Proper Names in Plays, by Chance or Design?

Readers of fictional material are generally subconsciously impressed with names given to characters in a play or story by an author without being aware of any underlying motivation on the part of the author for having given them. Such names are ostensibly given through the creative process in an attempt to produce such symbolic representation of that character which best expresses a personal estimate or understanding of it insofar as the author is concerned. This understanding takes place, in part, in the mind of the reader by his instinctive reaction to the name, a process of which he is seldom aware.

It is logical to assume that these names, like any other appellations given to any person, place, or thing, are created from a combination of factors, deriving whatever connotations they may have from the combined total experiences of the author and of the reader. Names are likely to be derived from any background or environmental pattern which may have stimulated the author at one time or another, such patterns sometimes being intentionally acquired through intellectual pursuit or accidentally acquired through social activity. The author may not be able to explain how he named a particular character or even to trace the source of inspiration for use of any singular type name, but we can assume that the inclination for so recognizing a character (even in a nebulous way at first) is an initial factor in establishment of personal identification for the author.

Names take on even greater significance when given oral expression, since the word itself is composed of syllables which have their beginnings in all of the traditional and derivational usages connected with particular phonations. Although the word meaning or intentional meaning carries the first impression, something new is added when vocal interpretation of a name gives it an audible and inflectional personality. The author and the reader, and in the plays, the dramatist, each give a particular and differentiating connotation to the name, according to the individual differences which affect their interpretation.

Titles and names of people are a fascinating part of any written material; they intrigue us into exploration and as we discover facets within their personalities, we experience things with them, until finally we have vicarious associations with them. These associations are vitally connected with relationship to names, and since names have always shared the essence of the personalities of the people who bear them, we apply readings into character because of them. It is known that people often receive distorted impressions of a given name because of their own association with it; these distortions may have been repeated in the giving of nicknames or terms of relationship which have long been used in lieu of given names, other than surnames, to distinguish certain peoples from others who bear the same name. Although such distortion of names was a common practice during the time of the writing of Restorational plays, other technically contributive changes have developed which have had a profound influence in this respect.

Changes in intellectual understandings through broader educational privileges have brought about an equanimity of social standards among people, resulting in psychological freedom in bestowing of names. This has in turn, resulted in a variety of phonetic impressions being used. In this regard, Ernest Weekley has outlined the major phonetic changes occurring most frequently in the etymology of name giving:

Aphesis is the loss of the unaccented first syllable, as in ’baccy and ’tater. It occurs almost regularly in words of French origin, e.g. squire and esquire, prentice and apprentice. When such double forms exist, the surname invariably assumes the popular form, e.g. Prentice, Squire. . . . Many names beginning with n are due to aphesis, e.g. Nash for atten ash, Nalder, Nelms, Nock, atten oak, Nokes, Nye, atten ey, at the island, Nangle, atten angle, Nind or Nend, atten ind or end. . . . Epenthesis is the insertion of a sound which facilitates prounuciation, such as that of b in Fr. chambre, from Lat. camera. The instrusive sound may be a vowel or a consonant as in the names Henery, Hendry, perversions of Henry. To Hendry we owe the northern Henderson, which has often coalesced with Anderson, from Andrew. These are contracted into Henson and Anson, the latter also from Ann and Agnes. . . . Epithesis, or the addition of a final consonant, is common in uneducated speech, e.g. scholard, gownd, garding, etc. I say “uneducated,” but many such forms have been adapted by the language, e.g. sound, Fr. son, and we have the name Kitching, for kitchen. . . . Assimilation is the tendency of a sound to imitate its neighbor. Thus the d of Hud (p. 3) sometimes becomes t in contact with the sharp s, hence Hutson; Tomkins tends to become Tonkins, whence Tonks, if the m and k are not separated by the epenthetic p, Tompkins. . . . The same group of names is affected by dissimilation, i.e. the instinct to avoid the recurrence of the same sound. Thus Ranson, son of Ranolf or Randolf becomes Ransom by dissimilation of one n, and Hanson, son of Han (see p. 3), becomes Hansom. In Sansom we have Sampson assimilated to Sanson and then dissimilated. . . . Metathesis, or the transposition of sound, chiefly affects l and n, especially the latter. Our word cress is from Mid. Eng. kers, which appears in Karslake, Toulmin is for Tomlin, a double dim., -el-in, or Tom, Grundy is for Gundry, from Anglo-Sax. Gundred, and Joe Gargery descended from a Gregory.¹

Since we might assume that christening names given to their offspring by parents are generally given them because of impressions, real or imaginary, it might also follow that such impressions may be related to the euphonious associations which the name bears, or through environmental experiences of the donors with the phonetic factors of the name. Names also have been given through a favorable association with trifling or important incidents, or from states of affairs, or from festive occasions, or they may be patronymic or matronymic—suggesting identity with forbears.

Such knowledge should have some influence upon the author as he is a “parent” of a kind, through fostering a literary “child,” and should be affected by these same factors as he chooses names for the characters in his play or story. The creative process which goes into the name giving of some children is only an attributable factor, adding lustre to the otherwise conformative method of bestowing proper names as a result of choosing the most desirable from among a number of names found to be nonobjectionable. The author, however, expresses in certain degrees some conscious or subconscious hopes or intimations for those characters in the names he chooses for them, without relying upon the direct or personal reaction of relatives or contradictory factors derived through ancestral traditions. Though some exploratory work has been done occasionally in this area by a few interested writers, an exhaustive study substantiated by literary evidences could be significantly rewarding. One can be certain that a great number of variable influences would be found through further research in this direction. Languages, in their systemization and colloquialization through usage, have advanced their peculiar accents and phonemes through a repetition of communication, respective of individualism or formalism, as time and setting demanded.

In the following study of fourteen plays of the Restoration period, eight comedies, four tragedies, one heroic drama, and a musical comedy, a listing of the names of characters have been categorized and a few comparisons made which might indicate what may have influenced the minds of the men who wrote during that period. It should be readily apparent that there seemed to be a discrimination on the part of the respective authors to distinguish certain “types” by appending “Mr.,” “Mrs., “Lord,” “Count,” and other parts to ordinary names. Separate listings have been made to suggest that some prompting in the author’s mind influenced him to attach this other part to the name, rather than to use the single name as in the other cases, mainly to achieve an effect.

Examples cited in this study should indicate that the bestowal of purposeful and stimulating names is either a purely subjective gesture or an artifactual and subconscious process in which all the techniques, learned and unlearned, are employed, one having a direct relationship to the creative powers of the author, the other having little or none at all. Names and authors have been listed on either side of titles so that comparisons and similarities might be noted among separate works.

 

MEN (Double names, including Mr., and titles)

Names of Characters	Title of Play	Author
(Don) Alonzo d’Aguilar	The Conquest of Granada	John Dryden
Thomas Aimwell	The Beaux Stratagem	George Farguhar
Mark Antony	All for Love	John Dryden
(Duke of) Arcos	The Conquest of Granada	John Dryden
Francis Archer	The Beaux Stratagem	George Farquhar
(King) Arthur	Tom Thumb	Henry Fielding
(Robin of) Bagshott	The Beggar’s Opera	John Gay
(Count) Bellair	The Beaux Stratagem	George Farquhar
(Old) Harry Bellair	The Man of Mode	George Etherege
(Young) Harry Bellair	The Man of Mode	George Etherege
(Sir) John Bevil	The Conscious Lovers	Richard Steele
John Bevil, Jr.	The Conscious Lovers	Richard Steele
Jerry Blackacre	The Plain Dealer	William Wycherly
Mahomet Boabdelin	The Conquest of Granada	John Dryden
Ben Budge	The Beggar’s Opera	John Gay
Roger Bull	The Relapse	John Vanbrugh
William Catesby	Jane Shore Tragedy	Nicholas Rowe
(Sir) Tumbelly Clumsey	The Relapse	John Vanbrugh
(Sir) Charles Easy	The Careless Husband	Colley Cibber
(Old) Novelty Fashion	The Relapse	John Vanbrugh
(Young) Thomas Fashion	The Relapse	John Vanbrugh
(Sir) Fopling Flutter	The Man of Mode	George Etherege
(Lord) Foppington	The Careless Husband	Colley Cibber
(Sir) Charles Freeman	The Beaux Stratagem	George Farquhar
(Sir) John Friendly	The Relapse	John Vanbrugh
(Duke of) Gloster	Jane Shore Tragedy	Nicholas Rowe
(Lord) Grizzle	Tom Thumb	Henry Fielding
(Lord) Hastings	Jane Shore Tragedy	Nicholas Rowe
(Crook Fingered) Jack	The Beggar’s Opera	John Gay
Matt (of the Mint)	The Beggar’s Opera	John Gay
Edward Mirabell	Way of the World	William Congreve
(Lord) Moerlove	The Careless Husband	Colley Cibber
Charles Myrtle	The Conscious Lovers	Richard Steele
Nimming Ned	The Beggar’s Opera	John Gay
(Major) Oldfox	The Plain Dealer	John Gay
Harry Paddington	The Beggar’s Opera	John Gay
(Lord) Plausible	The Plain Dealer	William Wycherly
(Sergeant) Plodden	The Plain Dealer	William Wycherly
(Sir) Richard Ratcliffe	Jane Shore Tragedy	Nicholas Rowe
(Mr.) Sealand	The Conscious Lovers	Richard Steele
(Mr.) Smirk	The Plain Dealer	William Wycherly
(Ghost of) Gaffer Thumb	Tom Thumb	Henry Fielding
Tom Thumb	Tom Thumb	Henry Fielding
Jimmy Twitcher	The Beggar’s Opera	John Gay
Edward Worthy	The Relapse	John Vanbrugh
Anthony Witwoud	Way of the World	William Congreve
(Sir) Wilford Witwoud	Way of the World	William Congreve

MEN (Single names)

Names of Characters	Title of Play	Author
Abdalla	The Conquest of Granada	John Dryden
Abdelmelech	The Conquest of Granada	John Dryden
Abenemar	The Conquest of Granada	John Dryden
Alexas	All for Love	John Dryden
Almanzor	The Conquest of Granada	John Dryden
Antonio	All for Love	John Dryden
Bagshot	The Beaux Stratagem	George Farquhar
Bayes	The Rehearsal	George Villiers
Bedaman	Venice Preserved	Thomas Otway
Beggar	The Beggar’s Opera	John Gay
Bellamour	Jane Shore Tragedy	Nicholas Rowe
Blunder	The Plain Dealer	William Wycherly
Bonniface	The Beaux Stratagem	George Farquhar
Brabe	Venus Preserved	Thomas Otway
Brainwell	Venus Preserved	Thomas Otway
Buttongown	The Plain Dealer	William Wycherly
Cimberton	The Conscious Lovers	Richard Steele
Cordelio	The Rehearsal	George Villiers
Coupler	The Relapse	John Vanbrugh
Daniel	The Conscious Lovers	Richard Steele
Decius	Cato	Joseph Addison
Dollabella	All for Love	John Dryden
Doodle	Tom Thumb	Henry Fielding
Dorimant	Venus Preserved	Thomas Otway
Drawcansir	The Rehearsal	George Villiers
Dumont	Jane Shore Tragedy	Nicholas Rowe
Durand	Venus Preserved	Thomas Otway
Eliot	Venus Preserved	Thomas Otway
Fainall	Way of the World	William Congreve
Ferdinand	The Conquest of Granada	John Dryden
Filch	The Beggar’s Opera	John Gay
Foigard	The Beaux Stratagem	George Farquhar
Foodle	The Beggar’s Opera	John Gay
Freeman	The Plain Dealer	William Wycherly
Gibbet	The Beaux Stratagem	George Farquhar
Gomel	The Beggar’s Opera	John Gay
Hamet	The Conquest of Granada	John Dryden
Handy	The Man of Mode	George Etherege
Harry	The Rehearsal	George Villiers
Humphrey	The Conscious Lovers	Richard Steele
Hounslow	The Beaux Stratagem	George Farquhar
Jaffeir	Venus Preserved	Thomas Otway
Johnson	The Rehearsal	George Villiers
Juba	Cato	Joseph Addison
LaVerole	The Relapse	John Vanbrugh
Lockett	The Beggar’s Opera	John Gay
Lory	The Relapse	John Vanbrugh
Lucius	Cato	Joseph Addison
MacHeath	The Beggar’s Opera	John Gay
Marcus	Cato	Joseph Addison
Medley	Venus Preserved	Thomas Otway
Merlin	Tom Thumb	Henry Fielding
Mezzana	Venus Preserved	Thomas Otway
Myris	All for Love	John Dryden
Noodle	Tom Thumb	Henry Fielding
Novil	The Plain Dealer	William Wycherly
Ozmyn	The Conquest of Granada	John Dryden
Peachum	The Beggar’s Opera	John Gay
Petulant	The Plain Dealer	William Wycherly
Petulant	Way of the World	William Congreve
Pierre	Venus Preserved	Thomas Otway
Portius	Cato	Joseph Addison
Pretty-Man	The Rehearsal	George Villiers
Priuli	Venus Preserved	Thomas Otway
Quaint	The Plain Dealer	William Wycherly
Retrose	Venus Preserved	Thomas Otway
Revillidio	Venus Preserved	Thomas Otway
Scrub	The Beaux Stratagem	George Farquhar
Selin	The Conquest of Granada	John Dryden
Sempronius	Cato	Joseph Addison
Serringe	The Relapse	John Vanbrugh
Serapion	All for Love	John Dryden
Smith	The Rehearsal	George Villiers
Spinosa	Venus Preserved	Thomas Otway
Splitcause	The Plain Dealer	William Wycherly
Sullen	The Beaux Stratagem	George Farquhar
Syphax	Cato	Joseph Addison
Ternon	Venus Preserved	Thomas Otway
Theodore	Venus Preserved	Thomas Otway
Tom	The Conscious Lovers	Richard Steele
Tugg	The Plain Dealer	William Wycherly
Zulema	The Conquest of Granada	John Dryden

WOMEN (Double names, including Mrs., and titles)

Names of Characters	Title of Play	Author
(Widow) Blackacre	The Plain Dealer	William Wycherly
(Lady) Bountiful	The Beaux Stratagem	George Farquhar
Molly Brazen	The Beggar’s Opera	John Gay
(Mrs.) Callicoe	The Relapse	John Vanbrugh
Betty Doxy	The Beggar’s Opera	John Gay
(Lady) Easy	The Careless Husband	Colley Cibber
(Mrs.) Edging	The Careless Husband	Colley Cibber
(Mrs.) Arabella Fainall	Way of the World	William Congreve
Diana Frapes	The Beggar’s Opera	John Gay
(Lady) Graveairs	The Careless Husband	Colley Cibber
(Miss) Hoyden	The Relapse	John Vanbrugh
Lucy Lockit	The Beggar’s Opera	John Gay
(Mrs.) Marwood	Way of the World	William Congreve
(Mrs.) Millamant	Way of the World	William Congreve
(Lady) Betty Modish	The Careless Husband	Colley Cibber
(Mrs.) Peachum	The Beggar’s Opera	John Gay
Polly Peachum	The Beggar’s Opera	John Gay
(Mrs.) Sealand	The Conscious Lovers	Richard Steele
Jane Shore	The Jane Shore Tragedy	Nicholas Rowe
(Mrs.) Slammekin	The Beggar’s Opera	John Gay
(Mrs.) Sullen	The Beaux Stratagem	George Farquhar
Suky Tawdry	The Beggar’s Opera	John Gay
(Lady) Townley	The Man of Mode	George Etherege
Dolly Trull	The Beggar’s Opera	John Gay
(Mrs.) Vixen	The Beggar’s Opera	John Gay
(Lady) Woodvill	The Man of Mode	George Etherege

WOMEN (Single names)

Names of Characters	Title of Play	Author
Abigail	The Relapse	John Vanbrugh
Alicia	The Jane Shore Tragedy	Nicholas Rowe
Almahide	The Conquest of Granada	John Dryden
Amanda	The Relapse	John Vanbrugh
Amaryllis	The Rehearsal	George Villiers
Aquilina	Venus Preserved	Thomas Otway
Belvidera	Venus Preserved	Thomas Otway
Bellinda	The Man of Mode	George Etherege
Benzayda	The Conquest of Granada	John Dryden
Berinthea	The Relapse	John Vanbrugh
Betty	The Way of the World	William Congreve
Busy	The Man of Mode	William Congreve
Charmion	All for Love	John Dryden
Cherry	The Beaux Stratagem	George Farquhar
Cleopatra	All for Love	John Dryden
Cleora	Tom Thumb	Henry Fielding
Cloris	The Rehearsal	George Villiers
Dollalolla	Tom Thumb	Henry Fielding
Dorinda	The Beaux Stratagem	George Farquhar
Eliza	The Plain Dealer	William Wycherly
Emilia	The Man of Mode	George Etherege
Esperanza	The Conquest of Granada	John Dryden
Fidelia	The Plain Dealer	William Wycherly
Foible	The Way of the World	William Congreve
Gipsey	The Beaux Stratagem	George Farquhar
Harriet	The Man of Mode	George Etherege
Holyma	The Conquest of Granada	John Dryden
Indiana	The Conscious Lovers	Richard Steele
Isabella	The Conscious Lovers	Richard Steele
Isabella	All for Love	John Dryden
Iras	The Conquest of Granada	John Dryden
Jenny	The Beggar’s Opera	John Gay
Lettice	The Plain Dealer	William Wycherly
Lucia	Cato	Joseph Addison
Lucinda	The Conscious Lovers	Richard Steele
Lydaraka	The Conquest of Granada	John Dryden
Mincing	The Way of the World	William Congreve
Mustacha	Tom Thumb	Henry Fielding
Octavia	All for Love	John Dryden
Parlas	The Rehearsal	George Villiers
Parthenope	The Rehearsal	George Villiers
Pert	The Man of Mode	George Etherege
Phyllis	The Conscious Lovers	Richard Steele

It should be noticed that there is a frequency of those names which begin with the letter “B.” Twenty names in the men’s division outnumber the next most frequent, those which begin with “A,” “C,” and “P,” numbering six in each. Names beginning with two plosive sounds, two open vowel sounds, and two fricatives might have significant meaning in a technical study.

It is interesting to note that in the “B” classification in the men’s division approximately half of the characters are humorous in personality projection, and the other half are romance and background, or secondary personages. Among these of the women in the “B” area there is an equalization of humorous and expositional characterizations.

The drama or speech student could wish to know in an analysis of this kind what effect the sounds of these names will have upon the speaker and upon the audience. It has already been mentioned that to speak the names and to “feel” the sound of them as they are articulated, sometimes creates a different effect than when the names are read silently. For instance, the name “Alicia,” in The Tragedy of Jane Shore by Nicholas Rowe, is a genuine and original sounding name contrived by the author for an important secondary character. In a footnote in the written copies of this play in the text by Nettleton and Case, it is pointed out that there is no historical warrant for her presence in the play.² She contributes little in the development of the major plot line nor in the exposition or denouement of the ensuing action. We may therefore venture that the name was chosen because of a whim on the part of the author which gave him reason to believe it suited the character in the play.

On the other hand she was important enough to the action not to be innominate or commonly named; “Alicia” is euphonically satisfying and distinctively adequate for its purpose, particularly because of that quality which makes it unique, and for the use of soft and enjoyable sound syllables employed in construction of the name. Such a name might bear nothing by way of association for people of this day but perhaps would have connotations of other names or words which conveyed an emotional distinction. For instance, “Alicia” might have for one reader the same connotative accents which are found in the word “delicious,” or “militia,” or even “vicious,” according to the individual response. That response of course would depend upon the background experience of the reader or dramatist and also upon his ability to react—imaginatively or without a great degree of emotion. The name itself is composed of three syllables, each of them easily articulated. The final syllable has a slightly false tone, almost one of indecision, but considered wholly, it lacks extreme complication and has no sudden turn in articulatory directions. We trust the name. (This is misleading, because she proves to be heartless in the final scene of the tragedy.)

“Amanda,” “Bellinda,” “Benzayda,” “Cleora,” “Dorinda,” “Emilia,” “Fidelia,” “Holyma,” “Lucia,” “Lucinda,” and “Octavia,” all might have similar elements of like qualities in them, although any association with one of these names would determine the extent of the stimulus which it might have upon the hearer.

“Mustacha” is another captivating name, and here we find a definite association with its common denominator, “moustache”; upon the discovery of its use for a feminine character, the effect is startling. This word alliteration must have been intended by the author, for the imagery seems too vivid for us to dismiss. It is possible that the author has given us opportunity for a preconception of character before we become further acquainted with the personality; this is perhaps exactly what the author intended, since turnabout is an applicable technique in writing comedy.

Some sounds bear personality connotations; these are the obvious and capricious names used to label characters in a positive manner. Occasionally we discover some artful ones such as Mrs. Callicoe, Miss Hoyden (which has something of the hoi-polloi in it and is an obviously veiled “hoiden,” which means inelegant, rude, bold!), Mrs. Peachum, Sir Fopling Flutter, John Friendly, Major Oldfox, and Lord Plausible.

Some of the more contrived names which indicate that they may have been sounded out rather than reconstructed from traditional sources are the delightful Dollalolla, Lord Foppington, Sergeant Plodden, Drawcansir, and Dollabella; the interesting Abdelmelech, Almanzor, Abenemar, Bellamour, Cordelio, Hounslow, and Syphax; Mrs. Slammekin, Mrs. Millamant, and Lady Graveairs. All are so intriguing that they command our respect and our attention because they sound intriguing. Who would not wonder whether a Mezzana or an Azmyn were not priests or priestesses in jeweled costumery, silently waiting beside a temple while a rose sky blushes around an enormous moon?

There is a certain relationship between Dorimant and the voracious cormorant, a greedy, rapacious web-looted bird of the pelican family. This comparison is made apparent after reading the play and observing the similarities of the two. We see some of that same rapaciousness in Dorimant in the scene where he is attempting to break relationship with his mistress, Mrs. Loveit. He is cruel and outrageous in his use of her.

Attention should be drawn to the fact that there is a correlation between the nature of the name given and the theme which is to be developed. This is unavoidable since the author knows what he wishes to say and attempts to develop a theme through expositional contrasts in dialogue and between characters, and the names of the characters come to him as the play is fashioned. Names having romantic imagery or curious, musical variations in the syllable construction are seldom used in the straight, sophisticated type of comedy such as The Rehearsal, by George Villiers. In the comedy of manners, such as The Man of Mode, by George Etherege, where the satire is more evident but the names less conspicuous this idea finds logical support. Certain names if not handled skillfully would transpose a play from one category to another—creating one effect where another was desired.

A footnote to The Beggar’s Opera, by John Gay, appears on page 534 in British Dramatists from Dryden to Sheridan, stating the following:

Most of the names given to the characters are “label” names, based largely upon the canting language of the underworld. Peachum (to “peach” is to inform against one’s accomplices) probably represents Jonathan Wild, a notorious “thief-taker” of the period, who was the head of a band of criminals, some of whom he occasionally betrayed to the police for pay. He had been executed in 1725 for acting as a receiver of stolen goods. “MacHeath” (“son of the heath”) alludes to the fact that the open heaths surrounding London were the favorite haunts of the highwaymen who halted and robbed stagecoaches. A “twitcher” is a pickpocket. Bagshot is the name of one of the heaths, lying to the west of London, on the road to Winchester and Salisbury. “Nimming” means stealing. Paddington and the Mint were disreputable districts of London, the latter, south of the Thames, being especially famous because it preserved until the reign of George I the characteristics of a medieval sanctuary, in which the officers of the law could not arrest persons for debt. A “budge” is a sneak-thief. “Trapes” and “slammekin” are synonyms for a slovenly woman; “trull” and “doxy” for a prostitute. A “diver” is a pickpocket. The other names are self-explanatory.³

Although assignment of proper names to characters in a story or play can be made merely as a response to necessity, having no logical or developmental or sequential motivation other than that the characters must be called something, it follows that there is still some psychological incentive for a “proper” or “appropriate” name. Authors have been known to change names of characters from otherwise previously acceptable ones to those more in keeping with theme and setting or style as the play matured. People sometimes do this with their own names when they find them no longer fitting, possibly for similar reasons. The author, being indulgent in his creative privileges, exercises that prerogative in this exciting and amazing process of giving names to fictional personalities.