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Pilgrim's Progress
A directory of characters that have a speaking role in The Pilgrim's Progress are listed below. Several other characters are introduced in the tale, but they are not listed here.
The principal characters are shown in small UPPERCASE
Click either tab below to show the list in alphabetical sequence, or in the order in which the characters are introduced as the journey progresses.
Characters
| Alphabetical order | Introduced in | |
| Adam the First | Faithful (1.3.1) | Adam tries to persuade Faithful to abandon his journey to the Celestial City and instead, live with his three daughters: Lust of the flesh, Lust of the eyes, and Pride of life. |
| APOLLYON | The Valley of Humiliation and Apollyon (1.2.6) | APOLLYON is an archdevil, the antichrist, the angel of spiritual death. 'APOLLYON' is Greek for 'Destroyer' and appears as a dragon-like creature with scales, wings and bear's paws. He is described in Revelation 9:1-11 as the king of scorpions which had locust wings and the teeth of lions. |
| Atheist | Atheist (1.5.4) | Not only is the Atheist convinced that neither God nor the Celestial City exist, but he also mocks the pilgrims who do exist. |
| Beelzebub | The Wicket Gate (1.1.4) |
Not somebody you would wish to meet on a dark night. Indeed, not somebody to associate with at any time, for Beelzebub is a demon, described in Luke 11:15 as chief of the seven princes of Hell. In the story, as in real life, Beelzebub has built a castle in front of the Wicket Gate. From the battlements he and other demons shoot arrows at those who approach the Wicket Gate. Beelzebub is also the Lord of Vanity Fair and CHRISTIAN refers to him as the "captain" of APOLLYON. |
| Charity | The House Beautiful (1.2.5) | Maidens at the House Beautiful. |
| CHRISTIAN | Flight from the City of Destruction (1.1.1) |
CHRISTIAN is the protagonist in Part I. His journey to the Celestial City (Heaven) is the plot of the story. The drawing on the right shows Goodwill (Jesus Christ) opening the Wicket Gate (Salvation) for CHRISTIAN to enter and follow the path to the Celestial City (heaven). At the House Beautiful we learn that CHRISTIAN's former name was Graceless. |
| CHRISTIANA | Mr Sagacity tells the author about Christiana (2.1.1) | Wife of CHRISTIAN. She is accompanied on the pilgrimage by her four sons and her neighbour, MERCY. |
| Civility | Mr Worldly Wiseman (1.1.3) | Son of Mr Legality |
| Demas | The plain "Ease", Demas, & the silver mine (1.4.2) | The son of Judas, who betrayed Jesus. Demas tries to deceive the pilgrims at the Hill Lucre to dig for earthly riches. Demas is another biblical character who is a companion of the Apostle Paul during his first imprisonment at Rome (Phil. 1:24; Col. 4:14), but then succumbed to the temptation of material wealth and deserted Paul (2 Tim. 4:10). |
| Discretion | The House Beautiful (1.2.5) | Maidens at the House Beautiful. |
| Envy | Vanity fair (1.3.4) | First witness against Faithful at the trial of Faithful in Vanity Fair. |
| EVANGELIST | Flight from the City of Destruction (1.1.1) | The EVANGELIST shows CHRISTIAN the way to the Celestial City. He also shows him a book, which we can assume to be the Bible. |
| Experience | The delectable mountains (1.4.6) | The four shepherds of the Delectable Mountains, who teach and guide the pilgrims. |
| FAITHFUL | The House Beautiful (1.2.5) | A fellow pilgrim from the City of Destruction, who meets up with CHRISTIAN. |
| Formalist | Simple, Sloth, & Presumption; Formalist & Hypocrisy (1.2.2) | Formalist and Hypocrisy attempt to bypass the Wicket Gate (salvation) and take a short-cut to the Celestial City (heaven), but become lost at the foot of the hill. |
| Gaius | Gaius's inn (2.3.7) | An innkeeper who not only provides lodging to the pilgrims, but also allows his daughter Phebe to marry JAMES. ('Gaius' is an old Roman forename. It was given to Julius Caesar, amongst many other notable people of the same period.) |
| GIANT DESPAIR | By-path Meadow & Giant Despair (1.4.5) | He owns Doubting Castle, where Christians are trapped and killed. He himself is later killed off by GREAT-HEART. |
| Giant Grim | The battle with Giant Grim (2.2.3) | Keeper of lions and stained with the blood of earlier travellers he had slain. But GREAT-HEART cuts the giant down so the pilgrims may proceed. (The lions, sadly, stay chained up. No animal cruelty intended by this story of course; purely metaphorical.) |
| Giant Maul | The battle with Giant Maul (2.3.3) | Another giant that perishes at the hands of GREAT-HEART. |
| Giant Slay-Good | The battle with Giant Slay-good (2.3.8) | Another troublesome giant on the King's Highway. |
| GOODWILL | The Wicket Gate (1.1.4) | GOODWILL (Jesus Christ) is the keeper of the Wicket Gate. Through this gate one enters the straight and narrow path to the Celestial City (heaven). |
| Grace | Vanity Fair (2.3.10) | Mr Mnason's daughter, who marries SAMUEL. |
| Help | The Slough of Despond (1.1.2) | Help rescues CHRISTIAN from the Slough of Despond. |
| HOPEFUL | By-ends & his friends (1.4.1) | HOPEFUL is the replacement of FAITHFUL as the travelling companion of CHRISTIAN. The allegory is that faith is the basis for hope for the future. |
| Humble-Mind | The House Beautiful (2.2.4) | One of the maidens of the House Beautiful. |
| Hypocrisy | Simple, Sloth, & Presumption; Formalist & Hypocrisy (1.2.2) | Formalist and Hypocrisy attempt to bypass the Wicket Gate (salvation) and take a short-cut to the Celestial City (heaven), but become lost at the foot of the hill. |
| IGNORANCE | Ignorance (1.5.1) | Comes from a place called Conceit and follows the King's Highway via the crooked lane. He joins up with CHRISTIAN and HOPEFUL who try to teach him the error of his ways. They fail, and when IGNORANCE tries to enter the Celestial City, he is dispatched straight to hell. |
| Ill-favoured Ones | Beelzebub's orchard and the two "ill-favoured" ones (2.1.4) | These are two evil characters whom CHRISTIANA and MERCY later meet when they leave the Wicket Gate. |
| Innocent | The House of the Interpreter (2.1.5) | A young maid of the INTERPRETER (Holy Spirit). |
| JAMES | The Hill Difficulty (2.2.2) | CHRISTIANA's fourth and youngest son. |
| JOSEPH | Faithful (1.3.1) | CHRISTIAN and CHRISTIANA's third son. He marries Mr Mnason's daughter, Martha. |
| Knowledge | The delectable mountains (1.4.6) | The four shepherds of the Delectable Mountains, who teach and guide the pilgrims. |
| Lord Hate-good | Vanity fair (1.3.4) | The judge at the trial of Faithful in Vanity Fair. |
| Lord of the Hill | The three ways: Difficulty, Danger, & Destruction (1.2.3) | In The House Beautiful, the Lord of the Hill is described as the Son of the Ancient of days (the Alpha and Omega, the Everlasting). He is the Creator, the Conqueror of death. In other words, God. |
| Madame Bubble | Mr Standfast (2.4.6) | As the witch, mentioned Proverbs. |
| Man | The Interpreter (1.1.5) | Mankind; specifically those who are unsaved. |
| Martha | Vanity Fair (2.3.10) | Mr Mnason's daughter, who marries JOSEPH. |
| MATTHEW | The House Beautiful (2.2.4) | CHRISTIANA's eldest son. |
| MERCY | The Author's Way of Sending Forth His Second Part of the Pilgrim (2.0.1) | A neighbour and companion of CHRISTIANA on her pilgrimage. |
| Mistress Much-Afraid | The Author's Way of Sending Forth His Second Part of the Pilgrim (2.0.1) | The daughter of Mr Despondency. |
| Mistrust | Timorous & Mistrust (1.2.4) | The timid Timorous and his companion, Mistrust, try to persuade CHRISTIAN to go back for fear of two chained lions near the House Beautiful. |
| Moses | Faithful (1.3.1) | Shows no mercy to those who break the law. Spares nobody: "neither knoweth he how to shew mercy to those that transgress the law". |
| Mr Brisk | The House Beautiful (2.2.4) | An admirer of MERCY's, until he learns that her labours are for the poor and earns no money from the work. |
| Mr By-Ends | By-ends & his friends (1.4.1) | A "by-end" is the secret and selfish purpose of a pursuit that is achieved indirectly. This character is a hypocrite; pretending to be honest but his real agenda is for financial gain through religion. |
| Mr Contrite | Vanity Fair (2.3.10) | Neighbours, who come to Mr Mnason's house to meet the pilgrims. |
| Mr Dare-not-lie | Vanity Fair (2.3.10) | Neighbours, who come to Mr Mnason's house to meet the pilgrims. |
| Mr Despondency | The Author's Way of Sending Forth His Second Part of the Pilgrim (2.0.1) | Imprisoned in Doubting Castle but then rescued. |
| Mr Fearing | The story of Mr Fearing (2.3.5) | A pilgrim who is afraid to venture. |
| Mr Feeble-Mind | The battle with Giant Slay-good (2.3.8) | Almost comes to grief at the hands of Giant Slay-Good, but is rescued by Mr GREAT-HEART. |
| Mr GREAT-HEART | Mr Greatheart is sent with Christiana & her companions (2.2.1) | A co-protagonist with CHRISTIANA, sent by the INTERPRETER, to guide the pilgrims and look after them. |
| Mr Hold-the-world | By-ends & his friends (1.4.1) | Three co-conspirators with Mr By-Ends. |
| Mr Holy-man | Vanity Fair (2.3.10) | Neighbours, who come to Mr Mnason's house to meet the pilgrims. |
| Mr Legality | Mr Worldly Wiseman (1.1.3) | Resident of Morality. |
| Mr Love-saints | Vanity Fair (2.3.10) | Neighbours, who come to Mr Mnason's house to meet the pilgrims. |
| Mr Mnason | Vanity Fair (2.3.10) | Lives in Vanity and gives lodging to the pilgrims. His daughter Grace marries and his other daughter Martha marries JOSEPH. |
| Mr Money-love | By-ends & his friends (1.4.1) | Three co-conspirators with Mr By-Ends. |
| Mr Penitent | Vanity Fair (2.3.10) | Neighbours, who come to Mr Mnason's house to meet the pilgrims. |
| Mr Ready-to-Halt | Leaving Gaius's inn (2.3.9) | A travelling companion of Mr Feeble-mind. |
| Mr Sagacity | Mr Sagacity tells the author about Christiana (2.1.1) | Here, the author (John Bunyan) is met by an aged and sagacious narrator in a dream, and who recounts the events up to the arrival at the Wicket Gate. |
| Mr Save-all | By-ends & his friends (1.4.1) | Three co-conspirators with Mr By-Ends. |
| Mr Self-will | The story of Mr Self-will (2.3.6) | A man who deludes himself into believing that he can live without God. |
| Mr Skill | The House Beautiful (2.2.4) | The doctor who is summoned to treat Matthew. He diagnoses the illness is caused by eating the fruits of Beelzebub. |
| Mr Stand-Fast | Mr Standfast (2.4.6) | A pilgrim, who prays for deliverance from Madame Bubble. |
| Mr VALIANT-FOR-TRUTH | The Author's Way of Sending Forth His Second Part of the Pilgrim (2.0.1) | A pilgrim descending the Delectable Mountains, showing evidence of being involved in a courageous fight. |
| MR WORLDLY WISEMAN | Mr Worldly Wiseman (1.1.3) | MR WORLDLY WISEMAN resides in a place named Carnal Policy. He persuades CHRISTIAN to discard his burden and leave the straight and narrow path. CHRISTIAN makes the error of following the advice. |
| Mrs Bat's-Eyes | Mr Sagacity tells the author about Christiana (2.1.1) | A neighbour of Mrs Timorous from the City of Destruction. Her bat's eyes obscure clear vision of the true nature of CHRISTIANA. |
| Mrs Diffidence | By-path Meadow & Giant Despair (1.4.5) | The wife of GIANT DESPAIR. She is later killed by OLD HONEST. |
| Mrs Inconsiderate | Mr Sagacity tells the author about Christiana (2.1.1) | A neighbour of Mrs Timorous from the City of Destruction, and appropriately named. |
| Mrs Know-Nothing | Mr Sagacity tells the author about Christiana (2.1.1) | A neighbour of Mrs Timorous from the City of Destruction, knowing very little and reluctant to learn. |
| Mrs Light-Mind | Mr Sagacity tells the author about Christiana (2.1.1) | A neighbour of Mrs Timorous from the City of Destruction, and a lover of gossip. |
| Mrs Timorous | Mr Sagacity tells the author about Christiana (2.1.1) | Wife of Mr Timorous (Part I), an equally hesitant lady who accompanies MERCY before setting off on the pilgrimage. |
| Obstinate | Flight from the City of Destruction (1.1.1) | When CHRISTIAN leaves the City of Destruction, citizens Obstinate and Pliable run after CHRISTIAN to bring him back. |
| OLD HONEST | Old Honest (2.3.4) | Another pilgrim who joins the journey and becomes a welcome companion to GREAT-HEART. |
| Pagan | The Valley of the Shadow of Death (1.2.7) | Like Pope, Pagan was once a powerful giant, but now an extinct dinosaur. |
| Pick-Thank | Vanity fair (1.3.4) | A 'Pick-Thank' is an officious person, flatterer, sycophant, yes-man. He was the third witness against Faithful at the trial of Faithful in Vanity Fair. |
| Piety | The House Beautiful (1.2.5) | Maidens at the House Beautiful. |
| Pliable | Flight from the City of Destruction (1.1.1) | When CHRISTIAN leaves the City of Destruction, citizens Obstinate and Pliable run after CHRISTIAN to bring him back. |
| Pope | The Valley of the Shadow of Death (1.2.7) | Pope is a giant, but very much a 'has-been'. Once all-powerful, Pope is now too old, feeble, crazy, sitting in the mouth of his cave biting his nails. |
| Porter | The House Beautiful (1.2.5) | The porter of the House Beautiful is named 'Watchful' and is one of the shepherds on the Delectable Mountains. |
| Presumption | Simple, Sloth, & Presumption; Formalist & Hypocrisy (1.2.2) | Christian encourages Presumption to wake up and see life as it really is. But Presumption just shrugs his shoulders and goes back to sleep. |
| Prudence | The House Beautiful (1.2.5) | Maidens at the House Beautiful. |
| SAMUEL | The House Beautiful (2.2.4) | CHRISTIANA's second son. |
| Shining Ones | Cross & sepulchre (1.2.1) | These are the angels of the Lord of the Hill. One testifies to CHRISTIAN that his sins are forgiven, another replaces his rags with a broidered coat, and the third sets a mark on his forehead and gives him a sealed roll. |
| Simple | Simple, Sloth, & Presumption; Formalist & Hypocrisy (1.2.2) | Christian encourages Simple to wake up and see the danger. But Simple sees no danger and goes back to sleep. |
| Sincere | The delectable mountains (1.4.6) | The four shepherds of the Delectable Mountains, who teach and guide the pilgrims. |
| Sloth | Simple, Sloth, & Presumption; Formalist & Hypocrisy (1.2.2) | Christian encourages Sloth to shed his procrastination but Sloth wants just a little more sleep. |
| Superstition | Vanity fair (1.3.4) | Second witness against Faithful at the trial of Faithful in Vanity Fair. |
| Talkative | Talkative (1.3.2) | From Prating Row in the City of Destruction. He talks incessantly about religion but does not support what he says with action. In other words, he is a hypocrite. |
| Temporary | The story of Temporary (1.5.7) | |
| The Flatterer | The Flatterer (1.5.3) | A false apostle and hypocrite, who takes the opportunity to try to deceive the pilgrims when their guard is down. |
| THE INTERPRETER | The Wicket Gate (1.1.4) | THE INTERPRETER (Holy Spirit) avails himself for travellers and guides them along the way. He does this through pictures and dioramas. |
| Timorous | Timorous & Mistrust (1.2.4) | The timid Timorous and his companion, Mistrust, try to persuade CHRISTIAN to go back for fear of two chained lions near the House Beautiful. |
| Wanton | Faithful (1.3.1) | Tries to tempt Faithful to abandon his journey to the Celestial City. |
| Watchful | The House Beautiful (1.2.5) | The porter of the House Beautiful is named 'Watchful' and is one of the shepherds on the Delectable Mountains. |
| Watchful | The delectable mountains (1.4.6) | The four shepherds of the Delectable Mountains, who teach and guide the pilgrims. |
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