Sir Simon de Canterville in The Canterville Ghost

Who is Sir Simon de Canterville?

Sir Simon de Canterville is the long-resident ghost of Canterville Chase, a once-powerful aristocrat condemned to haunt the house after murdering his wife in 1575. He wants the restoration of his old terror and reverence—both to maintain his identity and to validate the family legends that sustain him. Across the chapters he stages dramatic appearances in chains, smashes a lubricator, broods in secret chambers and attempts elaborate scares (including donning armor and impersonations like “Reckless Rupert” and “Jonas the Graveless”). His efforts repeatedly fail against the Otises’ practical, joking responses: Mr. Otis offers lubricant; the twins pelt him with pea-shooters, pillows and set traps; Washington sprays him with a garden syringe. Physically weakened and humiliated by these encounters, Sir Simon retreats into illness and melancholy. In a key turning point he speaks privately with Virginia, revealing remorse and the legend that only a child’s compassion can bring his peace. That compassion finally leads to his funeral and apparent release, his story closing with Virginia’s lifelong remembrance and the placement of his tombstone.

In the book: Sir Simon de Canterville is the resident ghost of Canterville Chase, a centuries-old aristocrat who haunts the halls with practiced theatrics and a flair for fright. When the modern American Otis family moves in, he strides out to terrify them—only to find their breezy, no-nonsense attitude turning his scare tactics into a comic standoff.

Personality

Prideful

He broods over past triumphs and insists on scheduled spectral appearances, recalling how he used to terrify nobility and servants.

Theatrical

He makes dramatic, chained midnight entrances, dons ancient mail and takes on guises such as “Reckless Rupert” and “Jonas the Graveless.”

Vindictive

After being offered lubricant and mocked, he vows antique oaths of vengeance and plots elaborate assaults on the family.

Humiliated

Repeated practical jokes—pillows, pea pellets, jugs of water and a butter-slide—leave him physically injured and an invalid.

Penitent

In the Tapestry Chamber he confesses to Virginia that only a child’s compassion and prayer can bring him rest and expresses sorrow.

Character arc

Sir Simon first appears as the fearsome, ceremonial ghost whose identity depends on causing alarm: chained, luminous, and proud of past cruelties. His early scenes emphasize spectacle and menace—he smashes the lubricator in rage, rehearses threats, and plans grand assaults—until the Otis family treats him with pragmatic mockery rather than dread. Each failed scare (repulsed by lubricant, pelted by the twins, frightened by an imitation spectre) strips away his dignity; physical mishaps and traps render him ill and humiliated, forcing him into withdrawal. This decline culminates in the private encounter with Virginia, where his bravado gives way to vulnerability: he confesses remorse, explains the prophecy of release, and asks implicitly for compassion. He accepts help rather than enforcing fear, allowing Virginia to intercede. The arc completes with a nocturnal funeral and his symbolic release: the ghost moves from commanding menace to weary penitent whose peace is achieved through a child’s empathy rather than revenge or terror.

Relationships

• Virginia Otis The child whose pity and prayer he seeks; she speaks with him, comforts him, and ultimately helps bring his peace.
• Hiram B. Otis The pragmatic American minister who repeatedly treats Sir Simon’s appearances with practical jokes and polite imperturbability.
• The Otis Twins Playful antagonists who torment and humiliate him with pillows, pea-shooters, traps and imitation spectres.
• Washington Otis A boisterous son who mocks the stain, wounds the ghost with a garden syringe and contributes to his disgrace.
• Mrs. Umney The housekeeper who recounts Sir Simon’s crimes and fears for the family, representing the old household memory he once commanded.
• Lord Canterville Ancestral owner who warns the Otises about the haunting and later attends Sir Simon’s funeral, symbolizing family continuity.

Quotes by Sir Simon de Canterville

“"I have not slept for three hundred years," he said sadly, and Virginia's beautiful blue eyes opened in wonder;”

VExpresses the Ghost's exhausted long-suffering and prompts Virginia's pity and resolve to help him.

Why Sir Simon de Canterville matters

Sir Simon embodies the clash between old-world superstition and modern practicality: his theatrical hauntings and ancestral narrative confront American skepticism and domestic irreverence. The comic humiliations he endures critique aristocratic pride and the impotence of rituals when faced with pragmatic rationality. Yet his final confession and release through Virginia’s compassion also introduce themes of redemption, mercy, and the human need for reconciliation with the past. He moves the story from farce to a quietly moral resolution, showing that empathy—especially from the young—can heal historical guilt and restore peace to a troubled house.

Chapters with Sir Simon de Canterville

• I
• II
• III
• IV
• V
• VII

More The Canterville Ghost characters

• Hiram B. OtisProtagonist
• The Otis TwinsMinor character
• Virginia OtisProtagonist
• Washington OtisMajor character
• Mrs. OtisMajor character
• Lord CantervilleMajor character
• The Duke of CheshireMajor character
• Mrs. UmneyMinor character