Lamuel Gulliver: Lamuel Gulliver, the central figure in and the narrator of “Gulliver’s Travels” is a good-natured, hard-working, curious man, but a most ordinary one. As a character, Gulliver is quite inconsistent. At times he seems to be the mouthpiece for Swift himself, voicing the author’s opinions. At other times, he is quite proud and arrogant, even unlikable. In the first book, Gulliver appears naive and innocent. He is rather shocked at the corrupt and illogical practices of the Lilliputians. In the second book, Gulliver is among the giants. But, his inner depravity as a human being is exposed as he talks about his own civilization and art of war with the Brobdingnagian King. In the third book, Gulliver becomes the detached and half-cynical commentator on human life from without. Here he appears as a figure of human common sense in relation to the absurd astronomies and projectors of Laputa and Lagado. However, it is the happenings in the fourth book that deeply moves Gulliver. By the end of the book, Gulliver is unmistakably a misanthrope (hater of humankind), preferring the company of horses to humans, even his own family. This “madness” is the result of his fourth and final voyage, in which he was confronted with the imperfections of humanity. But Gulliver is not Swift; Gulliver’s misanthropy can not be attributed to Swift. Gulliver is a medium through which Swift launches his satiric bolts against his desired objects, e.g., political corruption, human pride, fruitless scientific efforts, and, above all, mankind.
Emperor of Lilliput: A fingernail taller than his subjects, the Lilliputian Emperor is a handsome man with strong features, an olive complexion, and a regal bearing. Swift has carefully delineated the tyranny and pride of the diminutive Lilliputian Emperor. He has turned the court into a place of intrigue and conspiracies. He is a tyrant who hankers after absolute power. He is spitefully proud and pride completely blunts his conscience and it leads him to pursue absolute power. This is evident in his desire of subjugating completely his Blefuscudian foes. The Emperor of Lilliput exemplifies pride and cruelty:
Skyresh Bolgolam: High Admiral of Lilliput and counselor to the Emperor, Skyresh Bolgolam is the enemy of Gulliver from the start. He brings Gulliver a list of demands or conditions for Gulliver to stay in Lilliput and also teams up with Flimnap to draw up articles of impeachment, which are leaked to Gulliver by an unnamed member of the court.
Brobdingnagian King: The Brobdingnagian King is a simple man who has few ideas about political intrigues and intricacies. He has turned his kingdom into a utopia that is ruled by ideal customs, laws, and procedures. He is a figure of common sense and kindness. In Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels the Brobdingnagian King is contrasted sharply with the Lilliputian Emperor.
Lord Munodi: Lord Munodi is the former governor of the rebellious city Lagado on Balnibari, the island oppressed by the Laputans on the third voyage. Unlike his neighbors’ fields and homes, Munodi’s house and land are intact and prosperous because he ignored the newfangled advice of the Projectors, scientists who insisted that farmers try new “improvements” that in the end were disastrous. Modi represents the sensible man who does not toss away tradition and insists that newer is always better.
Pedro de Mendez: The captain of the Portuguese ship that rescues Gulliver on his fourth and final travel, he is extremely kind and sympathetic to Gulliver, helping him to return to England. Gulliver has been traumatized by his most recent travel and the realization that mankind, in general, is more Yahoo than Houyhnhnm. Thus, while Mendez is a contrast to the Yahoos, Gulliver has trouble appreciating goodness of Mendez. Swift likely created this character to remind the readers that even if mankind is corrupt and selfish, individuals exist who are kind and good.
Houyhnhnms: The Houyhnhnms are horses who are guided by their flawless rationality. They represent utopia, they are the perfect race in Gulliver’s mind. The Houyhnhnms have an ideal society and are unfamiliar with the concepts of lying, deceit, jealousy, or hatred. Critics have long argued whether Swift presents the Houyhnhnm as an ideal society or whether they, too, are set up for satire. In their land, the Houyhnhnms control the human-like ignoble Yahoos. Yahoos are vicious humanlike creatures. Gulliver is very ashamed of being in the same form as these Yahoos and really wanted to stay with the Houyhnhnms but they reject him for being so much like a Yahoo. Gulliver’s experiences in the land of Houyhnhnms turn him into a misanthrope. Though the Houyhnhnms are rational animals, they lack passion.
Yahoos: The Yahoos are a barbaric race of filthy, repulsive humanoids who live in the country of the Houyhnhnm. They resemble human beings so much that the Houyhnhnm have trouble believing that Gulliver is not one of them. They represent mankind at its very worst.
