Unseen character
Encyclopedia
In fiction, an unseen character is a character that is never directly observed by the audience but is only described by other characters. They are a common device in drama and have been called "triumphs of theatrical invention". They are continuing characters — characters who are currently in frequent interaction with the other characters and who influence current story events. Film
s, television shows and stage plays make use of characters who are not seen or heard, but who have an effect on the events portrayed.
Radio shows also feature "unheard" characters who never speak. A notable example is the long-running British radio soap The Archers
which has featured several such silent characters. Sometimes the script plays with audience knowledge that the characters never speak. The silence of the character Pru Forrest became a long-running joke "with scriptwriters competing to invent more outlandish excuses for her failure to speak." She was eventually given a dramatic eruption of speech when Terry Wogan
appeared on the soap.
Books can feature characters who are referenced by others, but whose actions and dialogue are never directly described. The work of Voltaire
, for example, included the "unseen character".
by Samuel Beckett
are waiting for the never seen Godot to arrive; the mystery of what has happened to the unseen Sebastian Venable in Suddenly, Last Summer
by Tennessee Williams
is central to the story; Doubt: A Parable is about the question of whether a Catholic priest at a church school is sexually abusing Donald Muller, a never seen student at the school; The unseen Eva Smith in An Inspector Calls
by J.B. Priestley is important as a representation of the working classes; Rosaline
in Romeo and Juliet
by William Shakespeare is never seen, but is crucial to how the title characters meet.
In novels, the title character in Don Quixote is in love with Dulcinea
, a simple peasant who Quixote imagines to be the most beautiful of all women. He has seen her only fleetingly and has never spoken with her and while she is frequently referred to and often motivates his actions, she does not ever appear. Emma
by Jane Austen
has a few characters who are mentioned frequently and never seen, most notably Mrs. Churchill, the presumed-hypochondriac aunt and adoptive mother of Frank Churchill.
In television, the UK series Minder
starred George Cole as Cockney
wheeler-dealer Arthur Daley who often referred to his wife as "'er indoors". She was never seen on screen. Mrs Daley was even the focus of one episode, "Whatever Happened to Her Indoors?", in which she mysteriously disappears. She is still not seen by the audience even when reported to have returned home safely.
See :Category:Unseen characters for more examples.
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
s, television shows and stage plays make use of characters who are not seen or heard, but who have an effect on the events portrayed.
Radio shows also feature "unheard" characters who never speak. A notable example is the long-running British radio soap The Archers
The Archers
The Archers is a long-running British soap opera broadcast on the BBC's main spoken-word channel, Radio 4. It was originally billed as "an everyday story of country folk", but is now described on its Radio 4 web site as "contemporary drama in a rural setting"...
which has featured several such silent characters. Sometimes the script plays with audience knowledge that the characters never speak. The silence of the character Pru Forrest became a long-running joke "with scriptwriters competing to invent more outlandish excuses for her failure to speak." She was eventually given a dramatic eruption of speech when Terry Wogan
Terry Wogan
Sir Michael Terence Wogan, KBE, DL , or also known as Terry Wogan, is a veteran Irish radio and television broadcaster who holds dual Irish and British citizenship. Wogan has worked for the BBC in the United Kingdom for most of his career...
appeared on the soap.
Books can feature characters who are referenced by others, but whose actions and dialogue are never directly described. The work of Voltaire
Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet , better known by the pen name Voltaire , was a French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher famous for his wit and for his advocacy of civil liberties, including freedom of religion, free trade and separation of church and state...
, for example, included the "unseen character".
Illustrative examples
In plays, the two protagonists of Waiting for GodotWaiting for Godot
Waiting for Godot is an absurdist play by Samuel Beckett, in which two characters, Vladimir and Estragon, wait endlessly and in vain for someone named Godot to arrive. Godot's absence, as well as numerous other aspects of the play, have led to many different interpretations since the play's...
by Samuel Beckett
Samuel Beckett
Samuel Barclay Beckett was an Irish avant-garde novelist, playwright, theatre director, and poet. He wrote both in English and French. His work offers a bleak, tragicomic outlook on human nature, often coupled with black comedy and gallows humour.Beckett is widely regarded as among the most...
are waiting for the never seen Godot to arrive; the mystery of what has happened to the unseen Sebastian Venable in Suddenly, Last Summer
Suddenly, Last Summer
Suddenly, Last Summer is a one-act play by Tennessee Williams. It opened off Broadway on January 7, 1958, as part of a double bill with another of Williams's one-acts, Something Unspoken. The presentation of the two plays was given the overall title Garden District, but Suddenly, Last Summer is...
by Tennessee Williams
Tennessee Williams
Thomas Lanier "Tennessee" Williams III was an American writer who worked principally as a playwright in the American theater. He also wrote short stories, novels, poetry, essays, screenplays and a volume of memoirs...
is central to the story; Doubt: A Parable is about the question of whether a Catholic priest at a church school is sexually abusing Donald Muller, a never seen student at the school; The unseen Eva Smith in An Inspector Calls
An Inspector Calls
An Inspector Calls is a play written by English dramatist J. B. Priestley, first performed in 1945 in the Soviet Union and 1946 in the UK. It is considered to be one of Priestley's best known works for the stage and one of the classics of mid-20th century English theatre...
by J.B. Priestley is important as a representation of the working classes; Rosaline
Rosaline
Rosaline is an unseen character and niece of Capulet in William Shakespeare's tragedy Romeo and Juliet . Although silent, her role is important. Romeo is at first deeply in love with Rosaline and expresses her cruelty for not loving him back...
in Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a...
by William Shakespeare is never seen, but is crucial to how the title characters meet.
In novels, the title character in Don Quixote is in love with Dulcinea
Dulcinea
"Dulcinea del Toboso" is a fictional character who is referred to in Miguel de Cervantes' novel Don Quixote. Seeking the traditions of the knights-errant of old, Don Quixote finds a true love whom he calls Dulcinea. She is a simple peasant in his home town, but Quixote imagines her to be the most...
, a simple peasant who Quixote imagines to be the most beautiful of all women. He has seen her only fleetingly and has never spoken with her and while she is frequently referred to and often motivates his actions, she does not ever appear. Emma
Emma
Emma, by Jane Austen, is a novel about the perils of misconstrued romance. The novel was first published in December 1815. As in her other novels, Austen explores the concerns and difficulties of genteel women living in Georgian-Regency England; she also creates a lively 'comedy of manners' among...
by Jane Austen
Jane Austen
Jane Austen was an English novelist whose works of romantic fiction, set among the landed gentry, earned her a place as one of the most widely read writers in English literature, her realism and biting social commentary cementing her historical importance among scholars and critics.Austen lived...
has a few characters who are mentioned frequently and never seen, most notably Mrs. Churchill, the presumed-hypochondriac aunt and adoptive mother of Frank Churchill.
In television, the UK series Minder
Minder (TV series)
Minder is a British comedy-drama about the London criminal underworld. Initially produced by Verity Lambert, it was made by Euston Films, a subsidiary of Thames Television and shown on ITV...
starred George Cole as Cockney
Cockney
The term Cockney has both geographical and linguistic associations. Geographically and culturally, it often refers to working class Londoners, particularly those in the East End...
wheeler-dealer Arthur Daley who often referred to his wife as "'er indoors". She was never seen on screen. Mrs Daley was even the focus of one episode, "Whatever Happened to Her Indoors?", in which she mysteriously disappears. She is still not seen by the audience even when reported to have returned home safely.
See :Category:Unseen characters for more examples.