The Duke of Florence

The Duke of Florence is a licentious and ruthless ruler, known for his desire for power and women. He becomes captivated by Bianca, orchestrating her abduction with the help of Livia and Guardiano. Although she is initially resistant, Bianca is eventually drawn to him. In an attempt to maintain her as his lover, he goes so far as to have her husband, Leantio, killed. However, this act of treachery leads to his downfall. During a masquerade arranged to celebrate his marriage to Bianca, he accidentally consumes poison intended for his brother, the Lord Cardinal, and dies in agony.

Bianca

Bianca, originally a naive and beautiful daughter from a wealthy family, becomes embroiled in a tragic spiral of deceit and betrayal. Initially eloping with Leantio, whom she marries and adores, her life takes a dark turn when she becomes the object of the Duke of Florence's affections. Manipulated into his sphere by Livia, Bianca's sense of loyalty is tested, leading her to fall for the Duke despite her initial resistance. In a desperate attempt to eliminate the Lord Cardinal, whom she suspects of harboring ambitions against the Duke, she prepares a deadly poison. This plan backfires spectacularly when the Duke himself drinks the poison, prompting a heartbroken Bianca to consume the remaining poison and perish alongside him.

Leantio

Leantio is a humble merchant's agent whose life is shaped by his profound love and jealousy for his wife, Bianca. Desperate to shield her from the world’s corrupting influence, he instructs his mother to keep her hidden while he works. Despite his efforts, Bianca is seduced by the Duke of Florence, a betrayal that crushes Leantio. Seeking solace, he embarks on an affair with the malevolent Livia, boasting about it in a misguided attempt to salvage his pride. His indiscretion proves fatal; Bianca informs the Duke, who directs Hippolito to murder Leantio, clearing the way for Bianca's integration into the Duke's world.

Livia

Livia stands as a paragon of manipulation and depravity within the play’s twisted narrative. A wealthy woman, she orchestrates her niece Isabella's affair with her brother Hippolito by deceitfully claiming they are not related by blood. Livia's machinations extend to ensnaring Bianca in the Duke's grasp, revealing her as an agent of chaos and desire. Her obsession with Leantio leads to an affair that ends disastrously when he is murdered. In her quest for vengeance and control, she orchestrates Hippolito and Isabella's deaths using poisoned arrows. Ironically, she meets her demise when Isabella avenges her with poison fumes from a censer.

Hippolito

Hippolito, consumed by lust for his niece Isabella, is a character driven by forbidden desires. The brother of Livia and the uncle of Isabella, he becomes entangled in a destructive affair under the false belief that they are not kin. His sense of family honor propels him to murder Leantio upon learning of his sister’s illicit involvement with him. Hippolito's life ends in a tragic flurry during a masque when poisoned arrows strike him, driving him to impale himself on his sword in a final, dramatic act of despair.

Isabella

Isabella, caught in a web of deceit spun by her aunt Livia, initially resists her father Fabricio's plan to wed her to the naive Ward. Persuaded that her uncle Hippolito is not her blood relative, she engages in an affair with him, using her marriage as a facade. When Livia reveals the truth about their relationship, Isabella seeks retribution, crafting a plan to poison Livia. Her revenge is short-lived, as she too becomes a casualty of the poisoned censer she had intended for Livia.