What are the characters in English Literature?

It's impossible to list all the characters in English Literature, as it encompasses centuries of writing and countless authors! However, I can provide a breakdown of some notable character types and examples:

By Era:

* Medieval:

* Knights: Sir Gawain, Sir Lancelot (Arthurian Legend)

* Queens: Guinevere, Morgan le Fay (Arthurian Legend)

* Saints: St. George, St. Margaret

* Renaissance:

* Tragic Heroes: Hamlet, Macbeth, Othello (Shakespeare)

* Romantics: Don Juan, Faust

* Explorers: Robinson Crusoe (Daniel Defoe), Gulliver (Jonathan Swift)

* 18th Century:

* Rationalists: Pamela (Samuel Richardson), Mr. Bennet and Elizabeth Bennet (Jane Austen)

* Gothic Villains: Victor Frankenstein (Mary Shelley), Heathcliff (Emily Brontë)

* 19th Century:

* Victorian Protagonists: Jane Eyre (Charlotte Brontë), Pip (Charles Dickens)

* Realist Characters: Anna Karenina (Leo Tolstoy), Emma Bovary (Gustave Flaubert)

* Modern & Post-Modern:

* Anti-heroes: Holden Caulfield (J.D. Salinger), Jay Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald)

* Modern Women: Molly Bloom (James Joyce), Mrs. Dalloway (Virginia Woolf)

* Existentialists: Meursault (Albert Camus), The Stranger (Jean-Paul Sartre)

By Archetype:

* Hero: A character who embodies courage, strength, and noble goals.

* Anti-hero: A character who lacks traditional heroic qualities, often flawed or morally ambiguous.

* Villain: A character who opposes the protagonist and often seeks evil.

* Tragic Hero: A character who makes fatal flaws that lead to their downfall.

* Fool: A character who uses humor and wit to expose societal hypocrisy.

* Trickster: A character who uses cunning and deceit to achieve their goals.

* Redeemer: A character who helps others overcome their struggles and find redemption.

* Mentor: A character who guides and teaches the protagonist.

* Damsel in Distress: A female character who is helpless and needs to be rescued.

* Sidekick: A character who supports the protagonist and provides comic relief.

Specific Characters:

* Shakespeare: Hamlet, Romeo, Juliet, Lady Macbeth, Othello, King Lear, Falstaff

* Dickens: Oliver Twist, Scrooge, Miss Havisham, Mr. Bumble

* Austen: Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth Bennet, Emma Woodhouse, Mr. Knightley

* Brontë: Jane Eyre, Rochester, Heathcliff, Catherine Earnshaw

* Tolkien: Frodo Baggins, Gandalf, Aragorn, Gollum

* Rowling: Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Lord Voldemort

This is just a glimpse into the vast world of characters in English literature. To learn more, you can explore different eras and authors, read literary criticism, and engage in discussions with fellow literature enthusiasts.