Dulness is pleased and congratulates him.
Sybil
A sybil in Greek mythology was an oracle often associated with a certain prophetic place or group, like Delphi or Samos. Sybils could offer prophecies and transcend different realms in mythology. However, there are particularly famous sybils, such as Sybil, the guide of Orpheus into the Underworld. In The Dunciad, Sybil leads King Cibber into the Underworld. She is described as "slip-shod," meaning either that she is disorganized and lacks care or thought, or that her shoes are worn down. This aligns her both with Dulness, but also with the experience of having made the journey to the Underworld many times.
