Under the Greenwood Tree, a novel, follows the activities of the Mellstock Parish choir. When the group performs at a schoolhouse, one of the singers, Dick Dewy, falls in love with Fancy, the school mistress. The two secretly become engaged, but Mr. Maybold, the vicar and a wealthier man than Dick, is also in love with Fancy. As this love triangle unfolds, the choir also debates whether or not to replace their traditional accompaniment with a more modern organ.
Mr. Robert Penny ,one of the five men,boot and shoe-maker by profession.
Dick Dewy , a young member of the Mellstock Choir, in love with Fancy Day.
Fancy Day , the new teacher at the parish schoolhouse.
Reuben Dewy , Dick's father, a "tranter" or carrier, and the de facto leader of and spokesman for the Mellstock Choir. A heavy-set, bluff, and talkative man, Reuben is at the heart of much of the rustic comedy in the novel.
William Dewy , Dick's grandfather, a quiet, religious and deeply musical man who is a sort of spiritual anchor for the Choir. William Dewy also makes a brief appearance in Hardy's later novel Tess of the d'Urbervilles : he is featured in a brief anecdote about 'old Wessex' that Dairyman Crick shares with Tess, Angel Clare and the rest of the dairymen and milkmaids.
Geoffrey Day , Fancy's father, the gamekeeper and steward at one of the Earl of Wessex's outlying estates. A man reputed for his eloquent silences, Geoffrey initially opposes Fancy's marriage to Dick, but eventually relents when he thinks his daughter's health is in question.
Frederic Shinar , a rich farmer in Mellstock, and Dick's rival in the courtship of Fancy.
Vicar Maybold , the new vicar at Mellstock. Maybold brings a gently modernising spirit to the church life of Mellstock, replacing the choir with Fancy's organ playing, and generally paying much more attention to the moral and religious affairs of the community than his benignly neglectful predecessor. At the end of the novel, he impetuously proposes to Fancy, and is gratified by her acceptance; but a chance encounter with Dick Dewy convinces him to rescind his proposal. He ends his correspondence with Fancy by urging her to tell Dick everything, and that he will forgive her; but Hardy implies that Fancy does not follow this advice.
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