Ernest Defarge
Encyclopedia
Ernest Defarge is a fictional character in Charles Dickens
' novel
, A Tale of Two Cities
.
are passionate advocates for revolution and regularly dispense and gather information from inside the wine shop. When the story starts, Defarge is harboring Dr. Alexandre Manette, his old employer, who has just been released from eighteen years of unjust and secret imprisonment in the Bastille
. Defarge is incredibly loyal to Dr. Manette and truly cares for him, but he doesn’t shrink from a little exploitation by showing Manette to other patriots as an inspiration for the revolt he hopes to incite. Defarge tells Manette’s story to a group of men in the hopes that they will spread the word of yet another injustice perpetrated by the aristocracy - specifically, a notorious pair of brothers named St. Evremonde. Defarge is the leader of his community and will be pivotal in leading the people on the Storming of the Bastille
. He discovers a paper in Dr. Manette’s old cell in the Bastille which documents why Manette was imprisoned and by whom. These papers prove fatal to the novel's protagonist, Charles Darnay
, in recounting a series of injustices and murders by his father and uncle. Worse still, these infamies were committed against the family of Madame Defarge
, Ernest's ruthless wife, who convinces him to denounce Darnay to the guillotine. Generally good-natured and decent, Defarge is torn by loyalty to his wife and loyalty to Dr. Manette; he does nothing to stop Manette's family from escaping France, despite Madame Defarge's
urgings.
adaptation of 'A Tale of Two Cities
,' Ernest Defarge is played by Kevin Earley
.
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
' novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
, A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities is a novel by Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. With well over 200 million copies sold, it ranks among the most famous works in the history of fictional literature....
.
Overview
Defarge is the owner of a wine shop in the slum of Saint Antoine in Paris. He and his wife Madame Therese DefargeMadame Defarge
Madame Thérèse Defarge is a fictional character in the book A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. She is a tricoteuse, a tireless worker for the French Revolution and the wife of Ernest Defarge....
are passionate advocates for revolution and regularly dispense and gather information from inside the wine shop. When the story starts, Defarge is harboring Dr. Alexandre Manette, his old employer, who has just been released from eighteen years of unjust and secret imprisonment in the Bastille
Bastille
The Bastille was a fortress in Paris, known formally as the Bastille Saint-Antoine. It played an important role in the internal conflicts of France and for most of its history was used as a state prison by the kings of France. The Bastille was built in response to the English threat to the city of...
. Defarge is incredibly loyal to Dr. Manette and truly cares for him, but he doesn’t shrink from a little exploitation by showing Manette to other patriots as an inspiration for the revolt he hopes to incite. Defarge tells Manette’s story to a group of men in the hopes that they will spread the word of yet another injustice perpetrated by the aristocracy - specifically, a notorious pair of brothers named St. Evremonde. Defarge is the leader of his community and will be pivotal in leading the people on the Storming of the Bastille
Storming of the Bastille
The storming of the Bastille occurred in Paris on the morning of 14 July 1789. The medieval fortress and prison in Paris known as the Bastille represented royal authority in the centre of Paris. While the prison only contained seven inmates at the time of its storming, its fall was the flashpoint...
. He discovers a paper in Dr. Manette’s old cell in the Bastille which documents why Manette was imprisoned and by whom. These papers prove fatal to the novel's protagonist, Charles Darnay
Charles Darnay
Charles Darnay, or Charles St. Evrémonde, is a fictional character in A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.-Overview:A French aristocrat by birth, Darnay chooses to live in England because he cannot bear to be associated with the cruel injustices of the French social system...
, in recounting a series of injustices and murders by his father and uncle. Worse still, these infamies were committed against the family of Madame Defarge
Madame Defarge
Madame Thérèse Defarge is a fictional character in the book A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. She is a tricoteuse, a tireless worker for the French Revolution and the wife of Ernest Defarge....
, Ernest's ruthless wife, who convinces him to denounce Darnay to the guillotine. Generally good-natured and decent, Defarge is torn by loyalty to his wife and loyalty to Dr. Manette; he does nothing to stop Manette's family from escaping France, despite Madame Defarge's
Madame Defarge
Madame Thérèse Defarge is a fictional character in the book A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. She is a tricoteuse, a tireless worker for the French Revolution and the wife of Ernest Defarge....
urgings.
Cinematic and Theatrical Portrayals
In the 2008 BroadwayBroadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
adaptation of 'A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities (musical)
A Tale of Two Cities is a musical with book, music and lyrics by Jill Santoriello based on the novel of the same name by Charles Dickens....
,' Ernest Defarge is played by Kevin Earley
Kevin Earley
Kevin Earley is an American stage, film, and television actor.Kevin Earley was trained at the Webster Conservatory in St. Louis, Missouri where he earned his B.F.A...
.