Character Analysis
Lord Henry Amundeville
Lord Henry is a politician and man of the world. He courts the good opinion and the friendship of those who can help him. He is a member of the Privy Council and as such a capable and faithful servant of his country; at the same time he manages to serve his own interests. He combines patriotism and self-interest in such a way as to make the two identical. He is cautious, reserved, and proud. He is slow to judge men but once he has made up his mind about them, nothing will make him change it.
He likes the feeling of superiority, and for this reason deliberately seeks out the acquaintance of people he can feel superior to.
He is a somewhat cold-blooded individual and is unable to give his wife the kind of love she would like to have. He is not much older than she is; there is no disparity of age between them. What keeps their union from being an ideal one is a matter of temperament. At heart he is more interested in matters of business than he is in people. He is, however, proud of his beautiful and charming wife.