Who’s who in Emma, the 1815 novel by Jane Austen, with a guide to every character in our retelling for ages 6–9 by Sean Lee.
Emma is a story about a small English village called Highbury, and the neighbors who fill it. At the center is Emma Woodhouse, who is clever, confident and sure she can arrange other people’s lives. Around her are her loving and nervous father, her friend Harriet Smith, the talkative and generous Miss Bates and the neighbor who always tells her the truth, Mr. Knightley.
Newcomers stir things up. Handsome Frank Churchill arrives with a secret, his quiet and graceful love Jane Fairfax carries a secret of her own, and the vicar Mr. Elton returns with a boastful new wife. For parents, the cast offers a gentle way to talk with children about kindness, honesty, jealousy and saying sorry, since Emma learns most of her lessons by making mistakes. Each profile below tells you who the character is, what they do in Austen’s original novel and what to ask your child.
Mistress of Hartfield • Clever and headstrong
Emma Woodhouse is a clever, lively young woman who lives at Hartfield with her worried father. After her old governess marries, Emma decides she is a wonderful matchmaker and starts planning who her friends should marry, but her plans keep going wrong. Along the way she learns hard lessons about pride and kindness, and she discovers where her own heart truly belongs.
Full character guide
Honest country gentleman • Sensible and true
Mr. Knightley is the Woodhouses’ tall, sensible neighbor from Donwell Abbey and their oldest family friend. He is honest and kind, and he is the only one who tells Emma plainly when she is being foolish. He calms Mr. Woodhouse in a snowstorm, stands up for people who are treated unfairly, and quietly hopes Emma will become her very best self.
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Emma’s gentle father • Always chilly
Mr. Woodhouse is Emma’s gentle, loving father, who worries about nearly everything, from cold drafts and damp shoes to any kind of change. He thinks thin gruel is the safest food of all, and he is sad whenever someone he loves moves away from Hartfield. Emma takes tender care of him, and everyone works to keep him happy and calm.
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Emma’s sweet new friend • Easily led
Harriet Smith is a sweet, pretty seventeen-year-old who becomes Emma’s close friend. She looks up to Emma and believes almost everything Emma tells her, even when it means saying no to someone she likes. Harriet gets her feelings hurt more than once, but she stays gentle and forgiving, and in the end she follows her own heart.
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The village vicar • Full of his own importance
Mr. Elton is Highbury’s handsome young vicar, who wears a neat black coat and pays lots of flowery compliments. Emma is sure he is falling for her friend Harriet, so she helps him at every turn, but he cares mostly about money and his own importance and has someone else in mind. Later he brings home a very boastful bride.
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The charming visitor • Full of secrets
Frank Churchill is Mr. Weston’s handsome, lively son, and all of Highbury is excited when he comes to visit. He loves jokes, games and teasing, and he helps get the ballroom ready for a grand party. Emma enjoys his playful charm, but Frank is quietly hiding a big secret, and his moods sometimes change in puzzling ways.
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Quiet musical niece • Dignified and mysterious
Jane Fairfax is Miss Bates’s quiet, graceful niece, who comes to stay in Highbury and plays the piano beautifully. When a fine piano arrives for her with no note attached, the whole village wonders who sent it. Jane is polite and gentle but keeps her feelings tucked away, and she often looks tired and worried, because she is guarding a secret of her own.
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Highbury’s chatty neighbor • Kind to all
Miss Bates is a cheerful, kindhearted lady who lives in small rooms in Highbury with very little money. She loves to talk and can go on and on without stopping for breath, and she is proud of her niece Jane and thankful for every kindness. Everyone in the village knows she would never hurt anyone.
Full character guide