EMMA WOODHOUSE – Very pretty, accomplished, willful, highly intelligent, sophisticated and arrogant. Although often wrong, she is always confident of being right. A clever and spoiled young woman with a strong affection for her father.
HENRY WOODHOUSE – Emma’s elderly father. An expert worrier whose hyphochondria is a source of continual amusement, he basks in Emma’s attentions and resists any kind of change. Although he indulges his whims, he also expresses concern for the health of others.
MR. GEORGE KNIGHTLEY – A close friend of the Woodhouse family. A handsome, virile, rational gentleman farmer with great judgment and tact, who acts an adviser to—and finally lover of—Emma. A man’s man.
MISS TAYLOR – Emma’s former governess and the new wife of Mr. Weston.
MR. WESTON – A kindly and cheerful neighbor of the Woodhouses, and the father of Frank Churchill by an earlier marriage. Genial, generous, easygoing and warmhearted.
PHILIP ELTON – The 26-year-old rector of Highberry, who is looking for the right marriage.
HARRIET SMITH – A soft, amiable and adoring orphan, easily swayed, and of a class below Emma’s. Befriended by Emma, she eventually decides to marry the man for whom she was intended.
ROBERT MARTIN – A capable young farmer, in love with Harriet Smith.
MISS BATES – A middle-aged spinster, kind but terribly talkative. Lives in genteel poverty with her ailing mother.
JANE FAIRFAX – A beautiful and talented young woman who is visiting her aunt, Miss Bates, in Highberry.
FRANK CHURCHILL – The very handsome and well-mannered son of Mr. Weston, who was raised by his aunt, and is visiting Highberry for the first time.
AUGUSTA HAWKINS – The vain, nouveau-riche wife of Mr. Elton.