Dakin- is a
charming young man who is full ambition and charisma, Dakin likes nothing
better than the attention being fixed on him. He is clever and determined to
prove this to Irwin; though it is evident at times he is so confident of his
capabilities that his confidence can be misconstrued as arrogance.
Irwin- is a
teacher with alternative and abstract views towards approaching the Oxbridge
exams and is constantly encouraging the boys to think outside the box. He comes
across as impulsive and confident, though is actually quite introverted and
careful. He slowly begins to fall victim to Dakin’s charm throughout the play.
Hector- is a
larger than life eccentric individual. Hector is a tragic character in this
play and has suffered from his suppressed homosexuality for his whole life.
Hector believes his purpose in life is to pass on his love of poetry, literature
and culture. Hector wants the boys to become well rounded cultured individuals
with an understanding of life.
Posner- is a shy
and introverted Jewish boy who is very clever and ambitious. Posner is in the
process of coming to terms with his homosexuality and the fact he is deeply in
love with Dakin. He is the only boy who seems to favour Hector’s way of
teaching, as he believes him to be the only person who understands him.
Scripps- is a
devout Christian boy who aspires to become a writer. Scripps is the plays
narrator and regularly acts as the boy’s voice of reason. He is Dakin’s best
friend and is the only one of the boys who actively talks to Posner and tries
to make him feel included.
Timms- Is the
class clown who constantly feels the need to make inappropriate and witty
remarks. He doesn’t see the point in Hectors classes and feels that is wasting
his time learning about literature and poetry that he doesn’t understand.
Rudge- Rudge is
constantly thought of as less intelligent than the rest of the boys and is
thought of as more of an athlete. Rudge is straight to the point and always
happy to voice his opinions he is sincere and determined to prove he is as
capable as the other boys.
Mrs Dorothy Lintott- is
a traditional, by-the-book teacher whose methods have gotten the boys this far,
but is told she is not enough to ensure their success. She is loved and
respected by the boys who see her as a maternal figure. She is a strong willed
and opinionated woman who shares a good friendship with Hector.
Lockwood- Is a
strongly opinionated student who isn’t afraid to interject and make arguments
and share opinions about controversial subjects which tends to show him as one
of the brightest members of the classroom. He is confident and cool; his best friend in the class is Crowther.
Crowther- is a
relatively quiet pupil who doesn’t speak up to much in class. He likes to act
in his spare time. Crowther can be seen as quite a controversial character at
times; his best friend in the class is Lockwood.
Akthar- Is quite
an insecure pupil constantly paranoid about not achieving his desired grades who
uses arrogance as a front to cover up his vulnerabilities. He comes from a
muslim academic back ground and the pressure is piled on him to be successful
and make his family proud.
The Headmaster-
has only one concern—making himself and his school look good; he doesn’t really
seem to care much about the boys, just their scores. He is very old fashioned
and doesn’t have much time for hectors efforts to make the boys well rounded
human beings.
