Fainall

Fainall is an unfaithful husband who relies on his wife's inheritance for his comfort and livelihood. His "Wit and outward fair Behaviour," as noted by his friend and rival, Mirabell, have earned him a good reputation "with the Town." However, his true character is greedy, deceitful, and immoral. While having an affair with Mrs. Marwood, a friend and confidante of his wife, he schemes to gain full control over both his wife's and his mother-in-law's estates. His name suggests he is a pretender, but his ability to get along with others serves him well in society. This adaptability makes him the perfect candidate to be "sacrificed" to "Arabella Languish" (Mrs. Fainall's name from her first, deceased husband) when she needs an inoffensive second husband.

Mrs. Fainall

Mrs. Fainall is the daughter of Lady Wishfort and the heir to her fortune. Previously married to one "Languish," she was widowed and then remarried to protect her love affair with Mirabell from public scrutiny. Unfortunately, her mother raised her to despise men. Thus, while she can hardly tolerate her husband, she still has warm feelings for her former lover, whom she had to give up to preserve her reputation before remarrying. She considers Mrs. Marwood a close friend until she discovers that Mrs. Marwood is her husband's lover. Mrs. Fainall is clever and cautious, having placed a significant portion of her estate in trust before her marriage because she anticipated her husband's greed. She is a loyal friend to her cousin, Mrs. Millamant, helping her secure Mirabell as a husband. In doing so, she is also generous: she not only willingly parts with her former lover but also assists Millamant, who stands to gain a portion of their aunt Lady Wishfort's fortune upon marriage.

Foible

Foible is a simple yet quick-witted, deceitful yet kind-hearted maid to Lady Wishfort. She assists in a clever but harmless scheme devised by Mirabell to deceive the Lady. Since her betrayal is in the name of love and no one is seriously harmed (only slightly embarrassed), she is forgiven in the end. Although she is seen as an obedient errand girl whom her Lady uses to find a husband for herself, Foible ingeniously turns the situation to find a husband for herself (Mirabell's servant, Waitwell) as well as for her Lady's niece, Millamant. Millamant's choice happens to be Mirabell, her aunt's sworn enemy, making Mirabell's scheme necessary. As a servant, Foible can move freely through her mistress's home and is privy to much that others wish to keep hidden. With Foible's help, Fainall and Marwood's adulterous affair and their plans to steal Lady Wishfort's fortune are uncovered and justly thwarted.

Mrs. Marwood

Mrs. Marwood pretends to be a friend to Mrs. Fainall while secretly being her husband's lover. She plots to ruin the happiness of others for her own gain. She nearly succeeds in sabotaging the anticipated marriage between the true lovers, Mirabell and Millamant, by revealing their love and provoking the wrath of Lady Wishfort. Lady Wishfort despises Mirabell because he once made false advances toward her. Although Marwood claims to detest him and all men, she is also fond of Mirabell and envious of his attention to Millamant. Among all the characters in this comedy of manners, Mrs. Marwood is perhaps the least sympathetic. She is referred to as "that devil" by both Mrs. Fainall and Foible. Due to her deliberate attempts to destroy others' happiness and her deceitful friendships, she is ultimately scorned as an adulteress and a traitor. Even the gullible Lady Wishfort, who initially believes Marwood's loyal friendship saved her from disgrace and others' schemes, eventually sees her as a "wicked accomplice." Though she is clever, she lacks kindness; while she possesses wit, she is not amusing.

Mrs. Millamant

Mrs. Millamant is a lively, attractive, and fashionable young lady who loves Mirabell. As the niece of Lady Wishfort, she stands to inherit part of her fortune if she marries with Lady Wishfort's approval. She adopts a coy demeanor and pretends to disdain men. Often seen with "fops," who are tiresome yet amusing young wits, she tolerates them to conceal her true feelings for Mirabell. Willful and witty, she skillfully navigates the intricate plots and schemes that drive the action and threaten to entangle most characters. Mrs. Millamant is graceful, decorous, and confident. However, her tolerance for Witwoud and Petulance reveals her to be a worldly creature, somewhat influenced by fashion's dictates. Despite her good breeding, she is not above enduring fools for her own mischievous purposes.

Mincing

Mincing is a somewhat affected yet devoted and loyal waiting woman to Mrs. Millamant. Alongside her friend, Foible, Mincing witnesses and corroborates the adulterous affair between Fainall and Marwood, helping to expose their deceitful plot to exploit Mrs. Fainall and extort Lady Wishfort's entire estate. Their testimony leads to Lady Wishfort's blessing of the marriage between Mirabell and Millamant.

Mirabell

Mirabell is a clever, handsome, young, and headstrong gentleman of refined manners who is a dedicated admirer and persistent suitor of Millamant. He was once the lover of Mrs. Fainall and is liked by Mrs. Marwood. Previously the object of Lady Wishfort's affection, he has now become her sworn enemy due to his feigned love for her. A sensible man, Mirabell is also a shrewd and effective strategist who executes plans to marry Lady Wishfort's niece against her will, thereby securing both his love and Millamant's dowry. Although likeable, he can be ruthless in exploiting both servants and peers to achieve his goals. However, since almost everyone benefits from his schemes, no one seems to mind, except for Fainall and Marwood, whom he ultimately exposes as treacherous and inept traitors. Mirabell is a proud, cunning, and generous man of the world who acknowledges he is suffering from a love sickness he neither can nor wishes to escape.

Petulant

This dandy and follower of Mrs. Millamant is as rude and ill-humored, as peevish and capricious as his name suggests. A friend to Witwoud, he is perceived by others to be the less witty of the two. Petulant is illiterate and proud, boorish and vain. To give the impression of popularity, he pays women of dubious virtue to call on him in public places and has even disguised himself to visit himself in public. While he likes Mrs. Millamant, he would just as soon sleep with his maid. To Witwoud, his raillery is pure brilliance, but he is barely tolerated by people of sensibility. Petulant possesses a brutal tactlessness and cannot speak the truth, as everything he says and does is a performance based on his mood. As a fool, he is more dour than deft.

Waitwell

Waitwell, Mirabell's servant, is crucial in advancing his master's marriage plans. Loyal and eager to please, he agrees to marry Lady Wishfort's maid, Foible, to secure the plan and to impersonate Mirabell's uncle to profess love to Lady Wishfort. As Mirabell's fictional uncle, Sir Rowland, Waitwell delivers a convincing performance that persuades Lady Wishfort of his ardent desire and urgent need to marry, thwarting Mirabell's hope for a marriage dowry. His gallant love act places Lady Wishfort in the embarrassing and precarious position of being deceived once again by a suitor. By helping to place her at the mercy of her enemies, he clears the way for Mirabell to extricate her.

Lady Wishfort

Lady Wishfort, an aging grand dame, is as eager to find a husband as she is unaware of the schemes to deprive her of her wealth and "virtue." As the mother of Mrs. Fainall and aunt to Mrs. Millamant, she holds the key to the fortune and the maid that will bring the story to its climax. Her vivid language and intense emotional outbursts provide the play's most entertaining and lively moments. Nearly everyone around her, including her own daughter, takes advantage of her. Though she's at risk of losing her fortune, she is more concerned about her reputation. She uses heavy makeup to cover her wrinkles, believing herself still attractive to men like Mirabell and the impostor, Sir Rowland. Despite raising her daughter to despise men, she cannot imagine life without them. While she goes to great lengths to maintain appearances, her strong constitution endures various indignities and humiliations, yet she manages to recover with some grace and ultimately forgives everyone.

Witwoud

Witwoud is a man who prides himself on his unceasing wit, charm, and raillery. This "becravated and beper-riwig'd" fool, as Sir Wilfull calls him, admires Mrs. Millamant and pretends to be a favorite among the ladies. His main role is to entertain with his witty remarks, and he is included in the ladies' thrice-weekly "cabals," where they destroy reputations and share their fashionable views on marriage, men, and morals. Witwoud's good-natured affectation and oblivious methods allow other characters to hide their true feelings. His superficial jokes, similes, and puns relieve tension and inadvertently highlight the foolishness of contemporary fashion and manners. Despite his foolishness, he is harmless and provides many funny and insightful moments, even with his desperate attempts at wit.

Sir Wilfull Witwoud

Sir Wilfull Witwoud, who is both bashful and obstinate, feisty and deferential when needed, is a good-natured country bumpkin eager to please. As Witwoud's half-brother by marriage, he aspires to be witty. He has come to town to explore before embarking on his travels and finds himself baffled by the "lingo" of fashionable society. He serves as a contrast to the well-bred characters; his straightforwardness stands in stark contrast to their studied rudeness and affectation. This makes him an easy target in the matchmaking schemes, but he remains cheerful, especially after a drinking session. In an act of generosity and feigned sincerity, he agrees to marry Millamant to save her fortune. However, he is also a skilled dissembler, playing a part in Mirabell's clever plan to expose Fainall and Mrs. Marwood's deception and to ensnare Lady Wishfort in a harmless trap.