Character guide
Who's who in Great Expectations by Charles Dickens: meet the 15 main characters, see how they connect, and open a detailed profile for each.
15 illustrated profiles
Also known as Philip Pirrip, Handel, the boy
The orphan narrator, a blacksmith's apprentice on the Kent marshes raised 'by hand' by his sister, who comes into a secret fortune and is transplanted to London to be made a gentleman.
Bonds:HavishamHost and guestJaggersLawyer and clientEstellaHostess and guestWemmickGuide and newcomer
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Also known as Joe, the blacksmith
The village blacksmith married to Pip's sister, a gentle, good-natured man who is Pip's truest friend and protector.
Bonds:GargeryMarried couplePipBrother-in-law
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Also known as Mrs. Joe, my sister, Georgiana Maria
Pip's much older sister and Joe's wife, a harsh, quick-tempered woman who raised Pip 'by hand' and rules the household.
Bonds:PumblechookUncle and niece-in-lawPipSiblingsJoeMarried couple
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Also known as Provis, the convict, the man, my convict
A desperate escaped convict Pip encounters and secretly feeds on the marshes as a boy; the terrifying man with the leg-iron who never forgets the child's kindness.
Bonds:PipBenefactor and protégéJaggersLegal representationWemmickCorrespondentsCompeysonCriminal partners
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Also known as the faded spectre
A wealthy, reclusive spinster jilted on her wedding day who has stopped all the clocks and lives in decay, raising Estella to break men's hearts.
Bonds:EstellaGuardian and wardPipHost and guestHerbertProspective patronMatthewEstranged relatives
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Also known as the young lady
Miss Havisham's beautiful, cold adopted ward, reared to be proud and to torment the men who admire her, and the object of Pip's hopeless love.
Bonds:HavishamGuardian and wardPipHostess and guestBiddyShared companionsHerbertFormerly affianced
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Also known as the orphan girl
An orphan girl who helps run Wopsle's great-aunt's little school and shop, teaches Pip his letters, and becomes a kind, clever companion to him and Joe.
Bonds:PipHousehold companionsEstellaShared companionsWopsleDistant relatives
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Also known as Herbert, the pale young gentleman
A cheerful, frank young gentleman of modest means who becomes Pip's roommate and closest London friend, and who once boxed Pip as a boy at Miss Havisham's.
Bonds:HavishamProspective patronPipNew friendsEstellaFormerly affiancedMatthewFather and son
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Also known as Mr. Jaggers, the stranger
A formidable, cold London criminal lawyer who administers Pip's expectations and guards their source with intimidating secrecy.
Bonds:PipLawyer and clientWemmickEmployer and clerkAbelLegal representationMatthewProfessional referral
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Also known as Mr. Wemmick
Jaggers's dry, methodical law-clerk, coolly transactional at the office but warmly domestic at his home, who befriends Pip.
Bonds:JaggersEmployer and clerkPipGuide and newcomerAbelCorrespondents
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Also known as Drummle, the Spider
A sulky, wealthy, brutish fellow student of Pip's at Matthew Pocket's, and a boorish rival for Estella's attention.
Bonds:PipSocial associates
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Also known as Uncle Pumblechook
Joe's pompous, self-important uncle, a corn-chandler and seedsman who takes credit for Pip's fortunes and flatters the well-to-do.
Bonds:GargeryUncle and niece-in-law
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Also known as Mr. Wopsle
The dramatic, self-regarding parish clerk who reads aloud at the village inn and hungers for a theatrical career.
Bonds:BiddyDistant relatives
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Also known as the other convict, the second man
A dreaded criminal and Magwitch's mortal enemy, a second escaped convict on the marshes whom Magwitch fears will inform on him.
Bonds:AbelCriminal partners
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Also known as Mr. Pocket
Herbert's father and Pip's amiable, harried London tutor, a well-meaning but perpetually distracted scholar.
Bonds:PipTutor and pupilHavishamEstranged relativesJaggersProfessional referralHerbertFather and son
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Storieta keeps this cast at your side while you read Great Expectations, portraits, names, and an ask-anything assistant that only knows what you've read so far. No spoilers, ever.
Explore the book page for Great Expectations and read the opening free, with no account needed.
Great Expectations is a coming-of-age novel set in England, following Pip, an orphan raised by his older sister and her husband, Joe Gargery, a blacksmith. His childhood world is the bleak marsh country near the sea, where gravestones, rivers, gibbets, and village life shape his imagination. A frightening encounter with an escaped prisoner thrusts Pip into danger and secrecy, while home offers its own mixture of affection, humor, and harsh discipline. The novel promises a broad exploration of youth, social experience, revenge, and relationships between men and women, with the emotional and moral development associated with a Bildungsroman.
Dickens writes in a vividly personal first-person voice, blending menace with comic observation and sharply drawn detail. Pip’s imaginative descriptions make the landscape eerie, while his account of family life turns domestic cruelty and tenderness into scenes of energetic humor. The language, dialogue, and rural setting reflect nineteenth-century England, with period expressions and social attitudes woven throughout. This will suit readers who enjoy richly characterized historical fiction, psychologically attentive coming-of-age stories, darkly atmospheric settings, and prose that can move swiftly from suspense to wit.
Every cast illustrated from the original text.
