The Gormenghast Trilogy: Analysis of Major Characters
The Gormenghast Trilogy presents a rich tapestry of characters set in the decaying castle of Gormenghast, exploring themes of ambition, madness, and the struggle for identity. Central to the narrative is Steerpike, an ambitious kitchen-boy whose cunning and manipulative nature drive him to ascend the social strata of Gormenghast, ultimately leading to his moral corruption. Lord Sepulchrave, the melancholic master of the castle, embodies the weight of tradition and the impact of madness, particularly after the destruction of his cherished library. His wife, Gertrude, and daughter, Fuschia, are complex figures; Gertrude prefers the company of her pets while Fuschia finds herself ensnared by Steerpike's charm, oscillating between victimization and eventual rejection of his advances.
The narrative is further populated by Flay, Sepulchrave's devoted valet, and Swelter, the gluttonous kitchen supervisor, whose conflict culminates in violence. Other characters, like Sourdust, the master of ritual, and Alfred Prunesquallor, the eccentric doctor, contribute to the rich lore of Gormenghast. Titus Groan, the heir, navigates his troubled inheritance amidst these dynamics, ultimately evolving into a determined figure who confronts Steerpike’s tyranny. The interplay of these characters illustrates the tension between tradition and individual agency, making the trilogy a profound exploration of human nature within a fantastical setting.
The Gormenghast Trilogy: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Mervyn Peake
First published: 1967 (Titus Groan, 1946; Gormenghast, 1950; Titus Alone, 1959; 2d ed., 1970) and “Titus Awakes” (in The Mervyn Peake Review, no. 20, 1990)
Genre: Novel
Locale: The castle of Gormenghast and the world beyond
Plot: Gothic
Time: A mythical present
Steerpike, an ambitious kitchen-boy. With great cunning, he employs flattery and deception gradually to increase his status and influence, until he becomes the effective master of Gormenghast. He fosters the antipathy that exists between Flay and Swelter until it explodes into violence, seduces Fuschia into craven dependence, and encourages Lord Sepulchrave's gathering madness. Initially rather pathetic in his smallness and seeming weakness, he becomes increasingly demonic as he masters the hidden byways of the castle. Although his rebellion against the petrifaction of the closed world of Gormenghast never acquires heroic status, he retains enough sympathy to avoid being seen as an outright villain until he begins to be corrupted by the power he has achieved.
Lord Sepulchrave, the master of Gormenghast. He is a deeply melancholy man who needs the order imposed by Gormenghast's many rituals but still has to take frequent refuge in his library. The eventual burning of the library hastens the onset of his madness, in which he seems to himself to be turning into an owl—although the real owls refuse to admit him to their company and punish his ambition horribly.
Gertrude, Sepulchrave's wife, a forbidding individual who prefers the company of her birds and cats to that of humans.
Fuschia, Sepulchrave's shy and reclusive daughter, who is attracted to Steerpike partly because she finds him so fearful. Initially portrayed in a sympathetic manner, she is so ineffectual in becoming a willing partner in her own victimization that she comes to seem rather contemptible.
Flay, Lord Sepulchrave's valet. A skeletal figure obsessively devoted to his master, he flees into the wilderness after a fight with Swelter ends with the fatal stabbing of the cook.
Swelter, the supervisor of the castle kitchens. He is a massively obese and loquacious man, always at odds with his eventual killer.
Sourdust, the master of ritual who instructs Lord Sepulchrave in the regulations that govern the life of the castle. He dies in the library fire, whereupon his place is taken by his son Barquentine.
Alfred Prunesquallor, the castle doctor, a bespectacled aesthete whose friendship assists the first steps of Steerpike's ascent to power.
Titus Groan, the heir to Gormenghast, who comes into his troublesome inheritance while still a baby.
Steerpike, who, having completed his rise to power by murdering Barquentine and becoming master of ritual, becomes overconfident in his domination of Fuschia and his control over the young Titus. His malevolent nature finds increasing expression until it is horrifically exposed when he casually revisits the scene of one of his murders—that of Titus' twin aunts Cora and Clarice.
Titus Groan, who becomes increasingly determined and accomplished in his resistance to Steerpike, whose destructively rebellious spirit he matches with a more adventurous one of his own, partly inspired by his forest-reared foster sister, the Thing. It is frank distaste rather than any nobler sentiment that eventually leads him to kill Steerpike, but the deed makes a hero of him nevertheless.
Gertrude, who accepts the responsibilities of her maternal role in respect of Titus, although she makes little real effort to protect Fuschia from Steerpike's increasingly sadistic affections.
Fuschia, whose romantic illusions initially make her easy prey to Steerpike's insincere protestations of love, although she knows what he is well enough to attack him at Nannie Flagg's funeral. She eventually finds sufficient resolve to reject him.
Irma Prunesquallor, the doctor's sister. A vain creature who had earlier responded foolishly to Steerpike's flattery, she now becomes the rather improbable object of the ardent affections of Bellgrove.
Bellgrove, the headmaster of the professors who have been entrusted with Titus' education. He is an imposing man, but his advanced age and temperament make him an unlikely suitor, and his romance with Irma is a scathing parody providing a telling counterpoint to Steerpike's quest to wed Fuschia.
Titus Groan, who is now a stranger traveling through a world that is the gaudy and anarchic antithesis of Gormenghast. He struggles to adapt himself to the wilderness of the city but remains helpless in its toils because he still carries the spirit of Gormenghast within him and cannot free himself from his heritage.
Muzzlehatch, a zookeeper who rescues Titus from the menacing Helmeteers and becomes his mentor. When his animals are killed, he seeks revenge against the scientists who are responsible for the zoo's destruction, but he can achieve that revenge only at the cost of his own life.
Juno, Muzzlehatch's onetime lover, who takes Titus under her wing. Her attitude toward him is a mixture of the erotic and the maternal, and his response to her is equally confused.
Cheeta, Juno's rival for Titus'affections. He turns against Titus and becomes a dangerous enemy working for his humiliation and destruction.