Stephenson:Neal:The System of the World:Dramatis Personæ
From the Quicksilver Metaweb.
This is a list of the dramatis personæ in The System of the World who have entries in the Metaweb. As this list grows, we may group people by family, region, religion, language, title or noble status, or other methods.
Characters who are based directly on actual historical persons of the same name are in bold. All other characters are purely fictional constructs or are based loosely on classes of people who existed at the time.
Clearly major characters
Natural Philosophers
Aristocrats, Politicians, Tools and Spies
- Tsar Peter I
- Louis XIV
- Roger Comstock - Marquis of Ravenscar
- Will Comstock - Earl of Lostwithiel
- Caroline of Ansbach
- Charles White
- Mr Kikin
- John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough
- Catherine Barton
- Èdouard de Gex
Businessmen
Soldiers, Sailors, Slaves, Vagabonds, and Assorted Wanderers
- Bob Shaftoe
- Danny Shaftoe
- Jimmy Shaftoe
- Dappa
- Captain Otto van Hoek
- Peter Hoxton
- Johann von Hacklheber
Very Minor Characters
People mentioned only a few times with only a tiny part in the narrative, and historical persons who are mentioned but do not directly participate in the narrative.
- Thomas Newcomen - the father of steam
- George Frideric Handel
- Christopher Wren
- John Flamsteed
- Edmund Halley
- Tomba - A blackamoor, sort of adopted child to Jack Shaftoe.
- Solomon Kohan - Wise Jew in the service of Peter the Great.
See also
- list of characters in The Baroque Cycle
- Dramatis Personæ for Quicksilver
- Dramatis Personæ for The Confusion
- Family relations between The Baroque Cycle and Cryptonomicon
- list of notable Baroque figures where the above are boldfaced for easy reference