The Good Soul of Szechuan - Characters

Shen Te / Shui Ta - the good soul (woman; person) that the title refers to. She is a prostitute who gives the gods lodging in her home when no one else will.

Shen Te invents a cousin, Shui Ta, who is a hard-nosed businessman. As the play progresses, she finds herself slipping into this persona more often and for longer periods of time.

First God, Second God, Third God - prominent gods who have come to earth to find at least one good person otherwise the world will not go on as it is. They monitor Shen Te’s progress via Wang, but refuse to help her when times get tough. At the end of the play, they serve as magistrates in Shui Ta’s hearing over Shen Te’s disappearance. Though Shen Te tells them how hard it is to be good, they leave her and the earth, content that she is trying. They offer no solutions to her problems.

Wang - the impoverished water seller who helps the gods when they first arrive in the city. Wang is one of the characters who gets the police when Shen Te is gone for a long time. He tells the gods that Shen Te may have been killed by Shui Ta, ensuring the gods will finally come back to check on her.

Mrs. Shin - the woman from whom Shen Te buys her tobacco shop. The sale makes Shin a pauper, and she demands rice and money from the prostitute.

Carpenter - built the shelving and fixtures in Shen Te’s tobacco store. Goes into bankruptcy forcing his family to move into the buildings that Mr. Shu Fu donates to Shen Te, and later works for Shui Ta in the tobacco factory.

Wife - runs a shop with the carpet dealer (her husband) near Shen Te’s tobacco shop. The couple is supportive of Shen Te, and when they learn, she does not have enough money to pay her rent, they lend her the funds.

Mr. Shu Fu - a wealthy barber who runs a shop near Shen Te’s tobacco business. Shu Fu has both good and bad points. He attacks Wang with curling tongs, breaking his hand. Shu Fu does nothing to help the man he injured. On the other hand, Shu Fu is enamored by Shen Teh. He donates several buildings on his property to her so that she can house the homeless. He offers to marry her to save her business, though she ultimately declines.

Yang Sun - an unemployed pilot with whom Shen Te falls in love. Yang Sun uses her feelings to better his own situation: he never really seems to love her, though he impregnates her. At the end of the play, he does seem to have some feelings for Shen Te. When he believes Shui Ta has somehow hurt her, he gets the police to arrest him. Yet Sun stands up for Shui Ta in court. Yang Sun is only concerned with survival at any cost, and uses anyone he has to.

Mrs. Mi Tsu - the owner of the building which houses Shen Te’s tobacco shop. Mrs. Mi Tzu is one of the only characters to stand up for Shui Ta in court at the end of the play.

Mrs. Yang - the mother of Yang Sun. Though she is not impoverished, she takes advantage of Shen Te as well, though always for her son’s benefit. Mrs. Yang champions Shui Ta to the very end of the play.