Major Character Breakdowns for
Inherit the Wind
Sen. William Harrison Brady
Modern Equivalent: Pat Buchannan/Ted Kennedy type
Senator Brady is an older man in his late 50's or early 60's. Known as a
gifted orator and brilliant politician, Brady has achieved a
comfortable station in life. Portly in stature, Brady enjoys being
in the spot light. He is a man who enjoys hearing his own voice
booming out to an audience of devoted followers. Despite losing two bids
for President of the United States, the senator from Nebraska remains
extremely popular among the common Christian people of rural America.
As a self proclaimed expert on the bible, he comes to Hillsboro to
help defend the common man from "Evil-ution" and those who teach it.
Henry Drummond
Modern Equivalent: Alan Dershowitz/F. Lee Baily type
Henry Drummond is also an older gentleman in his late 50's. Perhaps,
the most talented lawyer of his generation, Drummond has successfully
defended some of the most notorious criminals in America. Outside of a
courtroom, he is quiet and reserved. But inside a courtroom, he has a
charm that makes it hard to disagree with what he says. He is passionate
about the law and views it as a search for the truth. He is an idealist
at heart, but has a realists view of the law. He comes to Hillsboro to
not only defend a simple school teacher, but defend the rights of an
individual to think and reason for himself or herself.
E. K. Hornbeck
Modern Equivalent: Dennis Miller/"His Girl Friday" type
Hornbeck's age is really indeterminate, although he does display the
cynicism of a man who has experienced quite a lot in life. He considers
himself to be a columnist and not a reporter. This affords him the right
to be quite opinionated. A wise-cracking city-man, Hornbeck enjoys poking
fun at the simple life of Hillsboro as well as their backward view of
evolution. Although extremely intelligent at times, he tends to be quick
with a judgment, believing he knows the "Real" truth. In the show,
he serves as both the comic relief as well as a representative of
what has become refered to as "the intellectual elite".
Bertram Cates, Defendant
Bert Cates is a young man in his mid to late 20's. Bert is quiet
and reserved man. Despite his conflicts with Rev. Brown's view of
religion, he broke the law not because of a desire to ridicule or
subvert religion. He did it because he felt that it was unjust to withhold
new ideas from people simply because they may be in conflict with religion.
However, he does not like making people upset, so his decision to fight
for what he believes in is made more difficult by Rachel and all of the
hoopla surrounding his case.
Rachel Brown
Rachel Brown is a young woman in her mid 20's. Rachel is a kind and
gentle person who tries to avoid controversy. She would rather give
in than fight. Her relationship with her father, Rev. Brown, is so
intertwined with her religious beliefs, that she views any deviation
from her beliefs to be at odds with her father. These problems make it
difficult for her to support Bert, despite her obvious love for him.
Through the course of the play, Rachel must confront her problems and
discover that her love for Bert is the most important thing to her.
The Judge
The Judge is in his late 40's or early 50's. The Judge is a personable
individual who enjoys the power he holds inside the courtroom. He is the
voice of reason and probably the most impartial individual in Hillsboro.
He acts based on what the law says and not his own personal opinion. All
through the play, the Judge acts like the ring master over this circus of
events.
Minor Characters
Bit Characters