Knowell
An old gentleman and the father of Edward. He is traditional and concerned by his son's supposedly louche behavior. He is made to look ludicrous by his son and his companions (Jonson takes this mode from the Roman comedies). But Jonson makes Old Knowell different—instead of treating his discomfiture with contempt, he presents the father-son relationship more genially. At the end of the play it seems that he is more willing to accept his son for who he is and not bother himself with such trifling thoughts.
Brainworm
Brainworm is a clever trickster and a gentle rogue. It is his machinations and tricks that drive most of the play's conflicts. He is a servant of Knowell but is loyal to Edward, and thus keeps Edward abreast of his father's attempts to interfere with his social life. Brainworm disguises himself as several different individuals and by doing so, provokes those he comes in contact with to unwittingly reveal their shortcomings. He exposes himself at the end of the play for who he really is, which garners not punishment but admiration from Clement and the others.
Downright
Squire Downright is Wellbred's older brother as well as the brother of Dame Kitely. Downright loathes insincere talk, hypocrisy, and immoral conduct, which sometimes makes him rather blunt, rude and impetuous. He also has an aversion to poetry and pretense. He comes into conflict with Bobadil and Matthew, and manages to best them. His only shortcoming is that he is too quick to seek justice for wrongs that he goes to Clement's even without needing to see the supposed warrant Brainworm has for him.
Kitely
Kitely, a merchant, is the husband of Dame Kitely, and the brother-in-law of Downright, Wellbred, and Bridget. He is somewhat self-aware and is always probing in his thoughts, but he begins to get carried away by jealousy. He assumes his wife and Bridget are lusting after all the young men who come to his home to be with Wellbred, and decides eventually that his wife is cuckolding him. This leads him to behave rashly and suspect even his trusty servant Cash of betrayal, but at the end of the play Justice Clement sorts him out.
Bobadil
Bobadil is a braggart and a hothead. He is a former captain and is referred to as a Pauls-man, a term Jonson used to imply he was a stale knight, lounging in a specific area of St. Paul's for such out-of-favor individuals. Bobadil borrows money and smokes copious amounts of tobacco, picks fights and weakly desists from actually fighting, and generally sets himself up as a figure for ridicule.
Cob
Cob is the town's water-bearer and the husband of Tib. He is virulently opposed to tobacco and tries to get Clement to prosecute people who smoke it. In particular, he has a vendetta against Bobadil for smoking and for borrowing money from Tib and not paying it back. Later, he thinks Tib is running a brothel in their home and becomes incensed, but Clement clears up the confusion and husband and wife are reconciled.
Justice Clement
Clement is a judge, lawyer, and all-around moral and just figure. He is known for his wisdom and perspicacity, as well as his sense of humor and lack of hubris. He helps sort out the ridiculous conflicts of the characters, offers sage advice, doles out appropriate punishments and praise, and keeps order.
Edward Knowell
The son of Knowell. Edward is generally a good young man, but his father is worried about him because he seems too interested in poetry and is socializing with dissolute young men such as Wellbred. Edward proves his character by breaking up a skirmish between all his hot-headed friends, and by marrying the lovely Bridget.
Wellbred
Dame Kitely's and Downright's brother, and Kitely's brother-in-law. He is a close friend of Edward. He is young and handsome and fashionable, prone to wit and sarcasm. He and his friends often attract disapprobation for their supposedly louche behavior, but Wellbred doesn't do anything particularly reprehensible in the text. He merely likes to have fun and poke fun.
Mr. Stephen
Edward's cousin and Knowell's nephew. He is referred to as a "gull," which means a dupe or a fool. He is hotheaded, selfish, and a figure of ridicule. He wishes he could inherit his uncle's property but knows he cannot because of Edward, and has a mixture of jealousy and admiration for his cousin.
Mr. Matthew
Known as the town gull, he is a friend of Captain Bobadil. He thinks himself a great poet and boasts of attracting the ladies with his verse (he is especially interested in Bridget, but she chooses Edward over him). He is also prone to anger and affront, and gets into a heated dispute with Downright, whom he wants to fight and/or arrest. At the end of the play Clement exposes him for a fake poet, meaning he did not write his work himself and carried around pages and pages of others' rhymes.
Dame Kitely
The sister of Wellbred and the wife of Kitely. She appears to love her husband very much and is not cuckolding him, though Kitely convinces himself she is. She begins to think, prompted by confusion over Kitely's obsession with Cob and Wellbred's inability to refrain from stirring the pot, that Kitely is meeting women at Cob and Tib's place. She and Kitely argue and suspect the other of infidelity, but are reconciled by Clement.
Bridget
Kitely's sister. She is unmarried and Matthew tries to seduce her with his poetry. She ends up marrying Edward, whom she finds a great deal more appealing.
Cash
Kitely's man, whom he took up when he was an orphan and christened him by his own first name of Thomas. Kitely trusts him implicitly, and even decides to share with him his concerns about his wife cuckolding him.
Tib
Cob's wife. She remains within their home, taking care of their lodger Bobadil, who in turn borrows money from her and does not pay her back. Because of Brainworm's schemes, many people unfairly suspect her of running a brothel. Cob is furious, but the two are reunited at the end when the truth comes out.
