Sydney Carton

Sydney Carton is the main character of the late Charles Dickens' classic 1859 novel A Tale of Two Cities. He is a cynical, alcoholic lawyer who is forced to choose between his pointless but comfortable life and sacrificing everything to do what he knows is right.
Of the many actors who have portrayed him over the years, arguably the most well-known is the late Ronald Colman in the 1935 David O. Seltznick adaptation.
== Personality ==
Carton is a brilliant, but lazy and selfish, lawyer who leads a comfortable but pointless life. An alcoholic, he does the bare minimum for his clients - letting his assistant Stryver do most of the work - and then drowns himself in wine. He is very aware that he is not the man he should be, and his depression and self-hatred over his wasted life fuels his addiction to alcohol. 
== In the novel ==
Carton is appointed to represent Charles Darnay, a kind-hearted young aristocrat who is accused of espionage, and who bears an uncanny physical resemblance to him. He gets Darnay acquitted, again thanks mostly to Stryver. Carton takes Darnay out to a tavern to celebrate, and promptly gets very drunk. In his stupor, Carton tells Darnay that he both admires and resents him for being a better man than he is; he also admits to being deeply disappointed in himself.
Carton and Darnay remain friendly over the years, and Darnay eventually introduces him to his fiancée, Lucie Manette. Carton falls in love with her at first sight, but keeps his feelings to himself until after she and Darnay get married. He respectfully tells her he loves her, but admits that she is far too good for him, and says she has inspired him to make something of his life. He then asks her not to tell Darnay. Touched by his sincerity, Lucie promises to keep his secret, and says that he is a better person than he thinks he is. He remains a close friend to both Darnay and Lucie, and they name him godfather to their daughter.
Years later, during the Reign of Terror, Darnay is arrested and sentenced to death for being an aristocrat. Carton rushes to Lucie's side, offering to help any way he can. Soon afterward, however, he overhears Mme. Defarge, a fanatic Revolutionary with a longstanding grudge against Darnay's wealthy family, saying that she will denounce Lucie and her father to the Revolutionary Tribunal on the day of Darnay's execution. This would almost certainly result in Lucie being executed as well.
The night before Darnay is scheduled to be executed, Carton smuggles Lucie and her father out of France. He then goes to Darnay's cell, knocks him unconscious, and has him taken to Lucie while taking his place in the cell; because of his resemblance to Darnay, the Revolutionaries assume they are executing the right man. As he is led to the guillotine, Carton reflects that, by sacrificing his own life for another's, he has finally become a good and worthy man: "It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known."
Darnay and Lucie later have a son whom they name Sydney, in honor of Carton's sacrifice. Sydney becomes a well-respected lawyer, lending the name "Sydney Darnay" the prestige and honor that its original owner never did.
== External Links ==
* Sydney Carton on Wikipedia
Category:Male
Category:Book Heroes
Category:Movie Heroes
Category:Reluctant Heroes
Category:Addicts
Category:Martyr
Category:Lawful Neutral
Category:In Love
Category:Extravagant
Category:Egomaniacs
Category:Arrogant
Category:Wealthy
Category:Selfless
Category:Envious
Category:Bond Protectors
Category:Big Good
Category:Protectors
Category:Protectors of Innocence
Category:Anti-Heroes
Category:Tragic
Category:Rescuers
Category:Heroes by Proxy
Category:Hope Bringers
Category:Sophisticated
Category:Jerks
Category:Successful
Category:Karma Houdini
Category:Posthumous