Cynthia’s Revels Characters

Cynthia

Cynthia is the name given to the goddess Diana. She is the one who orchestrates the "revels" that take place in the play, governing over the revelers and performers. It is generally believed that Cynthia is an allegorical representation of Queen Elizabeth I, the reigning monarch on the English throne at the time the play was performed.

Echo

Echo is a nymph who is summoned by the god Mercury in the beginning of the play. She was in love with Narcissus and weeps for him after he drinks from his spring and becomes self-obsessed. Echo curses the gods, as she considers them responsible for the tragedy that has affected her life.

Mercury

Mercury is one of the three gods who appears in the play. In Ancient Greek and Roman mythology, Mercury was the messenger for the rest of the gods. He is interested to see how the revels will play out so he disguises himself as a page and serves the rest of the guests invited to the revels. He is also the one who summoned Echo, allegedly at the orders of a much more powerful god than himself.

Cupid

Cupid is another god present at the revels. Just like the rest of the gods, he decides to take on a disguise and acts as a page for the rest of the characters.

Crites

Crites is one of the courtiers who is invited to the revels. In comparison to the other characters, he is an outsider, choosing to spend his time learning from books rather than thinking about his appearance. Because of this, he is made fun of and ridiculed by the other characters.

Arete

Arete is another man present at the revels, a person similar to Crites in the sense that he does not place great emphasis on appearance. Arete is the character who is sure Cynthia will purify the court by making the vain characters understand their flaws.

Amorphus

Amorphus is seen by many characters in the play as the perfect courtier, capable of fooling everyone and making them do what he wants. He becomes a mentor for another character, Asotus, training him on how to interact with the other men at court—and most importantly, how to woo the ladies at the court.

Asotus

Asotus is described as being the vainest character in the play, a man who wants to be accepted at court and flourish in his own success. He is mentored by Amorphus, who takes care to teach him everything he knows. Asotus is also the one to come up with the court compliment game after every character drinks from the well.

The Three Boys

The three boys appear in the beginning of the play, even before the prologue. They argue about who will be responsible for telling the prologue and they decide this by drawing straws.

Phronesis, Thauma, and Time

The three names mentioned above represent three characters who are on stage with the rest of the men and women who drink from the well. In comparison to them, they do not have any lines and are only mentioned as minor characters.

Moria

Moria is one of the women present at the revels. She is often complimented for her beauty.

Hedon

Hedon is a man present at the revels. While he is absent, he is criticized harshly by the women in the room, who see him as a womanizer who will never secure a good match.