Doctor Alexandre Manette A doctor from Beauvais, France, who was secretly imprisoned in the Bastille for 18 years and suffers some mental trauma from the experience. After being released, he is nursed back to health by his daughter, Lucie, in England. During the Revolution, he tries to save his son-in-law, Charles Darnay, from the guillotine.
Lucie Manette, later Darnay A beautiful young woman recognized for her kindness and compassion. After being reunited with her father, she cares for him and remains devoted to him, even after her marriage to Charles Darnay.
Charles Darnay A French aristocrat. Darnay renounces his family name of St. Evrémonde and moves to England, where he works as a tutor and eventually marries Lucie Manette. He is put on trial during the Revolution for the crimes of his family.
Sydney Carton A lawyer who looks like Charles Darnay and who lives in a fog of apathy and alcohol. His love for Lucie Manette motivates him to sacrifice his life to save the life of her husband.
Mr. Jarvis Lorry An English banker. A loyal friend to the Manette family, Mr. Lorry shepherds the family out of Paris after the Doctor's release from prison and during the Revolution.
Ernest Defarge The owner of a wine-shop in a Paris suburb. Defarge is a leader of the Jacquerie (a roving band of peasants) during the French Revolution.
Madame Thérèse Defarge A hard, vengeful woman who is married to Ernest Defarge. Madame Defarge knits a registry with the names of aristocrats she condemns and later leads the female revolutionaries in killing and exacting revenge on her enemies.
Miss Pross A forceful Englishwoman who was Lucie Manette's nursemaid. She remains Lucie's devoted servant and protector.
Jerry Cruncher A messenger for Tellson's Bank and Jarvis Lorry's bodyguard. He is also secretly a graverobber.
Mrs. Cruncher Jerry's wife. A pious woman, she is frequently beaten by her husband for praying.
Young Jerry Cruncher Jerry's son, who resembles his father in appearance and temperament. He assists Jerry at Tellson's.
C. J. Stryver A boorish lawyer who employs Sydney Carton. Stryver is Darnay's defense attorney in England and aspires briefly to marry Lucie.
Roger Cly A police spy in England who faked his own funeral. He appears later as a prison spy in revolutionary France.
John Barsad, or Solomon Pross A police spy in England who becomes a spy in revolutionary France. Recognized as Miss Pross' brother, he is forced to help Carton save Darnay.
Monseigneur the Marquis A greedy, self-absorbed French aristocrat. He personifies all that is wrong with the upper classes in pre-Revolutionary France.
Marquis St. Evrémonde Darnay's uncle. An immoral, cruel man, he runs down a child with his carriage and is later murdered by the child's father.
Jacques One, Two, Three, and Four Members of the Jacquerie, the revolutionaries who organize and implement the French Revolution. The name comes from the nickname for peasants.
Théophile Gabelle An agent for the St. Evrémonde family. The revolutionaries imprison this man during the Revolution for handling some business affairs for Darnay. His letter begging for help sends Darnay back to France.
Gaspard A peasant. This man murders the Marquis St. Evrémonde for running down and killing his child.
Road-mender and Wood-sawyer A peasant. This man becomes a bloodthirsty revolutionist.
Young Lucie Darnay The daughter of Lucie and Charles Darnay. Madame Defarge threatens her life during the Reign of Terror.
Foulon A callous prison official who faked his own death. He is hanged and decapitated by a mob after they storm the Bastille.
The Vengeance The grocer's wife. Turned vicious by the Revolution, she becomes Madame Defarge's main companion.
A Seamstress A frightened young woman who is executed with Carton. She and Carton comfort each other on the way to the guillotine.
