The Two Magics characters

The Governess

Also known as the young lady, the governess, the new governess, my predecessor's successor

The unnamed young governess who narrates the story via the transcript Douglas reads; hired to care for two orphaned children at Bly, she becomes convinced the estate is haunted by two dead servants. She is the protagonist of The Turn of the Screw.

Bonds:GroseTrusted confidantes

Mrs. Grose

Also known as the housekeeper, my colleague, my friend

The plain-spoken, loyal housekeeper at Bly and the governess's only adult confidante, who confirms her descriptions of the ghosts but ultimately cannot see them herself.

Bonds:MilesFond acquaintancesFloraTemporary caretakerJesselFormer colleaguesPeterHousehold acquaintances

Miles

Also known as little Miles, the little boy, the little gentleman

The elder of the two orphaned children in the governess's charge, a beautiful, preternaturally charming boy mysteriously expelled from school. He dies in the governess's arms in the final scene.

Bonds:GroseFond acquaintancesFloraSibling chargesPeterImproper friendsJesselAdmonishing acquaintance

Flora

Also known as little Flora, the little girl, my small charge

The younger child at Bly, a lovely little girl of eight whom the governess believes to be secretly aware of the ghost of Miss Jessel. She is sent away with Mrs. Grose after a breakdown.

Bonds:GroseTemporary caretakerMilesSibling chargesJesselGhostly witness

Peter Quint

Also known as Quint, the fellow, the hound, the man, the horror

The dead former valet of the children's uncle, whose malevolent ghost the governess sees haunting Bly. In life he was a depraved, domineering servant found dead on the village road.

Bonds:MilesImproper friendsGroseHousehold acquaintances

Miss Jessel

Also known as my predecessor, the former governess, the woman in black, the other person

The governess's dead predecessor, whose ghost appears in mourning by the lake and elsewhere. In life she was ruined by her liaison with Peter Quint and died after leaving Bly.

Bonds:FloraGhostly witnessGroseFormer colleaguesMilesAdmonishing acquaintance

The Uncle

Also known as the master, our employer, the gentleman in Harley Street, the children's guardian, the bachelor uncle

The children's bachelor guardian in London who hires the governess on the strict condition that she never trouble him about them. He never appears at Bly and is present only as an absent, longed-for figure.

Douglas

Also known as our friend, the reader of the tale

A member of the Christmas-eve fireside party who introduces and reads aloud the governess's manuscript, having known her long ago when she was his sister's governess.

Mrs. Gracedew

Also known as the American lady, the American, the dear lady, the stranger

The vivacious, wealthy American widow who arrives to admire the old English house in Covering End and, charmed by it and by its heir, intervenes to save it from Mr. Prodmore's grasp.

Bonds:ProdmoreNew acquaintancesYuleSocial acquaintancesCoraNew friendsChiversHelpful acquaintances

Mr. Prodmore

Also known as Prodmore, the elder man, the personage

The heavy, calculating mortgage-holder in Covering End who controls the fate of the Yule estate and schemes to marry his daughter into a title through Captain Yule.

Bonds:YuleOld antagonistsGracedewNew acquaintancesCoraFather and daughterChiversOld adversaries

Captain Yule

Also known as Clement Yule, Captain Clement Yule, the young man, his master

The radical-minded young soldier who unexpectedly inherits the mortgaged old house of Covering End and must reckon with Mr. Prodmore's terms and Mrs. Gracedew's influence.

Bonds:ProdmoreOld antagonistsGracedewSocial acquaintancesChiversTelegram correspondence

Chivers

Also known as the old man, the old servant, the caretaker

The ancient, devoted manservant of the old house in Covering End who admits the visitors and tends the estate, embodying the long history of the place.

Bonds:ProdmoreOld adversariesYuleTelegram correspondenceGracedewHelpful acquaintances

Cora Prodmore

Also known as Cora, Miss Prodmore, the girl, his child

Mr. Prodmore's spirited young daughter, whom he intends to marry to Captain Yule, and who instead befriends Mrs. Gracedew on the train to Covering End.

Bonds:ProdmoreFather and daughterGracedewNew friends

The Frame Narrator

Also known as the narrator, the transcriber

The unnamed first-person narrator of the framing story, one of the fireside company who later makes the exact transcript of Douglas's manuscript from which the tale is given.

Mrs. Griffin

Also known as one of the ladies

A lady of the Christmas-eve fireside party who presses Douglas with questions about the governess's story during the prologue of The Turn of the Screw.