Galileo Galilei

Galileo Galilei, pronounced gah-lee-LAY-oh gah-lee-LAY-ee, is a forty-five-year-old lecturer at the University of Padua, residing as a subject of the Republic of Venice. His household includes his daughter, Virginia; his housekeeper, Mrs. Sarti; and her perceptive son, Andrea, whom he takes great pleasure in teaching about astronomy and physics. Galileo is characterized by his corpulence, indulgence, sensuality, and cunning. He is an aficionado of both vintage wine and innovative ideas, a hedonist who is simultaneously a distinguished educator and scientist. Dissatisfied with his modest earnings, which he supplements through private tutoring, Galileo seizes the opportunity to improve his financial situation by moving to Florence under the patronage of the Medici. In Florence, his research corroborates the Copernican model of a heliocentric universe. Despite being commanded to desist from further astronomical inquiry, Galileo complies for eight years. The ascendancy of Cardinal Barberini to the papacy reignites Galileo's passion, leading him to relentlessly pursue his work on sunspots. As his provocative ideas gain traction, the Inquisition issues warnings and ultimately incarcerates him. In 1633, under the threat of torture, Galileo publicly recants. Although he continues his research clandestinely, he views himself as a betrayer of both science and society. He reflects that, had he resisted the Inquisition, scientists might have established an ethical oath akin to the physicians’ Hippocratic oath, pledging to use their knowledge for the betterment of humanity.

Andrea Sarti

Andrea Sarti, pronounced AHN-dreh-ah SAHR-tee, is the son of Mrs. Sarti and is eleven years old at the play's start, maturing to thirty-nine by its conclusion. He passionately studies under Galileo, forming a bond akin to that of father and son. During the scene of Galileo's recantation, Andrea fervently leads the disciples in affirming belief in the truth and courage of Galileo's work. However, following Galileo's public renunciation, Andrea reacts with scornful disdain toward his mentor. In their final meeting, Andrea rejects Galileo's self-condemnation and succeeds in smuggling Galileo's seminal writings across the Italian border. The play closes with Andrea introducing young boys to scientific principles, echoing how Galileo first introduced him to the scientific method.

Virginia

Virginia, Galileo’s daughter, is a devout adherent of church doctrines, neither grasping nor showing interest in her father's scientific endeavors. Galileo, in turn, shows scant regard for Virginia's interests and future, notably insulting her conservative fiancé to the point of disrupting their engagement. During the scene of Galileo's abjuration, she devoutly prays for her father to recognize his error in opposing the church’s authority. Following his recantation, the Inquisition entrusts Virginia with supervising Galileo's compliant behavior for the rest of his life. By the play's end, she is forty years old.

Mrs. Sarti

Mrs. Sarti, Galileo’s loyal housekeeper, demonstrates unwavering dedication to his well-being, even risking exposure to plague to care for him. She is insightful, straightforward, practical, and entirely committed to supporting him.

Ludovico Marsili

Ludovico Marsili, pronounced lew-doh-VEE-koh MAHR-see-lee, is the affluent and pampered offspring of reactionary, wealthy, aristocratic landowners. He briefly becomes Galileo's private student in Venice and enters into an eight-year engagement with Virginia. However, he abruptly ends the engagement upon witnessing Galileo's defiance of the Inquisition's prohibitions against astronomical research.

Cardinal Barberini

Cardinal Barberini, pronounced bahr-BEHR-ee-nee, is a progressive mathematician who wins Galileo's admiration during a masquerade in Rome. Upon ascending to the papacy as Pope Urban VII, he finds himself constrained by the pressures of the Inquisition and church-affiliated aristocracy. Although he resists authorizing Galileo's torture, he allows the display of coercive instruments to intimidate Galileo into renouncing his scientific findings, which indeed compels Galileo to recant.