Moën

Mads Moën, Ingrid’s bumbling, cuckolded groom.

Aslak

Aslak, a young blacksmith who voices the ridicule and dislike that most of the villagers show toward Peer.

Three Cowherd Girls

Three Cowherd Girls, who take Peer Gynt into their beds after he has abandoned Ingrid.

The Woman in Green

The Woman in Green, the daughter of the Troll King and the mother of Peer’s lame, ugly child.

Brosë

Brosë, the Troll King of Dovre. He tells Peer that the Troll motto is “To thyself be—enough.” Although Peer later believes that he has left Trolldom behind him, this motto is his philosophy in his subsequent adventures in many parts of the world. After the Button Moulder gives Peer leave to find witnesses to prove that he has always been himself, he and the Troll King meet again. The Troll King refuses to testify to a lie; he says that Peer has been a Troll in secret ever since he ate and drank with the Trolls and took away their motto graven on his heart.

The Great Boyg

The Great Boyg, a grim, impassable monster, identified only by a voice in the darkness, who says that he conquers though he does not fight. His advice is, “Go round about, Peer.” He typifies the riddle of existence.

The Button Moulder

The Button Moulder, an agent of God who is waiting for Peer when he returns, as an old man, to Norway. He intends to take Peer’s soul and melt it down with other worthless ones, neither good enough to merit Heaven nor bad enough to deserve Hell, and he carries a huge casting ladle with him for this purpose. To Peer’s surprise and indignation, the Button Moulder tells him that he should not mind dissolution because he has never been himself. The Button Moulder grants Peer leave to find witnesses that he has always been himself, to find a witness who will testify that his sins are great enough to merit Hell, and to set his house in order. At the end of the play, though the Button Moulder waits at the next crossroads, Solveig ignores his call while she holds Peer’s head in her lap and sings him a lullaby.

Kari

Kari, a cotter’s wife and Aase’s friend.

Mr. Cotton

Mr. Cotton,

Monsieur Ballon

Monsieur Ballon,

Herr von Eberkopf

Herr von Eberkopf, and

Herr Trumpeterstraale

Herr Trumpeterstraale, the men who commandeer Peer Gynt’s ship in the hope of obtaining his gold. They are destroyed when the vessel blows up after Peer’s prayer to God.

A Moroccan Thief

A Moroccan Thief and

a Receiver of Stolen Goods

a Receiver of Stolen Goods, who flee at Peer Gynt’s approach, leaving behind them an emperor’s stolen robe and charger. With these, Peer impersonates an Arab chieftain.

Anitra

Anitra, an Arab dancing girl. While Peer Gynt is singing and dancing to show her how young and vigorous he is, she rides away with his horse and moneybag.

Professor Begriffenfeldt

Professor Begriffenfeldt, the keeper of a lunatic asylum at Cairo. He introduces Peer to the mad inmates as their emperor.

Huhu

Huhu, a language reformer from the Malabar coast.

Hussein

Hussein, a minister of state.

A Fellah

A Fellah, carrying a mummy, who imagines that he is King Apis. He, Huhu, and Hussein are inmates of the asylum.

A Stranger

A Stranger, who encounters Peer Gynt on a ship off the Norwegian coast. He asks Peer for his corpse.

The Ship’s Cook

The Ship’s Cook, whom Peer, to save his own life, pushes off the keel after the ship capsizes during a storm.

A Thin Person

A Thin Person, the Devil dressed in a priest’s cassock, whom Peer meets while trying to find someone who will testify to his fitness to enter Hell. Unimpressed by this stranger’s recital of his sins, the Devil says that he is searching for Peer Gynt. Peer sends him off to the Cape of Good Hope on a useless search. Fooling the Devil gives Peer a momentary pleasure.

Peer Peer is the central protagonist in this play. When the play opens he has no plans, no future, and no money. He seems not to care about not having these things, and it is his mother who berates him for his lack of ambition. Peer kidnaps Ingrid on her wedding day, but it does not appear to be from love. Instead, he wants her for her dowry, and he really just takes her because he has been denied her. Rather than work for what he wants, Peer simply takes what he thinks he should be given. Peer has many adventures after he abandons Ingrid, but in all of them, he is completely selfish and selfcentered, thinking only of what he wants or what will benefit him. Although he finds great wealth, and much of it dishonestly or at least dishonorably, Peer loses what he has several times, and when he finally returns to his home, he brings no riches home with him. Instead, Peer finds the greatest riches of all, the love of Solveig, which was always there for him to discover.

Ase Ase is Peer's mother. She loves her son very much and makes many sacrifices for him. But from Peer's words at her death, it is also apparent that she was willing to punish, even beat him, if necessary. Ase wants to believe in Peer, and so, when he tells her his stories, she initially believes him. She pushes Peer to make something of himself, even berating him and calling him lazy when she must. When Peer is banished, she is the one who is fined and who loses everything she has. But in spite of all that she suffers, Ase is happy to see Peer when he appears at her deathbed.

The Button Moulder The Button Moulder represents Peer's future. In a sense, the Button Moulder is death, who has come to claim Peer. Peer is neither bad enough for hell, nor good enough for heaven. So the Button Moulder has come for Peer, to melt him in his ladle. Peer is destined to become just one more of the lost souls, indistinguishable from the others who are sent to this nonentity of existence. The Button Moulder is turned away by Solveig whose love for Peer proves that he must be worthy of such devotion.

The Great Boyg The Great Boyg represents the riddle of existence. He is a shapeless, frightening monster, who cannot be conquered. He blocks Peer’s way up the mountain, and he tells him that although he never fights, he is never beaten. When it seems that the Boyg will take Peer, the sound of a woman singing sends him away. The Boyg cannot beat a woman.

Ingrid Ingrid is the bride kidnapped by Peer. Since she is hiding from her bridegroom at her own wedding, it does not appear too unlikely that Peer is really rescuing her. In fact, when Peer abandons her, Ingrid is very angry, wanting to continue on with him.

Mountain King’s DaughterSee Woman in green Old Man of the Mountain The father of the woman in green, whom Peer seeks to marry. He has a number of tests that Peer must go through to prove that he can become a troll, and thus, worthy of his daughter.

Solveig Solveig is a young farmer's daughter who Peer meets at Ingrid' s wedding. She is initially interested in Peer, but she is warned off by her father. After Peer runs away with Ingrid, Solveig joins Ase in searching for him. And when Peer is banished, Solveig chooses to leave her sister and parents and join Peer in living an isolated life in the forest. After only a brief time together, Solveig is left alone while Peer, who has left to pick up firewood, leaves for good. She promises to wait for him and she does so, even though the wait has lasted many years. Solveig's love for Peer is far greater than he deserves, but it is her love that saves him and gives meaning to his life.

Woman in green Believes Peer's lies and agrees to marry him. He abandons her, and later she reappears with a trollchild, whom she identifies as Peer's child. Her threats to destroy Peer's happiness with Solveig cause him to run away.