Characters
Mr. Allwit
Mr. Allwit is fully aware that his wife is having an affair with Sir Walter Whorehound, but he accepts it because Sir Walter pays for all of the Allwits' expenses. Allwit exemplifies a willing cuckold, often referred to as a wittol. For both him and his wife, their marriage resembles a business deal more than a romantic union. Allwit permits Sir Walter to be his wife's lover to the extent that Allwit has completely lost the right to sleep with his wife, as shown in a scene with the jealous Sir Walter. Allwit also harbors suspicions about Sir Walter, fearing that his benefactor might eventually marry someone else and no longer need Allwit's wife. When Allwit learns that Sir Walter intends to marry Moll Yellowhammer, he attempts to thwart it by informing Mr. Yellowhammer about Sir Walter's past mistresses. Despite their unconventional arrangement, Allwit truly loves his children, all of whom are fathered by Sir Walter. When Sir Walter seeks redemption, believing he is fatally injured, Allwit tries to console him by bringing in two of these illegitimate children—Wat and Nick. However, when Sir Walter declares that he will leave only curses to Allwit and his wife in his will, and when Allwit discovers Sir Walter has committed murder and is now a fugitive, Allwit quickly distances himself. He denies Sir Walter refuge, and he and his wife decide to use the items gifted by Sir Walter to furnish a home in the fashionable Strand area of London.
Mrs. Allwit
With her husband's consent, Mrs. Allwit engages in an affair with Sir Walter Whorehound, who in return, finances all of the Allwits' living costs. Her marriage to Mr. Allwit is more of a business arrangement rather than a romantic relationship. At the start of the play, Mrs. Allwit is about to give birth to her latest child, fathered by Sir Walter. This situation and the subsequent christening of the new baby provide some of the play's most humorously ironic moments, as noted by many critics. When Sir Walter seeks redemption, thinking he is near death, Mr. Allwit tries to comfort him by presenting some of the children Mrs. Allwit has had by Sir Walter. This only increases Sir Walter's distress, leading him to accuse Mrs. Allwit of contributing to his damnation by being his mistress. When Mr. Allwit tries to expel Sir Walter after learning he is a fugitive, Mrs. Allwit initially attempts to defend Sir Walter. Ultimately, she sides with her husband. After they expel Sir Walter, it is Mrs. Allwit who suggests they use their surplus possessions to secure a house in the Strand.
Davy Dahanna
Davy Dahanna is a poor relative and personal servant to Sir Walter Whorehound. Throughout the play, Dahanna delivers many humorous asides to the audience at the expense of Sir Walter and others. He is the one who informs Mr. Allwit about Sir Walter's upcoming marriage. Dahanna hopes that if Allwit can prevent the marriage and Sir Walter dies without children, Dahanna might inherit from his distant relative, Sir Kix.
Mrs. Kix
Mrs. Kix, the wife of Sir Kix, is upset that they cannot conceive a child, so she becomes pregnant by Touchwood Senior. Although the Kixes are related to Sir Walter in an unspecified way, it is clear that if they do not produce an heir, their fortune will go to Sir Walter. This childless state causes tension between the Kixes, and Mrs. Kix blames her husband, claiming she never had fertility issues before. After learning about a special fertility drink that Touchwood Senior can sell, Mrs. Kix pushes her...
(This entire section contains 1615 words.)
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husband to buy it. While Sir Kix drinks the elixir and is sent on a long horseback ride—supposedly necessary for the drink to work—the highly fertile Touchwood Senior impregnates Mrs. Kix in her coach.
Sir Oliver Kix
Sir Oliver Kix is a relative of Sir Walter, and the two compete to produce the first legitimate heir to secure the Kixes' fortune. Unwittingly, Sir Kix allows himself to be cuckolded. The couple's inability to have children leads to conflict, with Sir Kix blaming his wife, calling her barren, despite the likelihood that his own age is the issue. When Sir Kix hears about Touchwood Senior's fertility drink, he purchases a vial. Touchwood Senior instructs Sir Kix that a long horseback ride is needed for the drink to be effective. Sir Kix believes this and, during his absence, Touchwood Senior impregnates Mrs. Kix. Overjoyed by his wife's pregnancy, Sir Kix offers to support Touchwood Senior and all his children, including any future ones.
Touchwood, Junior
Touchwood Junior is deeply in love with Moll Yellowhammer, but her parents refuse to let her marry him. The couple attempts to wed in secret, but they are discovered before they can go through with it. Their next plan is to elope by crossing the river, but Maudlin Yellowhammer jumps in, catches Moll, and pulls her back. Ultimately, the lovers fake their deaths. Touchwood Junior pretends to be mortally wounded in a duel with Sir Walter Whorehound. At their funeral, Touchwood Junior and Moll emerge from their coffins and get married before the Yellowhammers can intervene.
Touchwood, Senior
Touchwood Senior is an exceptionally fertile man with more children than he can afford to care for, so he and his wife decide to live separately to avoid having more kids. He finds financial support for his children by selling a fake elixir to Sir Oliver Kix, claiming it will make him fertile enough to impregnate his wife. While Kix is taking the elixir, Touchwood Senior impregnates Mrs. Kix himself. Overjoyed that his wife is pregnant, Sir Kix agrees to support Touchwood Senior and his family.
The Welsh Gentlewoman
The Welsh Gentlewoman is a prostitute whom Sir Walter Whorehound pretends is his niece. She is supposed to marry Tim Yellowhammer in exchange for Sir Walter being allowed to marry Moll Yellowhammer. The Welsh Gentlewoman marries Tim at the same time as Moll Yellowhammer's supposed funeral. Although Tim is devastated when he learns he has married a prostitute, she reassures him that marriage makes her honorable.
Maudlin Yellowhammer
Maudlin Yellowhammer collaborates with her husband to coerce their daughter, Moll, into marrying Sir Walter Whorehound. This arrangement is intended to secure a marriage between their son and a Welsh Gentlewoman, who they mistakenly believe is wealthy. Despite Moll being one of the few virtuous characters in the play, Maudlin devalues her, especially when Moll attempts to escape the arranged marriage twice. On the second attempt, Maudlin drags Moll out of the river by her hair. When Moll uses this episode to feign her own death, her parents mourn but do not attend her funeral. They are preoccupied with marrying their son, Tim, to the Welsh Gentlewoman before Sir Walter Whorehound discovers his bride-to-be is dead. Consequently, the Yellowhammers arrive too late at Moll's funeral—where Moll and Touchwood Junior reveal they are alive—and fail to prevent Moll and Touchwood Junior from getting married.
Moll Yellowhammer
Moll, the virtuous maiden referenced in the play's title, wishes to marry Touchwood Junior. However, her parents attempt to force her into marrying Sir Walter Whorehound. Moll and Touchwood Junior initially try to marry secretly but are caught before they can wed. They then plan to elope by crossing the river, but Maudlin Yellowhammer intercepts Moll and drags her out of the water. Moll seizes this incident to pretend she has fallen ill, faking her death. Simultaneously, Touchwood Junior pretends to be fatally injured in a duel with Sir Walter Whorehound. At the lovers' funeral, Moll and Touchwood Junior emerge from their coffins and marry before the Yellowhammers can intervene.
Mr. Yellowhammer
Yellowhammer is a goldsmith who, alongside his wife Maudlin, tries to force their daughter, Moll, into marrying Sir Walter Whorehound. He is oblivious to the fact that Touchwood Junior is having him craft a wedding ring to elope with Moll. Yellowhammer arrives just in time to thwart the couple's initial attempt to wed. When Allwit visits Yellowhammer, he pretends to be a concerned relative offering advice. He informs Yellowhammer that Sir Walter is an adulterer, prompting Yellowhammer to declare that he will not allow Sir Walter to marry his daughter. However, once Allwit leaves, Yellowhammer reflects on his own infidelities and remains determined to proceed with the marriage between Moll and Sir Walter. After Moll fakes her death, her parents grieve but are too preoccupied with marrying their son Tim to the Welsh Gentlewoman before Sir Walter learns of Moll's supposed demise. Consequently, the Yellowhammers arrive too late at Moll's funeral, where Moll and Touchwood Junior reveal they are alive and successfully marry. Yellowhammer consoles himself with the thought that, despite marrying his son to a prostitute, he only needs to pay for one wedding dinner for both of his children.
Tim Yellowhammer
Tim is a university student who unwittingly marries a prostitute disguised as the Welsh Gentlewoman. Although he is quite dim-witted, he believes his university education makes him intelligent. Consequently, he frequently uses Latin, much to the frustration of his mother and the Welsh Gentlewoman, who thinks he is insulting her. Tim believes logic can solve any problem and spends much of his time in logical debates with his tutor. Initially hesitant about marrying the Welsh Gentlewoman, he eventually becomes very fond of her. Upon discovering after their marriage that she is a prostitute, he is distraught until his mother reminds him of his claim that he could use logic to prove a prostitute to be an honest woman—now he has the chance. Ultimately, Tim accepts his wife when she asserts that marriage makes her an honest woman, regardless of her past.
