Characters
Tristram Shandy - Tristram is both the
fictionalized author of The
Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy
and the child whose conception, birth, christening, and circumcision
form one major sequence of the narrative. The adult Tristram Shandy
relates certain aspects of his family history, including many that took
place before his own birth, drawing from stories and hearsay as much as
from his own memories. His opinions
we get in abundance; of the actual details of his life the author
furnishes only traces, and the child Tristram turns out to be a minor
character.
Walter Shandy -
Tristram's
philosophically-minded father. Walter Shandy's love for abstruse and
convoluted intellectual argumentation and his readiness to embrace any
tantalizing hypothesis lead him to propound a great number of absurd
pseudo-scientific theories.
Elizabeth Shandy (Mrs.
Shandy) -
Tristram's mother. Mrs. Shandy insists on having the midwife attend her
labor rather than Dr. Slop, out of resentment at not being allowed to
bear the child in London. On all other points, Mrs. Shandy is
singularly passive and uncontentious, which makes her a dull
conversational partner for her argumentative husband.
Captain Toby Shandy
(Uncle Toby) -
Tristram's uncle, and brother to Walter Shandy. After sustaining a
groin-wound in battle, he retires to a life of obsessive attention to
the history and science of military fortifications. His temperament is
gentle and sentimental: Tristram tells us he wouldn't harm a fly.
Corporal Trim -
Manservant and sidekick to Uncle Toby. His real name is James Butler;
he received the nickname "Trim" while in the military. Trim colludes
with Captain Toby in his military shenanigans, but his own favorite
hobby is advising people, especially if it allows him to make eloquent
speeches.
Dr. Slop -
The local male midwife, who, at Walter's insistence, acts as a back-up
at Tristram's birth. A "scientifick operator," Dr. Slop has written a
book expressing his disdain for the practice of midwifery. He is
interested in surgical instrument and medical advances, and prides
himself on having invented a new pair of delivery forceps.
Parson Yorick -
The village parson, and a close friend of the Shandy family. Yorick is lighthearted
and straight-talking; he detests gravity and pretension. As a witty and
misunderstood clergyman, he has often been taken as a representation of
the writer, Sterne, himself.
Susannah -
Chambermaid to Mrs. Shandy. She is present at Tristram's birth,
complicit in his mis-christening, and partly to blame for his
accidental circumcision by the fallen window shade.
Obadiah -
Servant to Walter Shandy.
Bobby Shandy -
Tristram's older brother, who dies in London while away at school.
Widow Wadman -
A neighbor who has marital designs on Captain Toby Shandy, and with
whom he has a brief and abortive courtship.
Bridget -
Maidservant to Widow Wadman. Corporal Trim courts Bridget at the same
time that Toby courts Widow Wadman, and Trim and Bridget's relationship
continues for five years thereafter.
The midwife -
The local delivery-nurse who is commissioned to assist at Mrs. Shandy's
labor.
Eugenius -
Friend and advisor to Parson Yorick. His name means "well-born," and he
is often the voice of discretion.
Didius -
A pedantic church lawyer, and the author of the midwife's license.
Kysarcius,
Phutatorius, Triptolemus, and Gastripheres -
Along with Didius, they form the colloquy of learned men whom Walter,
Toby, and Parson Yorick consult about the possibility of changing
Tristram's name.
The curate -
The local church official, also named Tristram, who misnames the baby
when Susannah fails to pronounce the chosen name "Trismegistus."
Aunt Dinah -
Tristram's great aunt and, in Tristram's estimation, the only woman in
the Shandy family with any character at all. She created a family
scandal by marrying the coachman and having a child late in her life.
Lieutenant Le Fever -
A favorite sentimental charity case of Uncle Toby's and Corporal
Trim's. Le Fever died under their care, leaving an orphan son.
Billy Le Fever -
The son of Lieutenant Le Fever. Uncle Toby becomes Billy's guardian,
supervises his education, and eventually recommends him to be
Tristram's governor.
© "Characters"
Santos, Matilda. SparkNote on Tristram Shandy.
1 Nov. 2008
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/tristram/characters.html