Cambley 1

Zoey Cambley & Leilani Maher

Period 2

Ms. Moss

2 April 2019

The Scarlet Letter​ Characters

Hester Prynne is the town beauty in The Scarlet Letter, although people tend to see her as

very unholy in the book, no one will deny her internal beauty. For the movie Hester Prynne is

played by Adelaide Kane. Who is a young actress that fits most of Hester Prynne’s

characteristics. Also Adelaide Kane played a queen in a tv show role so her acting skills of

playing Hester during this elizabethan era would be excellent. Hawthorne’s description conveys,

“The young woman was tall, with a figure of perfect elegance on a large scale. She had dark and

abundant hair, so glossy that it threw off the sunshine with a gleam....” (Hawthorne 46). Adelaide

has this raven hair that Hester is described to have. Then adding on her role of playing a queen

and talking in old english adds to the conclusion that she is a great embodyment for Hester.

Arthur Dimmesdale is the angelic pastor of the town in ​The Scarlet Letter.​ When he is

being described, his attributes are that he was very young and handsome looking for being a

religious leader in this age. Hawthorne describes, “He was a person of very striking aspect, with

a white, lofty, and impending brow, large, brown, melancholy eyes…” (Hathorne 55). To fit this

charming description in the movie Dimmesdale is played by Toby Regbo. Who also co-starred

with Adelaide Kane in the same tv show about kings and queens. Therefore not only does the

actor have experience with playing someone from this era he also shares the same delicate

features as described. Toby is very boyish looking, yet rugged and his eyes fit the brown and sad
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description of Dimmesdale’s, but the big difference between the two physically is that the actor

has blondish hair that is curly. Having his hair different than just plain black adds to his

uniqueness especially cause in this time blonde hair was rare.

Rodger Chillingworth is essentially the antagonist and villain in the novel ​The Scarlet

Letter.​ When being described in the novel, Hawthorne writes, “The physician...With calm and

intent scrutiny...a gaze that made her heart shrink and shudder, because so familiar, and yet so

strange and cold…” (Hawthorne 60) This description presents the coldness in Chillingworth, yet

the calculated and level-headed composure he occupies. To fit the description of Chillingworth,

in the movie he is played by Jonathan Meyers who also plays Henry VIII in the series “The

Tudors.” His role in the show is very cold and heartless, making him essentially the antagonist of

the series and in the ​The Scarlet Letter ​movie that has been presented. The actor has experience

in playing a role in the 1500-1600’s era and also is talented in the cold, heartless look that could

be recognized as Chillingworth. The difference between Chillingworth in the movie and him in

the novel is the appearance. Jonathan is far from unattractive and does not have any deformities.

He was picked based on his experience and potential for the role. Him being attractive also fits

the stereotype of a teen drama that is likely to attract a young audience. It would give the viewers

a sense of conflict over Dimmesdale and Chillingworth in the appearance category.

Pearl is the strange daughter of Hester Prynne and Dimmesdale in ​The Scarlet Letter. ​She

is described, as Hawthorne writes, “It was a face, fiend-like, full of smiling malice…”

(Hawthorne 78) The author also describes Pearl as, “...thou strange and elfish child…”
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(Hawthorne 79) The small girl in the novel, is seen as eerie and constantly described as ‘elfish’

which can represent the mischief and witchery in her. She is very out of the worldly described

which is a constant until Dimmesdale’s kiss before he dies. To fit this role of Pearl as a young

child, Isabelle Fuhrman is casted due to her psychotic role in the movie “Orphan.” Her smile is

full of evil and malice within the movie which fits Pearl’s personality perfectly. Isabelle has

experience in playing the role of someone who has evil within them and mischief in their eyes.

There isn’t much difference between Isabelle and Pearl in the novel, physically. Both have dark

hair and dark eyes. Isabelle would be perfect for the role.