Arden of Faversham

Thomas Arden is the play’s eponymous character and Alice’s husband. A nobleman by birth, he has bettered his station even more by befriending the right people. His best friend is Franklin, a man loyal to the Lord Protector Edward Seymour, uncle to King Edward VI.

Some might consider Arden a protagonist or a tragic hero. However, he demonstrates complex qualities that make his morality grey, like that of all three main characters. To characters such as Franklin, as well as Alice and Mosby (when they are on good terms), Arden seems to be a kind and forgiving friend and husband. Repeatedly, Alice and Mosby fall in and out of Arden’s good graces. Arden enters the first scene angry at both Alice and Mosby, but Mosby’s clever lies fool Arden into complacency. Arden tells him, “Mosby, with these thy protestations / The deadly hatred of my heart is appeased, / And thou and I’ll be friends if this prove true” (1.338-340). Arden also tells Alice to cease her complaints “[l]est in tears I answer thee again” (1.395), indicating his emotional stakes in her well-being. Arden is certainly gullible yet also demonstrates generosity and forgiveness.