Characters
- Captain Cat - The old blind sea captain who dreams of his deceased shipmates and lost lover Rosie Probert. He is one of the play's most important characters, as he often acts as a narrator. He observes and comments on the goings-on in the village from his window.
- Rosie Probert - Captain Cat's deceased lover, who appears in his dreams.
- Myfanwy Price - The sweetshop-keeper who dreams of marrying Mog Edwards.
- Mr. Mog Edwards - The draper, enamored of Myfanwy Price. Their romance, however, is restricted strictly to the letters they write one another and their interactions in their dreams.
- Jack Black - The cobbler, who dreams of scaring away young couples.
- Evans the Death - The undertaker, who dreams of his childhood.
- Mr. Waldo - rabbit catcher, barber, herbalist, cat doctor, quack, dreams of his mother and his many unhappy, failed marriages. He is a notorious alcoholic and general troublemaker, and is involved in an affair with Polly Garter.
- Mrs. Ogmore-Pritchard - The owner of a guesthouse, who dreams of nagging her two late husbands. She refuses to let anyone stay at the guesthouse because of her extreme penchant for neatness.
- Mr. Ogmore - Deceased, Linoleum salesman, late of Mrs. Ogmore-Pritchard.
- Mr. Pritchard - Deceased, failed bookmaker, late of Mrs. Ogmore-Pritchard. He committed suicide "ironically" by ingesting disinfectant.
- Gossamer Beynon - The schoolteacher (daughter of Butcher Beynon), dreams of a fox-like illicit love. During the day, she longs to be with Sinbad Sailors, but the two never interact.
- Organ Morgan - The church organ player, has perturbed dreams of music and orchestras within the village. His obsession with music bothers his wife intensely.
- Mrs. Organ Morgan - A shop owner who dreams of "silence," as she is disturbed during the day by Organ Morgan's constant organ-playing.
- Mr & Mrs Floyd - The cocklers, an elderly couple, seemingly the only couple to sleep peacefully in the village. They are mentioned only during the dream sequence.
- Utah Watkins - The farmer, dreams of counting sheep that resemble his wife.
- Ocky Milkman - The milkman, dreams of pouring his milk into a river, 'regardless of expense'.
- Mr. Cherry Owen - Dreams of drinking, and yet is unable to as the tankard turns into a fish, which he drinks.
- Mrs. Cherry Owen - Cherry Owen's devoted wife, who cares for him and delights in rehashing his drunken antics.
- Police Constable Attila Rees - The policeman, relieves himself into his helmet at night, knowing somehow he will regret this in the morning.
- Mr. Willy Nilly - The postman, dreams of delivering the post in his sleep, and physically knocks upon his wife as if knocking upon a door. In the morning they open the post together and read the town's news so he can relay it around the village.
- Mrs. Willy Nilly - who, because of her husband's knocking upon her, dreams of being spanked by her teacher for being late for school. She assists Willy Nilly in steaming open the mail.
- Mary Ann Sailors - 85 years old, dreams of the Garden of Eden. During the day she announces her age ("I'm 85 years, 3 months and a day!") to the town.
- Sinbad Sailors - The barman, dreams of Gossamer Beynon, who he cannot marry because of his grandmother's disapproval.
- Mae Rose Cottage - Seventeen and never been kissed, she dreams of meeting her "Mr. Right". She spends the day in the fields daydreaming, and unseen, draws lipstick circles around her nipples.
- Bessie Bighead - Hired help, dreams of the one man that kissed her "because he was dared".
- Butcher Beynon - The butcher, dreams of riding pigs and shooting wild giblets. During the day he enjoys teasing his wife about the questionable meat that he sells.
- Mrs. Butcher Beynon - Butcher Beynon's wife, dreams of her husband being persecuted for selling "owl's meat, dogs' eyes, manchop."
- Rev. Eli Jenkins - The reverend, poet and preacher, dreams of Eisteddfodau. Author of the White Book of Llareggub.
- Mr. Pugh - Schoolmaster, dreams of poisoning his domineering wife. He purchases a book named "Lives of the Great Poisoners" for ideas on how to kill Mrs. Pugh; however, he does not do it.
- Mrs. Pugh - The nasty and undesirable wife of Mr. Pugh.
- Dai Bread - The bigamist baker who dreams of harems.
- Mrs. Dai Bread One - Dai Bread's first wife, traditional and plain.
- Mrs. Dai Bread Two - Dai Bread's second wife, a mysterious and sultry gypsy.
- Polly Garter - An innocent young mother, who dreams of her many babies. During the day, she scrubs floors and sings of her lost love.
- Nogood Boyo - A lazy young fisherman who dreams peevishly of 'nothing', though he later fantasizes about Mrs. Dai Bread Two in a wet corset. He is known for causing shenanigans in the wash house.
- Lord Cut Glass - A man of questionable sanity, who dreams of the 66 clocks that he keeps in his house.
- Lily Smalls - Dreams of love and a fantasy life. She is the Beynons' maid, but longs for a more exciting life.
- Gwennie - A child in Llareggub, who insists that her male schoolmates "kiss her where she says or give her a penny".
Read more about this topic: Under Milk Wood
Famous quotes containing the word characters:
“We are like travellers using the cinders of a volcano to roast their eggs. Whilst we see that it always stands ready to clothe what we would say, we cannot avoid the question whether the characters are not significant of themselves.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“It is open to question whether the highly individualized characters we find in Shakespeare are perhaps not detrimental to the dramatic effect. The human being disappears to the same degree as the individual emerges.”
—Franz Grillparzer (1791–1872)
“Of the other characters in the book there is, likewise, little to say. The most endearing one is obviously the old Captain Maksim Maksimich, stolid, gruff, naively poetical, matter-of- fact, simple-hearted, and completely neurotic.”
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