The Last Man

Adrian, Earl of Windsor, was the Prince of England before his father abdicated when England became a republic. Though raised to be the future monarch by his mother, who always wanted to see her family return to power, Adrian is a staunch republican. His defining characteristics are his altruism and his care for others, as he sees all people of the world as members of one human family. His views are radically humanist and frighten other members of Parliament, who dismiss Adrian for being too much of an idealist.

After his first major attempts to bring change to England, Adrian becomes ill, with some describing him as “mad,” though he is merely heartbroken for the state of the country he loves. Adrian often faces physical maladies when trying to pacify or serve others, such as when he receives a wound in Greece that affects his health for the remainder of his life. As the plague ravages England, Adrian is the only one willing to take on the perilous job of Lord Protector, and his health noticeably improves as he is finally able to help others as much as he wants to.

Though Lionel applauds Adrian’s ideals and convictions, the narrative ultimately suggests that idealism alone is often ineffectual. Once the plague kills nearly everyone around him, Adrian’s ideals and commitment to change have no effect compared to the power of nature. Though he becomes less sure throughout the emigration that he can stop the plague, he still believes the common assumption that humanity will survive it. Through Adrian, Wollstonecraft Shelley critiques the anthropocentric views prominent in her time, emphasizing how nature’s power is far greater than that of humans.

Lord Raymond is an Englishman who gains great acclaim fighting for freedom in a war in Greece. He returns to England as a wealthy war hero and becomes popular amongst the aristocrats and monarchists, including the former queen, who wants to see her family restored to power.

Raymond is a foil to Adrian, as he is primarily characterized by his ambition and dreams of power and glory. Though he fights in Greece for the noble cause of freedom, he is more concerned with making a name for himself as a hero. While Adrian is a republican, Raymond wishes to become king and to expand the English empire. However, his ambitions become closer to Adrian’s as he spends more time in the company of his group of friends and chooses to marry Perdita instead of Idris. Once he becomes Lord Protector of England, he prides himself on being “the benefactor of his country” (118).

However, after his marriage begins to crumble, Raymond reverts back to his previous vainglorious ambitions. Raymond’s greatest goal is to conquer the city of Constantinople and to place a cross atop its biggest mosque, representing the Greeks’ conquering of the Turkish people. When he arrives at Constantinople, the plague has already begun to spread, but Raymond is undeterred and charges into the city. Constantinople explodes, killing him. Just as Wollstonecraft Shelley highlights the way in which Adrian’s ideals ultimately come to nothing, she here shows how Raymond’s self-centered ambitions mean even less: Although he gains some brief glory during his lifetime, he is killed in the process and Greece falls to the plague shortly after, leaving only Lionel with memories of Raymond’s heroics. 

Perdita is Lionel’s younger sister who, like Lionel, becomes incredibly independent after being orphaned at a young age. Early in the novel, she is described as reserved and reclusive, yet Lionel believes that “Poverty was the cloud that veiled her excellencies, and all that was good in her seemed about to perish from want of the genial dew of affection” (17). Though Lionel cares for her, Perdita begins to blossom only once she enters the society of characters like Adrian, Evadne, Idris, and especially Raymond. Lionel notices a significant shift in her once Raymond abandons his ambitions to be with her, and from that point on her heart is inextricably linked to Raymond’s.

Perdita’s fears are often prophetic, including her worry that Raymond’s ambitions will ultimately be his demise. The name “Perdita” means “lost” or “abandoned,” and like the Shakespearean character of the same name, the Perdita of The Last Man feels lost once she becomes untethered from Raymond. The failure of her marriage shakes Perdita, but she follows Raymond to Greece. She dies by drowning when Lionel attempts to take her back to England, and is buried alongside her husband in Athens.

Idris is Adrian’s younger sister and the former Princess of England. Throughout her early life, her mother, the Countess of Windsor, uses her like a pawn in attempting to regain their family’s former power. The Countess expects Idris to marry Raymond so he can rule England, but Idris loves Lionel instead. When her mother plans to kidnap her, Idris boldly risks her life to run to Lionel. They marry, and the Countess disowns them.

Idris is primarily characterized by her relationship with Lionel and their children. A devoted wife and mother, Idris comforts Lionel during the plague and gives him hope for the future. Her anxieties for her children during the plague represent the overall anxieties for the next generation. When she dies, Lionel buries her at Windsor.