Charles Darnay, Charles D'Aulnais or Charles St. Evrémonde is a fictional character in the 1859 novel '' A Tale of Two Cities'' by

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

Overview

Darnay is a wealthy gentleman who spends time in both France and England during the time of the story. However, he resents how the lower classes are extorted and kept in extreme poverty by the upper class. Darnay specifically resents the views of his uncle, Marquis St. Evrémonde, who has no respect for people in poverty. He abandons his own family name in favor of his mother's, D'Aulnais, which he later alters to "Darnay". He relocates to London, finding work as a tutor of French language and literature. Darnay is put on trial for

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state (polity), state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to Coup d'état, overthrow its government, spy ...

against the

Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain, also known as the Kingdom of Great Britain, was a sovereign state in Western Europe from 1707 to the end of 1800. The state was created by the 1706 Treaty of Union and ratified by the Acts of Union 1707, which united the Kingd ...

, but the key eyewitness testimony against him is undermined when his defense counsel directs attention to

Sydney Carton Sydney Carton is a central character in Charles Dickens' 1859 novel '' A Tale of Two Cities''. He is a shrewd young Englishman educated at Shrewsbury School, and sometime junior to his fellow barrister Stryver. Carton is portrayed as a brillia ...

, a barrister who has been assisting in the case. The two men bear a strong resemblance to one another, and Darnay is acquitted as a result. Later, Darnay succeeds his uncle as Marquis when the latter is stabbed to death in his sleep by a French revolutionary. Both Darnay and Carton express their love for Lucie Manette, but Darnay courts and marries her. As the French Revolution begins, Darnay is arrested in France and brought before a tribunal, where the crimes of his uncle and father are brought to light. He is sentenced to death by

guillotine A guillotine ( ) is an apparatus designed for effectively carrying out executions by Decapitation, beheading. The device consists of a tall, upright frame with a weighted and angled blade suspended at the top. The condemned person is secur ...

, and bravely accepts his fate. However, Carton then takes his place (rendering Darnay unconscious so that he cannot refuse his help) so that he and his family can escape. Later, Lucie and Charles have a son whom they call Sydney in honor of their friend.

Cinematic and theatrical portrayals

In the 1935

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

film adaptation, Charles Darnay is portrayed by Donald Woods. In the 1958 The Rank Organisation film adaptation, Charles Darnay is portrayed by Paul Guers. In the 1989 '' Masterpiece Theatre'' television adaptation, Charles Darnay is played by Xavier Deluc. In the 2008 Broadway musical/play adaptation of '' A Tale of Two Cities'', Charles Darnay is played by Aaron Lazar.

External links

"Cliffnotes" article on Charles Darnay

Literary characters introduced in 1859 A Tale of Two Cities characters Fictional marquesses and marchionesses Fictional French people in literature Characters in British novels Male characters in film Male characters in literature Fictional people sentenced to death {{novel-char-stub