Karakterler

Emma Woodhouse

Emma is the spoiled, young, and beautiful mistress of Hartfield, the most popular manor in the village of Highbury. Her mother died when she was very young, and she was raised almost like an object of worship by her anxious father who resists change. After the departure of her former governess Miss Taylor, following her sweet but firm upbringing, a great void forms in her life. Emma, who over-relies on her own intelligence and intuition, takes the ordinary but cute Harriet Smith under her wing out of a curiosity for matchmaking. She displays a great example of blindness and thoughtlessness by trying to marry her off to people who are not her equals. Because of her mistakes, she both breaks her friend's heart and is late in discovering her own feelings. Ultimately, she realizes all her misguided actions and realizes through a painful realization that her heart belongs to her oldest friend, Mr. Knightley. By casting off her pride and maturing, she both finds love and learns to leave the lives of those around her alone.

Frank Churchill

Frank Churchill is a young man born to Mr. Weston's first wife but adopted by the wealthy Churchill family after his mother's death, with whom he lives. When 23-24-year-old Frank finally sets foot in Highbury, he turns everyone's (especially Emma's) heads with his handsomeness, cheerfulness, and gentlemanly demeanor. However, beneath his charming face, he has a selfish, comfort-loving, and deceitful side. He is under the strict guardianship of his wealthy aunt in Enscombe and has not visited his own father for years. Although he is secretly engaged to Jane Fairfax in Weymouth, he hides this fact from the world; to cover up the situation when he arrives in Highbury, he openly flirts with Emma to distract attention. His behavior causes Jane pain, stirs up trouble, and causes Mr. Knightley to hate him. However, when he gains his independence upon Mrs. Churchill's death and clears the air by apologizing to Jane and revealing the secret, he somehow gets off the hook.

George Knightley

Mr. Knightley is the owner of the Donwell Abbey estate nearby, a 37-38-year-old, extremely virtuous, outspoken, and honorable gentleman. Older than Emma in both age and temperament, Knightley is the oldest and most loyal friend of the Woodhouse family. There is another strong bond between them as he is the older brother of the husband of Emma's sister Isabella. Unlike the other characters in the novel, he never panders to Emma; he is the only person who openly points out her flaws to her face and tries to guide her onto the right path. Throughout the novel, he criticizes Emma's erroneous attitudes toward Harriet and Jane Fairfax in harsh language. Although he approaches Emma almost like an elder in the family at first, he is actually bound to her with a deep, rooted love. He fully discovers the extent of his own feelings with the jealousy that flares up when Frank Churchill comes to the village and flirts with Emma. He is someone who loves honesty and functionality rather than splendor; in the end, he is selfless enough to give up his own house and agree to move to Hartfield for Emma, who cannot leave her father.

Harriet Smith

Harriet Smith is a very innocent and beautiful girl of about 17, whose family is unknown (illegitimate), who boards at Mrs. Goddard's school. She is inherently very docile, sweet, and kind, but lacks an intellectual or mental foundation. Emma likes her very much and, despite her lack of talent, begins a project to make her a socialite. As a result of Emma's manipulation, Harriet rejects Robert Martin, the farmer who actually loves her and is perfectly suited for her. Afterward, she sets her sights on the high-profile Mr. Elton, whom Emma deems suitable; however, she is rebuffed with great arrogance by Elton. Although Emma mistakes Harriet’s admiration for Frank Churchill for love, Harriet experiences a sort of 'poisoning of self-confidence' or daydreaming, eventually raising the bar on her own to fall in love with Mr. Knightley. This event becomes a jarring awakening for Emma. Fortunately, when everything settles, Harriet returns to her own class and to Robert Martin, who loves her, establishing a happy home.

Jane Fairfax

Jane Fairfax is the orphaned niece of the poor and talkative Miss Bates in town. She was raised in London by the kind-hearted Colonel Campbell, receiving a highly refined and aristocratic education on par with his own daughter. With her talent, culture, excellent piano skills, and elegance, Jane is Emma's equal (in some respects even superior), but because she lacks a fortune, she faces the cruel fate of having to start working as a lowly governess soon. She met Frank Churchill in Weymouth, secretly engaged to him, and arrived in Highbury to stay with her relatives with this great secret. The months she spends in town turn into a form of torture for her; she feels trapped in her aunt's impoverished home, endures Emma's cold distance and insinuations, and watches the man she loves flirt openly with Emma. Under this burden, she falls ill in secret and even decides to break off the engagement to take up a governess position, but after Frank's stepmother dies and the secret is revealed, she finds peace and marriage.

Mr. Elton

Mr. Elton is a recently appointed, bachelor, twenty-seven-year-old, polite and ambitious parish vicar near Highbury. Emma schemes to make this young man the perfect candidate to marry Harriet, frequently inviting Elton to the estate to manipulate the situation. However, the arrogant and pragmatically minded Elton has a different plan in mind; he never considers Harriet, an illegitimate child of common origin, his equal; his true aim is to win the wealthy and respectable Emma. One evening in a carriage, he makes an insolent and reckless declaration of love to Emma, and upon receiving a sharp rejection, his true face is revealed: vengeful and ostentatious. After a short absence, he returns having engaged the wealthy and rude Augusta Hawkins in the town of Bath. In harmony with his wife, he attempts to seek revenge by displaying a crushing, rude sense of superiority toward Emma, and especially toward the lonely Harriet.

Mrs. Elton (Augusta Hawkins)

Mrs. Elton is Mr. Elton's new wife, coming from a family of Bristol merchants; she forgets her own roots and boasts excessively about her ten-thousand-pound dowry. From the moment she arrives in Highbury, she draws attention with her crass, upstart, and tactless behavior. She constantly talks about her brother-in-law's estate, Maple Grove, and the nobility there (!). She attempts to usurp Emma Woodhouse's position as the leading lady of society and has the audacity to address Emma by her first name without warrant. Worse, she views the kind and fragile Jane Fairfax as a tool for social prestige and tries to force her into a governess position. She is a rude character lacking refinement who tries to take center stage everywhere and interjects herself into every topic.

Mrs. Weston (Miss Taylor)

Former governess Miss Taylor, who left the Woodhouse home at the beginning of the novel to marry Mr. Weston, is like a mother to Emma, serving as her tutor and one of her closest friends. She is a sweet-talking, affectionate, and intelligent woman. For years she raised Emma, instilling in her not only basic subjects but also honesty and refinement in a spiritual sense. She generally ignores Emma's flaws (though she cannot speak as openly as Mr. Knightley) or defends her with gentle words. She is an understanding wife who is very compatible with the social, optimistic nature of her husband, Mr. Weston. However, she has a maternal instinct that grows tired at times of Frank Churchill's irresponsible behavior and dreams of Emma marrying Frank to become her own daughter-in-law. Although she makes some incorrect inferences regarding Jane and Frank in the middle of the novel (particularly concerning Knightley's alleged interest in Jane), she takes on the role of calming the situation with her pure intentions. Ultimately, she finds true happiness by holding her own daughter in her arms.

Mr. Woodhouse

Mr. Woodhouse is Emma's elderly, anxious, affectionate father who is afraid of change and anything new. He does not like to step out of Hartfield Manor in the slightest; he has numerous obsessions and hypochondrias regarding human health and safety. He does not want anyone around him to marry because marriage is a very sad and disastrous event that tears people away from the order he is accustomed to. He shows great affection for family friends (especially Mr. Knightley and Mrs. Weston), but he wants everyone to eat and live according to his digestive system rules. Because Emma loves him so much and never wants to upset him, she even contemplates never marrying. However, at the end of the story, thanks to the burglary incidents in the vicinity making him afraid, he gladly welcomes Mr. Knightley moving to Hartfield; for him, this means adding a protective force without anyone leaving the house.