Comus: Analysis of Major Characters

Author: John Milton

First published: 1637

Genre: Play

Locale: The kingdom of Neptune

Plot: Allegory

Time: The age of myth

Comus (KOH-muhs), the sorcerer son of Bacchus and Circe who transforms men into animals' shapes with a magic potion and leads this herd of beasts in nightly revels and rites of Hecate. He captures the Lady and tries to lure her into his control by persuasively and eloquently urging her to emulate the generous, unstinting bounty of nature by permitting the enjoyment of her beauty while she is young.

The Lady, a young noblewoman. Separated from her brothers in a wood, she is frightened by the sounds of Comus' revels, by “beckn'ing shadows dire, and airy tongues that syllable men's names on Sands and Shores and desert Wildernesses.” She places her trust in Providence and in her own virtue. She counters Comus' plea that she make the most of her beauty while it lasts with her own view of nature as a power that bestows its blessings according to “sober laws and holy dictate of spare Temperance.” She finds her strongest defense in “the sublime notion and high mystery that must be utter'd to unfold the sage and serious doctrine of Virginity.”

The Elder Brother, her companion, who is, like his sister, convinced of the supernatural power of virtue and wisdom as defenses against all evils. Explaining his inclination to be hopeful, rather than afraid, after the Lady's disappearance, he speaks rhapsodically of the divine nature of chastity, which purifies the mind and brings it to the refined state of the immortal soul. He is ready for action as well as philosophy, and he valiantly attacks Comus and breaks his magic glass.

The Second Brother, a far more fearful young man. He sees his sister's beauty as a great temptation to every evil creature and finds little comfort in his brother's “divine philosophy.” Following the advice of the Attendant Spirit, he joins the attack on Comus to free the Lady.

The Attendant Spirit, a being dedicated to the preservation of the true servants of virtue. He disguises himself as Thyrsis, a shepherd, to warn the brothers of Comus' presence in the wood and to lead them to the place where their sister is fastened motionless in the sorcerer's enchanted chair. He calls up the nymph Sabrina to free the Lady, because he is powerless after Comus' magic glass has been broken.

Sabrina, the nymph who lives in the Severn River, the legendary King Locrine's daughter, who drowned herself to escape her stepmother's fury. Called up from her underwater home, she sprinkles the Lady with clear water from her stream and releases her from enchantment.