Downton Abbey/Characters: Difference between revisions

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{{Characters need descriptions}}
{{Characters need descriptions}}


==Characters from ''[[{{ROOTPAGENAME}}]]'' include:==
Characters from ''[[{{ROOTPAGENAME}}]]'' include:
=== Crawley Family: ===
== Crawley Family: ==


==== Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham (Hugh Bonneville) ====
=== Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham (Hugh Bonneville) ===
[[File:robjkop_6205.gif|frame|"You see a million bricks that may crumble, a thousand gutters and pipes that may block and leak, and stone that will crack in the frost...I see my life's work."]]
[[File:robjkop_6205.gif|frame|"You see a million bricks that may crumble, a thousand gutters and pipes that may block and leak, and stone that will crack in the frost...I see my life's work."]]


'''A description of the character goes here.'''
{{tropelist|Tropes exhibited by this character include:}}
* [[Benevolent Boss]]: He presents a firm but fair approach to managing his staff.
* [[Benevolent Boss]]: He presents a firm but fair approach to managing his staff.
* [[Big Screwed-Up Family]]
* [[Big Screwed-Up Family]]
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* {{spoiler|[[Your Cheating Heart]]: He strikes up a lustful dalliance with Jane Moorsum, a new maid, which leads to a few stolen kisses, but he soon breaks it off, following a [[My God, What Have I Done?]] realization.}}
* {{spoiler|[[Your Cheating Heart]]: He strikes up a lustful dalliance with Jane Moorsum, a new maid, which leads to a few stolen kisses, but he soon breaks it off, following a [[My God, What Have I Done?]] realization.}}


==== Cora Crawley, Countess of Grantham (Elizabeth McGovern) ====
=== Cora Crawley, Countess of Grantham (Elizabeth McGovern) ===
[[File:coracra_3464.gif|frame]]
[[File:coracra_3464.gif|frame]]
'''A description of the character goes here.'''
{{tropelist|Tropes exhibited by this character include:}}
* [[Ambiguously Jewish]]: While this may or may not have been intended by the writers...her father's name is ''Isadore Levinson''. A more stereotypically 19th-century Ashkenazi Jewish name could not be imagined (and indeed, it's hard to imagine ''anyone'' named Levinson being anything but Jewish, even if only ethnically). Given that a Catholicism plot is planned for Series 3, this may pop up, too.
* [[Ambiguously Jewish]]: While this may or may not have been intended by the writers...her father's name is ''Isadore Levinson''. A more stereotypically 19th-century Ashkenazi Jewish name could not be imagined (and indeed, it's hard to imagine ''anyone'' named Levinson being anything but Jewish, even if only ethnically). Given that a Catholicism plot is planned for Series 3, this may pop up, too.
* [[Blue Blood]]: In the loosest sense of the term: her father seems to have been a [[Self-Made Man]].
* [[Blue Blood]]: In the loosest sense of the term: her father seems to have been a [[Self-Made Man]].
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==== Lady Mary Crawley (Michelle Dockery) ====
=== Lady Mary Crawley (Michelle Dockery) ===
[[File:marycra_7538.gif|frame|"When you laugh with me or flirt with me, is that a duty? Are you conforming to the fitness of things?"]]
[[File:marycra_7538.gif|frame|"When you laugh with me or flirt with me, is that a duty? Are you conforming to the fitness of things?"]]


'''A description of the character goes here.'''
{{tropelist|Tropes exhibited by this character include:}}
* [[Belligerent Sexual Tension]]: Between her and Mathew.
* [[Belligerent Sexual Tension]]: Between her and Mathew.
* [[Big Brother Instinct|Big Sister Instinct]]: She exhibits this to Sybil in spades, refering to her as "my darling" most of the time and sticking up for her to their parents. ''Never'' to Edith, however.
* [[Big Brother Instinct|Big Sister Instinct]]: She exhibits this to Sybil in spades, refering to her as "my darling" most of the time and sticking up for her to their parents. ''Never'' to Edith, however.
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* [[Will They or Won't They?]]: With Mathew. {{spoiler|[[They Do]].}}
* [[Will They or Won't They?]]: With Mathew. {{spoiler|[[They Do]].}}


==== Lady Edith Crawley (Laura Carmichael) ====
=== Lady Edith Crawley (Laura Carmichael) ===
[[File:edithcra_130.gif|frame]]
[[File:edithcra_130.gif|frame]]
'''A description of the character goes here.'''
{{tropelist|Tropes exhibited by this character include:}}
* [[Blue Blood]]
* [[Blue Blood]]
* [[Clingy Jealous Girl]]: She exhibits this with Mathew.
* [[Clingy Jealous Girl]]: She exhibits this with Mathew.
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* [[Throw the Dog a Bone]]: Season 2 episode 3 has a moment where Edith is finally given praise by General Sir Herbert Strutt for her actions to help the recuperating veterans at the convalescent home. Although this is something she has been doing on the quiet, the other officers have noted and appreciated all the help she has provided them with. The entire table is shocked and impressed, with her mother even giving her a warm smile. The look on Edith's face afterwards is [[Crowning Moment of Heartwarming|heartwarming]].
* [[Throw the Dog a Bone]]: Season 2 episode 3 has a moment where Edith is finally given praise by General Sir Herbert Strutt for her actions to help the recuperating veterans at the convalescent home. Although this is something she has been doing on the quiet, the other officers have noted and appreciated all the help she has provided them with. The entire table is shocked and impressed, with her mother even giving her a warm smile. The look on Edith's face afterwards is [[Crowning Moment of Heartwarming|heartwarming]].


=== Lady Sybil Crawley (Jessica Brown-Findlay) ===

==== Lady Sybil Crawley (Jessica Brown-Findlay) ====
[[File:sycra_5574.gif|frame|"We shouldn't laugh, it's so unkind."]]
[[File:sycra_5574.gif|frame|"We shouldn't laugh, it's so unkind."]]


'''A description of the character goes here.'''
{{tropelist|Tropes exhibited by this character include:}}
* [[Beauty Equals Goodness]]
* [[Beauty Equals Goodness]]
* [[Blue Blood]]
* [[Blue Blood]]
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* [[Wide-Eyed Idealist]]
* [[Wide-Eyed Idealist]]


==== Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham (Maggie Smith) ====
=== Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham (Maggie Smith) ===
[[File:viocr_1467.gif|frame|"No Englishman would dream of dying in someone else's house, especially someone they didn't even know."]]
[[File:viocr_1467.gif|frame|"No Englishman would dream of dying in someone else's house, especially someone they didn't even know."]]


'''A description of the character goes here.'''
{{tropelist|Tropes exhibited by this character include:}}
* [[Blue Blood]]
* [[Blue Blood]]
* [[British Stuffiness]]: Played with ''magnificent'' aplomb.
* [[British Stuffiness]]: Played with ''magnificent'' aplomb.
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* [[Volleying Insults]]: She loves a verbal battle with Isobel.
* [[Volleying Insults]]: She loves a verbal battle with Isobel.


==== Mathew Crawley (Dan Stevens) ====
=== Mathew Crawley (Dan Stevens) ===
[[File:MatthewCrawley_5517.jpg|frame]]
[[File:MatthewCrawley_5517.jpg|frame]]
'''A description of the character goes here.'''
{{tropelist|Tropes exhibited by this character include:}}
* [[Audience Surrogate]]: Arguably. As he experiences the particulars and peculiarities of the English aristocracy, so do we.
* [[Audience Surrogate]]: Arguably. As he experiences the particulars and peculiarities of the English aristocracy, so do we.
* [[Belligerent Sexual Tension]]: Between him and Lady Mary.
* [[Belligerent Sexual Tension]]: Between him and Lady Mary.
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* [[Will They or Won't They?]]: With Mary. {{spoiler|[[They Do]].}}
* [[Will They or Won't They?]]: With Mary. {{spoiler|[[They Do]].}}


==== Mrs Isobel Crawley (Penelope Wilton) ====
=== Mrs Isobel Crawley (Penelope Wilton) ===
[[File:IsobelCrawley_7479.jpg|frame]]
[[File:IsobelCrawley_7479.jpg|frame]]
'''A description of the character goes here.'''
{{tropelist|Tropes exhibited by this character include:}}
* [[Control Freak]]: Present in series 1, but by the 4th episode of series 2, her bossy attitude reaches its zenith and causes huge ructions between her and Cora.... {{spoiler|which sees her up sticks and leave for France.}}
* [[Control Freak]]: Present in series 1, but by the 4th episode of series 2, her bossy attitude reaches its zenith and causes huge ructions between her and Cora.... {{spoiler|which sees her up sticks and leave for France.}}
* [[Fee Fi Faux Pas]]: Although determined not to let herself and Mathew down socially when she first meets the Crawleys, this exchange with the Dowager Countess puts her well and truly in her place:
* [[Fee Fi Faux Pas]]: Although determined not to let herself and Mathew down socially when she first meets the Crawleys, this exchange with the Dowager Countess puts her well and truly in her place:
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* [[Samaritan Syndrome]]: Which the Dowager Countless [[Exploited Trope|exploits]] to boot her from the house.
* [[Samaritan Syndrome]]: Which the Dowager Countless [[Exploited Trope|exploits]] to boot her from the house.


==== Lady Rosamond Painswick, Lord Grantham's sister (Samantha Bond) ====
=== Lady Rosamond Painswick, Lord Grantham's sister (Samantha Bond) ===
'''A description of the character goes here.'''
{{tropelist|Tropes exhibited by this character include:}}
* [[Blue Blood]]
* [[Blue Blood]]
* [[Brutal Honesty]]: She always says whatever is on her mind, which greatly annoys her mother.
* [[Brutal Honesty]]: She always says whatever is on her mind, which greatly annoys her mother.
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* [[No Sympathy]]
* [[No Sympathy]]


==== "Patrick Crawley", AKA Patrick/Peter Gordon (Trevor White) ====
=== "Patrick Crawley", AKA Patrick/Peter Gordon (Trevor White) ===
'''A description of the character goes here.'''
{{tropelist|Tropes exhibited by this character include:}}
* [[Canada, Eh?]]: So much for recognizing him by voice alone.
* [[Canada, Eh?]]: So much for recognizing him by voice alone.
* [[Easy Amnesia]]: Or so he claims.
* [[Easy Amnesia]]: Or so he claims.
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* [[You Have to Believe Me]]
* [[You Have to Believe Me]]


=== The Staff: ===
== The Staff: ==


==== Charles Carson, the Butler (Jim Carter) ====
=== Charles Carson, the Butler (Jim Carter) ===
[[File:char_lg_carson_1897.jpg|frame]]
[[File:char_lg_carson_1897.jpg|frame]]
'''A description of the character goes here.'''
{{tropelist|Tropes exhibited by this character include:}}
* [[British Stuffiness]]
* [[British Stuffiness]]
** [["Stop Having Fun!" Guys]]: He won't stand for any nonsense with the staff.
** [["Stop Having Fun!" Guys]]: He won't stand for any nonsense with the staff.
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* [[Undying Loyalty]]: To the Crawley family, especially Lady Mary, his favourite.
* [[Undying Loyalty]]: To the Crawley family, especially Lady Mary, his favourite.


==== Mrs Elsie Hughes, the Housekeeper (Phyllis Logan) ====
=== Mrs Elsie Hughes, the Housekeeper (Phyllis Logan) ===
[[File:MrsHughes_1462.jpg|frame]]
[[File:MrsHughes_1462.jpg|frame]]
'''A description of the character goes here.'''
{{tropelist|Tropes exhibited by this character include:}}
* [[Kindly Housekeeper]]
* [[Kindly Housekeeper]]
* [[Old Maid]]: The "Mrs." is a courtesy title, because the housekeeper is ''always'' a "Mrs." She could have had a chance at marital bliss, though...see [[The Stoic]], below.
* [[Old Maid]]: The "Mrs." is a courtesy title, because the housekeeper is ''always'' a "Mrs." She could have had a chance at marital bliss, though...see [[The Stoic]], below.
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{{quote|'''William''': You're a kind woman Mrs Hughes. I don't know how this house would run without you.}}
{{quote|'''William''': You're a kind woman Mrs Hughes. I don't know how this house would run without you.}}
* [[Team Mom|Team Mum]]: To the staff.
* [[Team Mom|Team Mum]]: To the staff.
{{break}}


==== Mrs Beryl Patmore, the Cook (Lesley Nicol) ====
=== Mrs Beryl Patmore, the Cook (Lesley Nicol) ===
[[File:MrsPatmore_2401.jpg|frame]]
[[File:MrsPatmore_2401.jpg|frame]]
'''A description of the character goes here.'''
{{tropelist|Tropes exhibited by this character include:}}
* [[Apron Matron]]: She runs the kitchen with a rod of iron.
* [[Apron Matron]]: She runs the kitchen with a rod of iron.
* [[Blind Mistake]]: She's diagnosed with cateracts, which causes her to make mistakes in the kitchen....and exacerbates her temper.
* [[Blind Mistake]]: She's diagnosed with cateracts, which causes her to make mistakes in the kitchen....and exacerbates her temper.
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* [[Hair-Trigger Temper]]
* [[Hair-Trigger Temper]]
* [[Kick the Dog]]: She's fairly beastly to poor Daisy.
* [[Kick the Dog]]: She's fairly beastly to poor Daisy.
{{break}}


==== John Bates, Lord Grantham's Valet (Brendan Coyle) ====
=== John Bates, Lord Grantham's Valet (Brendan Coyle) ===
[[File:Mr__Bates_5740.jpg|frame]]
[[File:Mr__Bates_5740.jpg|frame]]
'''A description of the character goes here.'''
{{tropelist|Tropes exhibited by this character include:}}
* [[Battle Butler]]: He served under Lord Grantham in the Boer War.
* [[Battle Butler]]: He served under Lord Grantham in the Boer War.
* [[Being Good Sucks]]: And how!
* [[Being Good Sucks]]: And how!
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* [[Will They or Won't They?]]: He and Anna.
* [[Will They or Won't They?]]: He and Anna.


==== Sarah O'Brien, Lady Grantham's Lady's Maid (Siobhan Finneran) ====
=== Sarah O'Brien, Lady Grantham's Lady's Maid (Siobhan Finneran) ===
[[File:Downton_Obrien_415.jpg|frame]]
[[File:Downton_Obrien_415.jpg|frame]]
'''A description of the character goes here.'''
{{tropelist|Tropes exhibited by this character include:}}
* [[Card-Carrying Villain]]: Ostensibly, with Thomas.
* [[Card-Carrying Villain]]: Ostensibly, with Thomas.
* [[Consummate Liar]]: O'Brien's all honey around around Lady Cora. ...and arsenic with everyone else.
* [[Consummate Liar]]: O'Brien's all honey around around Lady Cora. ...and arsenic with everyone else.
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* [[Zany Scheme]]
* [[Zany Scheme]]


==== Thomas Barrow, First Footman (Rob James-Collier) ====
=== Thomas Barrow, First Footman (Rob James-Collier) ===
[[File:Thomas_1909.jpg|frame]]
[[File:Thomas_1909.jpg|frame]]
'''A description of the character goes here.'''
{{tropelist|Tropes exhibited by this character include:}}
* [[All Love Is Unrequited]]: He appears genuinely crushed when {{spoiler|Crowborough spurns his affections, dimissing him as no more than a "youthful dalliance". }}
* [[All Love Is Unrequited]]: He appears genuinely crushed when {{spoiler|Crowborough spurns his affections, dimissing him as no more than a "youthful dalliance". }}
* [[The Bully]]: To William.
* [[The Bully]]: To William.
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* [[Zany Scheme]]
* [[Zany Scheme]]


==== William Mason, Second Footman (Thomas Howes) ====
=== William Mason, Second Footman (Thomas Howes) ===
[[File:Wiiliam_766.jpg|frame]]
[[File:Wiiliam_766.jpg|frame]]
'''A description of the character goes here.'''
{{tropelist|Tropes exhibited by this character include:}}
* [[Adorkable]]: He really is.
* [[Adorkable]]: He really is.
* {{spoiler|[[Anyone Can Die]]: Having bravely saved the life of Mathew during the final push at Amiens.}}
* {{spoiler|[[Anyone Can Die]]: Having bravely saved the life of Mathew during the final push at Amiens.}}
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* [[Nice Guy]]
* [[Nice Guy]]


==== Anna {{spoiler|Bates}}, the Head Housemaid (Joanne Froggatt) ====
=== Anna {{spoiler|Bates}}, the Head Housemaid (Joanne Froggatt) ===
[[File:AnnaSmith_1488.jpg|frame]]
[[File:AnnaSmith_1488.jpg|frame]]
'''A description of the character goes here.'''
{{tropelist|Tropes exhibited by this character include:}}
* [[Amateur Sleuth]]
* [[Amateur Sleuth]]
* [[Bully Hunter]]: She doesn't take any shit from Thomas or O'Brien, and frequently calls them out on their dreadful behavior.
* [[Bully Hunter]]: She doesn't take any shit from Thomas or O'Brien, and frequently calls them out on their dreadful behavior.
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* [[Will They or Won't They?]]: She and Bates.
* [[Will They or Won't They?]]: She and Bates.


==== Gwen Dawson, a Housemaid (Rose Leslie) ====
=== Gwen Dawson, a Housemaid (Rose Leslie) ===
'''A description of the character goes here.'''
{{tropelist|Tropes exhibited by this character include:}}
* [[Maid]]
* [[Maid]]
* [[Small Town Boredom]]: She's determined to make a better life for herself as a secretary.
* [[Small Town Boredom]]: She's determined to make a better life for herself as a secretary.
* [[Wish Fulfillment]]
* [[Wish Fulfillment]]


==== Ethel Parks, a Housemaid (Amy Nuttall) ====
=== Ethel Parks, a Housemaid (Amy Nuttall) ===
'''A description of the character goes here.'''
* {{spoiler|[[False Widow]]}}: How she explains away her {{spoiler|illegitimate child}}. Luckily, this is the late 1910s, the era of [[World War I]] and the Spanish flu - both providing good excuses for the existence of {{spoiler|husbandless young mothers. Ethel chooses the latter}}.
{{tropelist|Tropes exhibited by this character include:}}
* {{spoiler|[[False Widow]]}}: How she explains away her {{spoiler|illegitimate child}}. Luckily, this is the late 1910s, the era of [[World War I]] and the Spanish flu - both providing good excuses for the existence of {{spoiler|husbandless young mothers. Ethel chooses the latter}}.
* [[Fiery Redhead]]
* [[Fiery Redhead]]
* [[Inferiority Superiority Complex]]
* [[Inferiority Superiority Complex]]
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* [[Trash Talk]]: Easily amongst the gobbiest of the staff.
* [[Trash Talk]]: Easily amongst the gobbiest of the staff.


==== Jane Moorsum, a Housemaid (Clare Calbraith) ====
=== Jane Moorsum, a Housemaid (Clare Calbraith) ===
'''A description of the character goes here.'''
{{tropelist|Tropes exhibited by this character include:}}
* [[Maid]]
* [[Maid]]
* [[Screw the Rules, I Have Connections]]: Has no shame in asking Lord Grantham to influence a prestigious grammar school to award her son a place. After {{spoiler|breaking off an attempted affair with her}}, Robert then uses his connections to set up Jane's son in future employment after he leaves school.
* [[Screw the Rules, I Have Connections]]: Has no shame in asking Lord Grantham to influence a prestigious grammar school to award her son a place. After {{spoiler|breaking off an attempted affair with her}}, Robert then uses his connections to set up Jane's son in future employment after he leaves school.
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* [[Widow Woman]]
* [[Widow Woman]]
* [[Will They or Won't They?]]: With {{spoiler|Robert. They don't.}}
* [[Will They or Won't They?]]: With {{spoiler|Robert. They don't.}}
{{break}}

==== Daisy {{spoiler|Mason}}, a Kitchen/Scullery Maid (Sophie McShera) ====
=== Daisy {{spoiler|Mason}}, a Kitchen/Scullery Maid (Sophie McShera) ===
'''A description of the character goes here.'''
{{tropelist|Tropes exhibited by this character include:}} ===
[[File:Daisy_1348.jpg|frame]]
[[File:Daisy_1348.jpg|frame]]
* [[Butt Monkey]]
* [[Butt Monkey]]
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* [[Wide-Eyed Idealist]]
* [[Wide-Eyed Idealist]]
* {{spoiler|Widow Woman}}: Becomes one after {{spoiler|William's death, only a few hours after their marriage}}.
* {{spoiler|Widow Woman}}: Becomes one after {{spoiler|William's death, only a few hours after their marriage}}.
{{break}}


==== Tom Branson, the Chauffeur (Allen Leech) ====
=== Tom Branson, the Chauffeur (Allen Leech) ===
[[File:Tom_Branson_6230.jpg|frame]]
[[File:Tom_Branson_6230.jpg|frame]]
'''A description of the character goes here.'''
{{tropelist|Tropes exhibited by this character include:}}
* [[Blood on the Debate Floor]]: His conversations on political reform impress Lady Sybil, but land her in a dangerous situation at an aggressive rally in Ripon. (He's absolutely aghast when Sybil is injured; his anguished "Oh no, please God no" is the first overt clue to his feelings for her.)
* [[Blood on the Debate Floor]]: His conversations on political reform impress Lady Sybil, but land her in a dangerous situation at an aggressive rally in Ripon. (He's absolutely aghast when Sybil is injured; his anguished "Oh no, please God no" is the first overt clue to his feelings for her.)
* [[Dogged Nice Guy]]: He's ''really'' determined to win Lady Sybil.
* [[Dogged Nice Guy]]: He's ''really'' determined to win Lady Sybil.
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* [[Will They or Won't They?]]: With Sybil. {{spoiler|[[They Do]].}}
* [[Will They or Won't They?]]: With Sybil. {{spoiler|[[They Do]].}}


=== Joseph Molesley, Mathew Crawley's Butler (Kevin Doyle) ===

'''A description of the character goes here.'''
==== Joseph Molesley, Mathew Crawley's Butler (Kevin Doyle) ====
{{tropelist|Tropes exhibited by this character include:}}
* [[Butt Monkey]]
* [[Butt Monkey]]
* [[Draft Dodging|Draft Dodger]]: Aided by the Dowager Countess.
* [[Draft Dodging|Draft Dodger]]: Aided by the Dowager Countess.
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* [[Non-Action Guy]]
* [[Non-Action Guy]]


=== Andrew Lang, Lord Grantham's (replacement) Valet (Cal Macaninch) ===

'''A description of the character goes here.'''
==== Andrew Lang, Lord Grantham's (replacement) Valet (Cal Macaninch) ====
{{tropelist|Tropes exhibited by this character include:}}
* [[The Quiet One]]
* [[The Quiet One]]
* [[Shell-Shocked Veteran]]
* [[Shell-Shocked Veteran]]
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* [[Morality Pet]]: For O'Brien.
* [[Morality Pet]]: For O'Brien.


=== Recurring and guest characters ===
== Recurring and guest characters ==


==== Dr. Clarkson (David Robb) ====
=== Dr. Clarkson (David Robb) ===
'''A description of the character goes here.'''
{{tropelist|Tropes exhibited by this character include:}}
* [[Dr. Jerk]]: He won't give a patient one grain of hope if it contradicts his medical dogmas.
* [[Dr. Jerk]]: He won't give a patient one grain of hope if it contradicts his medical dogmas.
* [[Dressed to Heal]]
* [[Dressed to Heal]]
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** [[Face Palm]]: Constantly.
** [[Face Palm]]: Constantly.


==== Miss Lavinia Swire (Zoe Boyle) ====
=== Miss Lavinia Swire (Zoe Boyle) ===
'''A description of the character goes here.'''
{{tropelist|Tropes exhibited by this character include:}}
* [[Dark Secret]]: Revealed when {{spoiler|she admits to having stolen papers from her uncle, who was in the government, and giving them to a reporter to clear her father's debts to Richard Carlisle}}.
* [[Dark Secret]]: Revealed when {{spoiler|she admits to having stolen papers from her uncle, who was in the government, and giving them to a reporter to clear her father's debts to Richard Carlisle}}.
* {{spoiler|[[Death of the Hypotenuse]]}}
* {{spoiler|[[Death of the Hypotenuse]]}}
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* {{spoiler|[[Romantic False Lead]]}}: Though for many viewers this was probably something of a [[Foregone Conclusion]].
* {{spoiler|[[Romantic False Lead]]}}: Though for many viewers this was probably something of a [[Foregone Conclusion]].


=== Sir Richard Carlisle (Iain Glen) ===

'''A description of the character goes here.'''
==== Sir Richard Carlisle (Iain Glen) ====
{{tropelist|Tropes exhibited by this character include:}}
* [[Blackmail]]: {{spoiler|Angry at Mary's seeming reluctance to stay away from Mathew, he threatens to reveal and publish the Kemal Pamuk scandal, should she not toe the line and obey him.}}
* [[Blackmail]]: {{spoiler|Angry at Mary's seeming reluctance to stay away from Mathew, he threatens to reveal and publish the Kemal Pamuk scandal, should she not toe the line and obey him.}}
* [[Blond Guys Are Evil]]
* [[Blond Guys Are Evil]]
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* [[Straw Character]]: Not fond of Liberals, or liberals more generally. Not surprising (especially the former: he had, after all {{spoiler|broken a major scandal in the Liberal government}}.
* [[Straw Character]]: Not fond of Liberals, or liberals more generally. Not surprising (especially the former: he had, after all {{spoiler|broken a major scandal in the Liberal government}}.


==== Vera Bates (Maria Doyle Kennedy) ====
=== Vera Bates (Maria Doyle Kennedy) ===
'''A description of the character goes here.'''
{{tropelist|Tropes exhibited by this character include:}}
* [[Abhorrent Admirer]]
* [[Abhorrent Admirer]]
* {{spoiler|[[Asshole Victim]]: She takes her own life in order to frame Bates, as a last desperate act of revenge.}}
* {{spoiler|[[Asshole Victim]]: She takes her own life in order to frame Bates, as a last desperate act of revenge.}}
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* [[Woman Scorned]]
* [[Woman Scorned]]


==== The Duke of Crowborough ====
=== The Duke of Crowborough ===
'''A description of the character goes here.'''
{{tropelist|Tropes exhibited by this character include:}}
* [[Aristocrats Are Evil]]
* [[Aristocrats Are Evil]]
* [[Bi the Way]]: He dismisses his love affair with {{spoiler|Thomas}} as a mere " youthful dalliance".
* [[Bi the Way]]: He dismisses his love affair with {{spoiler|Thomas}} as a mere " youthful dalliance".
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* [[Manipulative Bastard]]: He flirts with Mary, purely to gain access to the servants quarters {{spoiler|to retrieve potentially scandalous letters he has written to Thomas, his lover.}}
* [[Manipulative Bastard]]: He flirts with Mary, purely to gain access to the servants quarters {{spoiler|to retrieve potentially scandalous letters he has written to Thomas, his lover.}}


==== Kemal Pamuk ====
=== Kemal Pamuk ===
'''A description of the character goes here.'''
{{tropelist|Tropes exhibited by this character include:}}
* [[Asshole Victim]]
* [[Asshole Victim]]
* [[Dies Wide Open]]: {{spoiler|Whilst shagging Lady Mary.}}
* [[Dies Wide Open]]: {{spoiler|Whilst shagging Lady Mary.}}
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* [[Turks With Troops]]: He is an Ottoman Empire Embassy attaché.
* [[Turks With Troops]]: He is an Ottoman Empire Embassy attaché.


==== Sir Anthony Strallan (Robert Bathurst) ====
=== Sir Anthony Strallan (Robert Bathurst) ===
'''A description of the character goes here.'''
{{tropelist|Tropes exhibited by this character include:}}
* [[Big Fancy House]]: A gorgeous Queen Anne mansion.
* [[Big Fancy House]]: A gorgeous Queen Anne mansion.
* [[Blue Blood]]
* [[Blue Blood]]
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* [[Upper Class Twit]]: Somewhat, he's a subtle example, but his grinning exhuberance and jolly attitude qualify him.
* [[Upper Class Twit]]: Somewhat, he's a subtle example, but his grinning exhuberance and jolly attitude qualify him.


{{worksubpagefooter}}
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:{{TOPLEVELPAGE}}]]

Latest revision as of 18:10, 20 November 2020


Characters from Downton Abbey include:

Crawley Family:

Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham (Hugh Bonneville)

"You see a million bricks that may crumble, a thousand gutters and pipes that may block and leak, and stone that will crack in the frost...I see my life's work."

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:
  • Benevolent Boss: He presents a firm but fair approach to managing his staff.
  • Big Screwed-Up Family
  • Blue Blood
  • Gentleman and a Scholar
  • Gold Digger: He married Cora purely for her fortune, in order to save his ailing estate. He subsequently came to love Cora and feels very ashamed about his motives in marrying her.
    • This was quite common in Real Life. During the nineteenth century, many impoverished British aristocrats married American heiresses to maintain their wealth. One of these heiresses was Winston Churchill's mother.
  • Good Old Ways: He derides Sir Richard Carlisle's modernisation plans for Haxby Park, including all mod-cons and an ensuite bathroom in every bedroom, as "like living in a hotel."
  • Happily Married
  • Officer and a Gentleman: He served in the Boer War, prior to series 1.
  • Papa Wolf: He's incredibly protective of his daughters, but Sybil in particular.

Robert (To Branson): If you mistreat her, I will have you ripped apart by wild dogs.

  • The Patriarch
  • Reasonable Authority Figure: Most of the time.
  • Succession Crisis: He has no son of his own, meaning that his first and second cousins, James and Patrick, were to inherit the estate - until they were killed on the Titanic in the first episode. As a result, distant relation Matthew is the new heir, a development that drives much of the series' plot.
  • Your Cheating Heart: He strikes up a lustful dalliance with Jane Moorsum, a new maid, which leads to a few stolen kisses, but he soon breaks it off, following a My God, What Have I Done? realization.

Cora Crawley, Countess of Grantham (Elizabeth McGovern)

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Lady Mary: You're American, you wouldn't understand these things.


Lady Mary Crawley (Michelle Dockery)

"When you laugh with me or flirt with me, is that a duty? Are you conforming to the fitness of things?"

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Edith: Why was cousin Mathew in such a hurry to get away?
Mary: Don't be stupid.
Edith: I suppose you didn't want him when he wanted you...and now it's the other way round.....You have to admit, it's quite funny.
Mary: I'll admit that if I ever wanted to attract a man, I'd steer clear of those clothes and that hat.

Mary: [derisively] Have you seen the new boy's haircuts the ladies are wearing in Paris?
Matthew: I hope you won't try that.
Mary: I might!

Lady Edith Crawley (Laura Carmichael)

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:
  • Blue Blood
  • Clingy Jealous Girl: She exhibits this with Mathew.
  • The Dog Bites Back: Having endured Mary's taunts for most of the early part of series one, she takes revenge by writing to the Turkish Embassy to explain Mary's direct involvement in the circumstances surrounding Pamuk's death.
  • Driven by Envy
  • The Glorious War of Sisterly Rivalry: Her and Mary. Whereas Mary is derisive about Edith's appearance and fashion sense, Edith is as equally snide and disapproving of Mary's behavior and attitude.

Mary:... I don’t think I would have gotten down, no matter how lame the horse.
Edith: No, I don’t believe you would.

Robert: Poor old Edith, we never seem to talk about her.
Cora: I'm afraid Edith will be the one to care for us in our old age.
Robert: What a ghastly prospect.

  • Throw the Dog a Bone: Season 2 episode 3 has a moment where Edith is finally given praise by General Sir Herbert Strutt for her actions to help the recuperating veterans at the convalescent home. Although this is something she has been doing on the quiet, the other officers have noted and appreciated all the help she has provided them with. The entire table is shocked and impressed, with her mother even giving her a warm smile. The look on Edith's face afterwards is heartwarming.

Lady Sybil Crawley (Jessica Brown-Findlay)

"We shouldn't laugh, it's so unkind."

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham (Maggie Smith)

"No Englishman would dream of dying in someone else's house, especially someone they didn't even know."

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Violet: So put that in your pipe and smoke it.

  • Good Old Ways: She even backs away in horror from electric lighting.

Violet: First electricity, now telephones. Sometimes I feel as if I was living in a H. G. Wells novel.

  • Gorgeous Period Dress
    • Outdated Outfit: In the first season, her outfits are more in line with the 1900s than the 1910s, and by the time she starts wearing the high-waisted, uncorseted looks of 1912-4 in the second season, it's World War I and the other ladies are moving on to barrel skirts and proto-flapper looks.
  • Graceful Ladies Like Purple: It's her signature colour - she even shares her name with a shade of purple.
  • Grande Dame: She provides a definitive example.
  • Hopeless with Tech: And HOW? The Countess is baffled even by a swivel chair!
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: As seen at the village flower show, and with the protective attitude she displays towards William, especially with regard to arranging his repatriation to Downton after he is mortally wounded at Amiens; she even threatens The Vicar when he initially refuses to conduct William's last request to marry Daisy. Her kind advice to Daisy when she is feeling guilty about marrying William when she did not love him as much is another example.
  • The Matchmaker
  • Never Mess with Granny: EVER.

Violet: We can't have him assassinated. ...I suppose.

Mathew Crawley (Dan Stevens)

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Mrs Isobel Crawley (Penelope Wilton)

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:
  • Control Freak: Present in series 1, but by the 4th episode of series 2, her bossy attitude reaches its zenith and causes huge ructions between her and Cora.... which sees her up sticks and leave for France.
  • Fee Fi Faux Pas: Although determined not to let herself and Mathew down socially when she first meets the Crawleys, this exchange with the Dowager Countess puts her well and truly in her place:

Isobel: Well then, what should we call each other?
Lady Grantham: Well, we could always start with Mrs Crawley and Lady Grantham.

Lady Rosamond Painswick, Lord Grantham's sister (Samantha Bond)

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:
  • Blue Blood
  • Brutal Honesty: She always says whatever is on her mind, which greatly annoys her mother.
  • Meddling Aunt: Her advice to Mary - making Mathew wait until it was known whether lady Grantham's baby was a potential male heir before she accepted his proposal, which caused him to call it all off.
  • No Sympathy

"Patrick Crawley", AKA Patrick/Peter Gordon (Trevor White)

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

The Staff:

Charles Carson, the Butler (Jim Carter)

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Mrs Elsie Hughes, the Housekeeper (Phyllis Logan)

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

William: You're a kind woman Mrs Hughes. I don't know how this house would run without you.

Mrs Beryl Patmore, the Cook (Lesley Nicol)

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

John Bates, Lord Grantham's Valet (Brendan Coyle)

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Bates: You listen to me, you filthy little rat: if you don’t lay off I will punch your shining teeth straight through the back of your skull.

Sarah O'Brien, Lady Grantham's Lady's Maid (Siobhan Finneran)

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

O'Brien: If she's got a boyfriend, I'm a giraffe.

  • Didn't See That Coming: A reckless plan to save her job turned into a Type 5 situation. After miscarrying, Cora's baby was revealed to be male. Furthermore, Cora had planned to keep O'Brien on anyway. And Downton is in just as bad financial shape as its ever been.
    • Type 2 occurs when she summons Vera to collect Bates. Instead of focusing her wrath on Bates himself, Vera finds out about Mary's dalliance with Kamel Pamuk and threatens to tell the newspapers. Mary is forced to accept Sir Richard's proposal of marriage in order to kill the story. Whoops.
  • Driven by Envy: So it would appear - she hates her lot in life.
  • Evil Duo: With Thomas
  • For the Evulz: Some of her malice is inexplicable, such as disseminating info about Mary's sexual dalliances to Edith. It's possible that O'Brien enjoys the game of exploiting secrets for its own sake.
  • Good Smoking, Evil Smoking: The two evil characters frequently plot whilst having a sneaky fag.
  • Gossipy Hens
  • Hazy Feel Turn: The business with the soap obviously preys on her. She is even softening towards Bates, testifying in his defense at trial.
  • Karma Houdini: Cunningly, she has remained Cora's most beloved and trusted servant.
  • Maid
  • Malicious Slander: Her speciality.
  • Manipulative Bitch: Her schemes include trying to get Bates fired and to expose Lady Mary's affair with Pamuk, riling Cora up against Sybil becoming a nurse, repeatedly sending Ethel on fool's errands, getting Thomas transferred to the Downton hospital, and then getting him placed in charge of the convalescents in order to take Isobel down a peg, trying to get Mrs. Bird and Mrs. Patmore in trouble for feeding the indigent veterans and telling Vera that Bates is back at Downton. So far.
  • Mirror Monologue: Briefly, just before she regretfully realises the implications of placing a bar of soap on the floor of Lady Cora's bathroom....

O'Brien: Sarah O'Brien, this is not who you are.

  • Morality Pet: As of series 2, O'Brien gets a few Pet the Dog moments when she's the only one to really sympathise with Shell-Shocked Veteran Lang, as her brother went through the same thing. Lady Cora becomes one for her as well after Cora's miscarriage, though O'Brien is still not above underhanded schemes to protect her.
  • My God, What Have I Done?: O'Brien first only seems to show moderate guilt when she knows that she is the direct cause of her mistress' friggin miscarriage, but the look of this trope is truly visible on her face when she learns that Cora had never intended to get rid of her and she's now caused them exquisite pain for no reason whatsoever.
  • Old Maid
  • Perpetual Frowner
  • Politically-Incorrect Villain: Thomas sneers at Bates's limp, too. But O'Brien is the one who kicks Bates's cane out from under him.
  • Resenter
  • Two Rights Make a Wrong: For all her lecturing at Thomas about playing it smart, O'Brien's schemes have an uncanny knack of blowing up in her face.
  • Ultimate Job Security: Carson comes down a lot harder on other servants for smaller offenses. Mrs. Hughes catches O'Brien ransacking her room in search of a stolen snuff box, which seems pretty damming, but nothing comes of it.
  • Would Hurt a Child: Managed to kill Cora's unborn son with a handy bar of soap.
  • Zany Scheme

Thomas Barrow, First Footman (Rob James-Collier)

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Thomas: "I'm a working class lad and so is he. And I get fed up of seeing how our lot always get shafted."

William Mason, Second Footman (Thomas Howes)

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Anna Bates, the Head Housemaid (Joanne Froggatt)

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:
  • Amateur Sleuth
  • Bully Hunter: She doesn't take any shit from Thomas or O'Brien, and frequently calls them out on their dreadful behavior.

Anna: Fight fire with fire, that's what my mum says.

Gwen Dawson, a Housemaid (Rose Leslie)

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Ethel Parks, a Housemaid (Amy Nuttall)

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

O'Brien: You've got a cheek for your first day.

Jane Moorsum, a Housemaid (Clare Calbraith)

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Daisy Mason, a Kitchen/Scullery Maid (Sophie McShera)

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:
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Tom Branson, the Chauffeur (Allen Leech)

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:
  • Blood on the Debate Floor: His conversations on political reform impress Lady Sybil, but land her in a dangerous situation at an aggressive rally in Ripon. (He's absolutely aghast when Sybil is injured; his anguished "Oh no, please God no" is the first overt clue to his feelings for her.)
  • Dogged Nice Guy: He's really determined to win Lady Sybil.

Allen Leech: ...he falls head over heels in love, and then spends a great deal of time trying to convince her that she should do the same.

Joseph Molesley, Mathew Crawley's Butler (Kevin Doyle)

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Andrew Lang, Lord Grantham's (replacement) Valet (Cal Macaninch)

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Recurring and guest characters

Dr. Clarkson (David Robb)

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Miss Lavinia Swire (Zoe Boyle)

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Sir Richard Carlisle (Iain Glen)

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:
  • Blackmail: Angry at Mary's seeming reluctance to stay away from Mathew, he threatens to reveal and publish the Kemal Pamuk scandal, should she not toe the line and obey him.
  • Blond Guys Are Evil
  • Da Editor
  • Dark Secret: Lavinia's father owed him large sums of money, so in order to clear his debts, he forced Lavinia to steal confidential government papers.
  • Fee Fi Faux Pas: He makes a few, betraying his bourgeois origins.

Carlisle: Ah, Lady Painswick.
Rosamund: Lady Rosamund.

Vera Bates (Maria Doyle Kennedy)

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Vera: Ahaaahaahaaaha!... As if.

The Duke of Crowborough

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Kemal Pamuk

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Anna: I think he's beautiful.

Sir Anthony Strallan (Robert Bathurst)

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:
  • Big Fancy House: A gorgeous Queen Anne mansion.
  • Blue Blood
  • Dogged Nice Guy: When it comes to Edith.
  • Geeky Turn On: For Edith.
  • I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: He clearly still has feelings for Edith, but declares that Edith is too young and pretty to spend her life as his nurse (his arm was injured in the war). She's not impressed by this argument, and their storyline is left inconclusive in the Christmas special.
  • May-December Romance: With Edith during series 1 and rekindled (perhaps) as of the Christmas Special.
  • Second Hand Storytelling: Mary rather cruelly puts him off proposing to Edith, relaying to him (untruthfully) how her sister mentioned "some stuffy old bore that won't leave her alone" in clear reference to his courting of Edith.
  • Upper Class Twit: Somewhat, he's a subtle example, but his grinning exhuberance and jolly attitude qualify him.

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