Count Almaviva
A wealthy aristocrat, Count Almaviva wants to marry but is worried that his wife will love him only because of his wealth and rank, and not for his own sake. He has fallen in love with a young woman named Rosine, and is determined to court and marry her. To do this, he wears a series of disguises. He pretends to be "Lindor", a penniless student, to determine whether Rosine loves him for his own sake instead of for his assets. He pretends to be a drunken soldier and a music teacher to gain access to the house of Dr. Bartholo, Rosine's guardian. Morally speaking, the Count is well-intentioned but devious. He is willing to lie, bribe, and manipulate people to get what he wants. However he's not trying to seduce or abduct Rosine: his intentions are honorable and he genuinely wants to marry her. The sequel to this play, "The Marriage of Figaro", develops the Count's character more and shows that the rumors about his womanizing ways have a strong basis in fact, however in this play the rumors are only rumors and possibly an invention of Dr. Bartholo.
Figaro
Figaro, who works as a barber in Seville, is occasionally employed by the Count. A trickster of the highest order, Figaro is a glib liar. He also has the trust of Rosine's guardian Dr. Bartholo, whom he knows professionally. He abuses this trust to gain access to the house to pass Rosine notes from "Lindor", and to recommend a replacement music teacher -- the disguised Count Almaviva -- when Rosine's usual instructor pretends to be ill.
Rosine
Rosine is a very young woman who is of legal age to marry, but who has been sheltered from the world. An orphan, she has been raised by a guardian named Dr. Bartholo who plans to marry her himself to retain control of her and of such wealth as her family left her. She is very fond of music and has a dramatic, manipulative streak. Believing she has fallen in love with the penniless student Lindor, she actively participates in the courtship under Dr. Bartholo's nose. Yet Rosine, with very little knowledge of the world, is extremely credulous. She believes the stories she hears about Count Almaviva (which, as the second play "The Marriage of Figaro" reveals to have had a basis in fact, however the audience as of yet is unaware of this.)
Dr. Bartholo
The antagonist, Dr. Bartholo is a middle-aged physician. This means he is reasonably wealthy and well educated, but not a man of leisure or an aristocrat like Count Almaviva. He has been raising Rosine as his ward but intends to force or manipulate her into marrying him. He has a suspicious nature.
Don Basile
Don Basile is Rosine's singing teacher. He is employed by Dr. Bartholo and is working to help his boss marry his young ward, however he is susceptible to bribes. Figaro bribes him to pretend to be sick so that another music teacher -- the disguised Count Almaviva -- can take his place. He later has a crisis of conscience and admits to his employer what happened earlier. He advises against trying to force a marriage and appears to have Dr. Bartholo's best interests at heart.
