Monsieur Jourdain is a wealthy bourgeois man who desperately tries to assimilate into 17th-century French nobility. Having earned a fortune from his family's tradesman background, he blindly spends his money on private tutors, lavish performances, and ostentatious clothing. He treats his wife and servants dismissively while revering anyone with a noble title. His single-minded pursuit of status makes him an easy target for charlatans.

Madame Jourdain is M. Jourdain's practical, level-headed wife who shares his tradesman background. She openly despises her husband's aristocratic pretensions and aggressively defends her household from the leeches he invites inside. She recognizes that money cannot buy genuine class and insists that her daughter marry a man from their own social standing.

Cléonte is a principled young man of respectable standing who refuses to claim the false title of "gentleman." He has military experience and values integrity over social climbing. Though prone to dramatic outbursts when he suspects his romantic feelings are unrequited, he remains earnest and relies on his valet to help secure his future.

Doranté is an impoverished but socially connected count who acts as M. Jourdain's closest noble associate. He uses his title to extract loans totaling over 15,800 livres from his naive host. He redirects M. Jourdain's extravagant gifts and dinners to fund his own courtship of a local widow.

Lucile is the sensible daughter of the Jourdain household. She lacks her father's social ambition and refuses to marry merely to acquire a noble title. She values honest affection over aristocratic prestige, stubbornly resisting her father's demand that she marry a gentleman.

Covielle is Cléonte's shrewd trickster valet. He possesses the cunning and theatrical flair his master lacks, designing an outlandish ruse involving fake Turkish royalty to bypass M. Jourdain's social prejudices. He operates as the mastermind behind the plot to secure the young lovers' happiness.

Nicole is the outspoken and cunning maid for the Jourdain family. She aligns herself with Madame Jourdain to expose M. Jourdain's planned indiscretions and protect the household from his folly. She speaks her mind freely, laughing off her employer's threats while taking bold risks to eavesdrop on his shady dealings.

Dorimène is an independent widowed marchioness. She approaches courtship with caution, preferring to maintain her financial and personal autonomy. She remains entirely oblivious that the gifts and entertainment presented to her by Doranté are actually financed by M. Jourdain.

The Music Master creates songs and organizes concerts for his wealthy patron. He openly admits to his colleagues that M. Jourdain possesses terrible taste, yet he readily praises the man's foolish opinions in exchange for generous payment.

The Dance Master attempts to teach M. Jourdain the minuet and correct posture. He claims to value artistic appreciation over mere financial reward, yet he quickly abandons this principle to secure his wages from his uncultured employer.

The Fencing Master is a belligerent tutor who insists that combat is the only truly essential discipline. His arrogance quickly provokes a physical brawl with the other instructors over the supremacy of their respective arts.

The Philosophy Master is a pedantic scholar who claims moral and intellectual superiority. When his patron finds logic and physics too confusing, he happily lowers his standards to teach basic vowel sounds while continuing to collect his fee.

The Master Tailor is an opportunistic artisan who dresses M. Jourdain in absurd, ill-fitting clothes. He deflects complaints about tight stockings and poor design by falsely claiming that his ridiculous garments reflect the latest noble fashion.