Unseen character

An unseen character^[1] is a fictional character referred to but not directly observed by the audience.^[2]

In a study of 18th-century French comedy, F. C. Green suggests that an “invisible character” can be defined as one who, though not seen, “influences the action of the play”.^[1] This definition, according to Green, would rule out a character like Laurent (Lawrence), Tartuffe's unseen valet, whose sole function is merely to give the playwright an opportunity to introduce Tartuffe.^[1][3]

Examples

Novel

In Miguel de Cervantes's Don Quixote (1605 and 1615), the protagonist's lady, Dulcinea del Toboso, is often referred to but never appears.

Theatre

Unseen characters occur elsewhere in drama, including the plays of Eugene O'Neill, Tennessee Williams, and Edward Albee.^[4][5]

Author Marie A. Wellington notes that in the 18th Century, the French author, Voltaire, included unseen characters in a few of his plays, including Le Duc d’Alençon, and L’Orphelin de la Chine.^[6]

• Rosaline in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is never seen, but is only described.^[7][8]
• In Alain-René Lesage's 1707 play Crispin an unseen character called Damis with his forced secret marriage is essential to the whole plot.^[1]
• In Clare Boothe Luce's play The Women (1936), and the 1939 film based on the play, male characters (husbands, lovers, etc.) are referred to but do not appear, even in photographs, and the entire cast (from stars to extras) is all female.^[9][10]
• Godot in Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot is never seen. The play's two main characters spend the entire play waiting for Godot to arrive.^[11]

UK television and radio

• Minder: Arthur Daley's wife, referred to only as "'Er Indoors", is never seen or heard, but often quoted.^[12]
• I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue: the scorers Samantha (or occasionally Sven) are regularly referred to but never appear. An empty chair is provided for them at recordings.
• In the long-running British radio soap opera The Archers, a number of permanent inhabitants of the village in which the story is set are frequently referred to by name but are never heard from in their own voices. Fans of the programme often refer to these characters as "the silents".^[13]

US television

• On the mystery drama Columbo, Columbo often described his wife in detail but she is never portrayed in the series.^[14]
• On The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Phyllis Lindstrom's husband, Dr. Lars Lindstrom, is oft-referenced but never seen.^[15]
• On Seinfeld, Bob Sacamano, Lomez and "Cousin Jeffrey" are often mentioned but never seen. The first two are friends of Cosmo Kramer, and the last is the cousin of Jerry Seinfeld. Jeffrey works for the New York City Parks Department, as Jerry is told ad nauseam by his Uncle Leo.^[16]
• On The Andy Griffith Show, Juanita Beasley, for whom Barney Fife occasionally expresses affection, is unseen but often referenced and telephoned by the love-struck Fife.^[17]

References