Character Traits and Function of Charles Bentham in Sean O'Casey's "Juno and the Paycock‪"‬

Charles Bentham is an important figure in the play Juno and the Paycock, although he only appears in person during the end of Act I and principally in Act II. He is the bearer of the good news, i. e. the heritage, which is supposed to change the life of the whole Boyle family. However, he also brings distress to the family in the form of the illegitimate child Mary is expecting, of which he is the father, and due to this fact the family will lose the heritage as Bentham drew up the will in the wrong manner. In this sense, he plays an ambivalent, but important role for the development of the action in the play.