Nights at the Circus Study Guide

Fevvers, christened Sophie– the self-defined winged aerialiste who acts as the focal point for the circus' success. She is six feet two inches tall, curvaceous, peroxide blonde, and the largest personality within the story

Jack Walser– a California native that stowed away on a departing ship at a young age. He became a journalist and interviewed Fevvers before running away with the circus to try to discover the truth of her story.

Lizzie– Fevvers' adoptive mother, a former prostitute, and political activist/revolutionary who may have occult powers

Ma Nelson– the well-loved proprietor of the bordello where Fevvers grew up

Madame Schreck– The owner of a female freak show that also functioned as a whorehouse of sorts.

Toussaint– The male servant of Madame Schreck who was born without a mouth

Christian Rosencreutz– a rich religious maniac who believes Fevvers is a fallen angel and attempts to sacrifice her

Colonel Kearney– The extravagant capitalist and owner of the circus

Little Ivan– the son of Olga Alexandrovna; attempts to run away with the circus but is prevented from doing so by Walser

Sybil– Colonel Kearney's pet pig, intelligent and clairvoyant, whom he unquestioningly relies on to make nearly all of his business decisions

Princess of Abyssinia– The tiger tamer and piano player who falls in love with Mignon

Monsieur Lamarck– Mignon’s abusive alcoholic husband and the monkey trainer of the circus.

Mignon– initially a circus hanger-on who transmutes into a beautiful singer who dances the waltz with tigers and falls in love with the Princess

Samson– The strong man of the circus and Mignon's lover before she falls in love with the Princess

The Professor– the head monkey who tricks Colonel Kearney into allowing the chimps to leave the circus

Buffo the Great– The leader of the clowns

The Charivaris– A family of trapeze artists and tightrope walkers who try to kill Fevvers out of jealousy and from then on carry a curse, doomed to never perform well again

The Grand Duke– A member of the Russian aristocracy who unsettles and scares Fevvers with automata and insinuation to the point where she almost loses control of her own narrative

Countess P.– a cruel and rich woman who kills her husband, gets away with it, but feels bad about the crime nonetheless. She builds a panopticon in Transbalaika and tries to reform other murderesses but only succeeds in turning both the prisoners and the guards against her

Olga Alexandrovna– a prisoner of the panopticon and the first to instigate contact with one of the guards. She is also the mother of little Ivan and finds Walser after the train wreck

The Shaman– the spiritual leader of the village who takes Walser under his wing when he suffers from amnesia

The Maestro– The master of a music school in Transbaikalia that has no students. He eventually provides shelter for what is left of the circus after they escape from the convict camp