Characters
First and Second Voice
First Voice and Second Voice are the narrators of Under Milk Wood. Together, they tell the story of the town of Llareggub and its inhabitants. Both voices possess a profound understanding of the goings-on in Llareggub, seamlessly accessing the dreams and daydreams of the townspeople. Through their omniscient narration, the storyline is not only anchored but also perpetuated, as there is no conventional plot or climax. Their thorough acquaintance with the town and its characters is crucial in maintaining the narrative flow.
Captain Cat
Captain Cat is a central figure in the play, a retired sea captain blind in both sight and understanding of the wider world, who spends his days deep in nostalgic dreams. He reflects on his seafaring past and the comrades who perished when their ship sank. His dreams are haunted by the specter of Rosie Probert, a long-lost love who was both a prostitute and a beacon of innocence to him. Through his dreams, Captain Cat poignantly revisits the past, shedding tears for the life and love lost forever.
Reverend Eli Jenkins
Reverend Eli Jenkins is the spiritual heart of Llareggub, whose love for the town manifests in his prayers, poetry, and his work on a book detailing the town's intricacies, titled “The White Book of Llareggub.” His poetic musings resonate with an affection for the town's simple beauty amidst the grandeur of the Welsh landscape. Jenkins' optimistic world view is highlighted in his prayerful reminder to God of the townspeople’s inherent goodness, reinforcing the play’s thematic core that life is a tapestry of good and bad intertwined.
Mrs. Ogmore-Pritchard
Mrs. Ogmore-Pritchard is a widow who obsessively maintains her boarding house. Her character is defined by her relentless cleanliness and her conversations with the ghosts of her deceased husbands. She continues to control them, as she did in life, demanding recitations of their mundane tasks. Her dreams are filled with these ghostly interactions, illustrating her inability to let go of the past and her compulsion to dominate those around her.
Polly Garter
Polly Garter, the town's washerwoman, is at the center of much gossip due to her many children fathered by different men. While the women of the town may view her as scandalous, Polly's monologues reveal a tender side, mourning a singular lost love, Little Willy Wee. Despite her many lovers, her heart remains with him. Her clandestine affair with Mr. Ward highlights her longing for connection and love.
Mog Edwards
Mog Edwards, known as the "draper mad with love," runs a dry goods store and maintains a romantic correspondence with Miss Myfanwy Price. His letters blend business updates, town gossip, and declarations of affection. However, his love for money and her preference for a tidy life ensure their relationship remains confined to written words, never consummated beyond the page.
Miss Myfanwy Price
Miss Myfanwy Price, who tends to her sweetshop and dressmaking, is engaged in a distant yet passionate epistolary romance with Mog Edwards. Their dreams about each other are vivid, yet they remain physically distant, each devoted to their own routines and responsibilities, highlighting the limitations of their love.
The Voice of a Guide-Book
The Voice of a Guide-Book interrupts the narration of First and Second Voice, offering a factual depiction of Llareggub as a quaint fishing village. Though the descriptions are not extravagant, there is an underlying warmth in the portrayal, emphasizing the charm of the town’s simplicity.
Butcher Beynon
Butcher Beynon, the town's butcher, dreams humorously of hunting for meat. His wife, Mrs. Beynon, questions the origin of his meats in her own dreams, almost realizing...
(This entire section contains 963 words.)
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her suspicions when he jokes about the questionable nature of his products, revealing the absurdity and humor in their daily lives.
Mr. Waldo
Mr. Waldo is an eccentric figure in Milk Wood, juggling professions as a rabbit catcher, barber, herbalist, and local "quack." He lives alone, haunted by dreams of his deceased wives, a domineering mother, and childhood comforts. His dreams speak to the town's quirky, yet relatable everyday struggles.
Cherry Owen
Cherry Owen, a newlywed with a penchant for overindulgence at the Sailor’s Arm pub, is lovingly tolerated by his wife. They share laughter over his nightly antics, illustrating a relationship built on forgiveness and joy, despite his flaws.
Gossamer Beynon
Gossamer Beynon, the alluring schoolmistress, masks her passionate nature behind the guise of propriety. She secretly fantasizes about Sinbad Sailor, unaware of his affections for her, creating a poignant tale of unspoken desires and societal expectations.
Mr. Pugh
Mr. Pugh, trapped in an unhappy marriage, finds solace in his vivid fantasies of concocting poisons to free himself from his ill-tempered wife. His daydreams highlight the contrast between the mundane and the imaginative within the confines of small-town life.
Nogood Boyo
Nogood Boyo, the town's youthful delinquent, indulges in leisurely fishing while daydreaming about the women of the town. His carefree existence reflects a youthful irreverence and the universal pursuit of freedom and amusement.
Dai Bread
Dai Bread juggles life between his two wives, Mrs. Dai Bread One, embodying respectable domesticity, and Mrs. Dai Bread Two, a free-spirited gypsy. Their contrasting personalities and his divided attention paint a humorous picture of the complexities of love and commitment.
Willy Nilly and Mrs. Willy Nilly
Willy Nilly, the postman, along with his wife, engages in the clandestine steaming open of letters, using the acquired secrets to fuel the town's gossip. Their actions, though invasive, underscore the communal nature of Llareggub, highlighting both its intimacy and its indiscretions.
Jack Black
Jack Black, the cobbler, harbors a self-righteous zeal in disrupting romantic encounters, both in his dreams and in reality. His fervor underscores the tension between morality and desire within the community, portraying Milk Wood as a microcosm of human imperfections and passions.
