C
- Caesar:
- Julius Caesar is the title character of Julius Caesar, an Emperor of Rome who is stabbed in the Capitol, on the Ides of March.
- Octavius Caesar is one of the Triumvirs, the three rulers of Rome after Caesar's death, in Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra.
- Caius:
- Doctor Caius is a French doctor in The Merry Wives of Windsor. He challenges Parson Hugh to a duel.
- See also (Caius) Cassius, Caius Martius Coriolanus and Caius Ligarius.
- Calphurnia is the wife of Caesar, whose dream predicts her husband's death, in Julius Caesar.
- The Earl of Cambridge is one of the three conspirators against the king's life (with Scroop and Grey) in Henry V.
- For Cardinal Campeius see Cardinal.
- Canidius is a follower of Antony in Antony and Cleopatra.
- For Canterbury see Archbishop of Canterbury.
- Lord Caputius is an ambassador from the Holy Roman Emperor in Henry VIII.
- Cardinal:
- Cardinal Bourchier delivers the little Duke of York from sanctuary, and into the hands of Richard and Buckingham, in Richard III.
- Cardinal Campeius is the papal legate at the trial of Katherine in Henry VIII.
- Cardinal Wolsey orchestrates the fall from grace of Buckingham and Katherine, but himself falls from grace and dies, in Henry VIII.
- See also the Bishop of Winchester, who becomes a Cardinal in the course of Henry VI, Part 1.
- For The Bishop of Carlisle see Bishop.
- Casca is one of the conspirators against Caesar in Julius Caesar. He has an important role in the early parts of the play, reporting offstage events.
- Caius Cassius, usually known just as Cassius, is a central character in Julius Caesar. He incites the conspiracy against Caesar, and recruits Brutus to the conspirators' ranks.
- Catesby is a double agent—seemingly loyal to Lord Hastings but actually reporting to Buckingham and Richard—in Richard III.
- For Lord Chamberlain and Lord Chancellor see Lord Chamberlain and Lord Chancellor.
- King Charles VI of France is Henry's hated enemy in Henry V.
- For King Charles VII of France see Dauphin.
- For The Lord Chief Justice see Lord Chief Justice.
- Christopher Urswick is a minor character: a priest acting as messenger for Lord Stanley in Richard III.
- Cinna:
- Cinna is one of the conspirators against Caesar in Julius Caesar.
- Cinna is a poet, mistaken for the conspirator Cinna in Julius Caesar. Realising they have the wrong man, the mob "kill him for his bad verses".
- Clarence:
- George, Duke of Clarence is the younger brother of Edward and the elder brother of Richard in Henry VI, part 3 and Richard III. He is often known as "perjured Clarence", having broken his oath to Warwick and fighting instead for his brother's faction. He is eventually drowned in a butt of malmesy wine.
- Thomas, Duke of Clarence is Hal's younger brother, who appears in Henry IV, Part 2 and Henry V.
- Cleopatra is the lover of Antony in Antony and Cleopatra. She commits suicide using a poisonous asp.
- Clifford:
- Clifford (sometimes called Young Clifford) is a staunch Lancastrian, and is the Yorkists' most hated enemies—as the killer of Rutland—in Henry VI, Part 2 and Henry VI, Part 3.
- Old Clifford, father of Clifford, is a Lancastrian leader in Henry VI, Part 2.
- The Constable of France leads the French forces in Henry V.
- Constance is Arthur's mother in King John and a fierce advocate for her son's right to the English throne.
- Caius Martius Coriolanus, usually known just as Coriolanus, is the central character of Coriolanus, who earns the tile "Coriolanus" in recognition of his skill at smiting Volscians in Coriolai.
- For Thomas Cranmer see Archbishop of Canterbury.
- Thomas Cromwell is secretary to Wolsey, and later to the Privy Council, in Henry VIII.
- Cymbeline, the title character of Cymbeline, is king of the Britons, and father to Imogen, Guiderus and Arviragus.
Read more about this topic: List Of Historical Figures Dramatised By Shakespeare