Micio

A carefree, childless bachelor of Athens, Micio is a modern, urban man unbothered by ideas such as tradition or convention. Instead, the liberal values of his city lifestyle guide him. As the adoptive father to his brother’s eldest son, Aeschinus, Micio is patient and forgiving; he allows his son to act with impunity, as he feels it is better to encourage rather than punish. His child-rearing style is quite liberal compared to his brother’s, a trait Demea does not appreciate. By the end of the story, the wayward Athenian is a changed man; he settles down, retiring from his bachelor lifestyle, and his patient permissivity leads his brother to take advantage of him, forcing him to free his slaves and take in both sons.

Demea

Micio’s diametric counterpart, Demea, is a conservative man living in the Greek countryside. He is a staunch supporter of traditional values and rules his household with an iron fist. Demea lives much more conventionally than Micio, as he is married, works hard, raises his son to be virtuous, and employs punishment as a teaching tool. While Demea is generally characterized as a cantankerous old man living by out-of-date values, his conservatism and general pragmatism speak to a broad undercurrent of traditional ideals which remained ever-present at the time. 

Aeschinus 

As the eldest son of Demea, Aeschinus must bear the weight of the family name. However, because he grew up with his uncle Micio in Athens, he is a very different man than perhaps his father might wish. Willful and self-determined, Aeschinus is a man of action. He is decisive and unapologetic, and he is more than willing to help his more reserved brother with problems of the heart. However, Aeschinus’s confidence leads him to make poor decisions, as he often acts without considering the implications of his choices on others. 

Ctesipho

Ctesipho is Demea’s youngest son. He was raised in the countryside by his biological father, so he is far more traditional than his urbanite brother. Although he is in love with the music girl, he does not wish to act on his feelings, for he fears his father’s anger and the consequences it might bring. Instead, he employs his brother to do the dirty work of retrieving his beloved for him, leading to much of the play’s chaos.  

Pamphila

Pamphila is the daughter of Micio’s widowed neighbor, Sostra, and is the unfortunate object of Aeschinus’s affections, which he forces upon her against her will. Although the truth is foggy, she thinks that the man responsible for her pregnancy has abandoned her, leaving her destitute and without options. As such, she pursues legal action until circumstances clarify and she learns that Aeschinus has not left her. Her story is quietly tragic, as the course of her life was determined without her input, decided by a man whom she barely knew, let alone loved. However, this element of the play glides beneath the surface, and her suffering is disregarded almost entirely. 

Sostrata 

Mother to the mistreated Pamphila, Sostrata is an elderly widow who advocates strongly on her daughter’s behalf and wishes to force Aeschinus to bear the responsibility for his actions. At the end of the play, she weds the lifelong bachelor, Micio. 

Sannio

A “procurer” by trade, Sannio is a pimp who deals in the prostitution of women. He owns the music girl whom Ctesipho falls in love with, and he is loath to give her up. When Aeschinus turns to violence to rescue his brother’s love, Sannio reveals that, while he knows the moral failings of his profession, it is nonetheless respectable and...