Zorro

He is the 18 year-old son of a rich landowner in Southern California. After attending European schools for several years, he returns home and realizes that the political and social situation in his country has changed in a very negative way. Intentionally, he makes a show of being lazy, listless, and is apparently inept as far as any kind of work is concerned. The most important thing to him is Lolita, the love of his life, who he often courts. He quite obviously pretends to be the kind of person that, in reality, he is in fact not.

Diego’s 48 year-old father. He is a rich landowner, has served as Governor of the Region, and seems to be a hard man, very sure of himself, though he is in fact a loving and tender soul. He is one of the few people to believe, almost from the start, that Zorro might be his son, in spite of the boy’s laziness, ineptitude, and lack of courage. He works hard on his farm to ensure that his family’s strong financial position is never threatened, though there isn't much he can do about the Government representatives that are holding sway in his region when his son returns from Spain, but he makes it very clear that he doesn’t approve.

Lolita is the sweet 17 year-old daughter of another rich landowner, Don Carlos Prideaux, and Diego’s girlfriend, with whom she thought she was in love before he returned from Spain a very different man. She is polite, very pretty, and charming, but above all, is never afraid to speak her mind whatever the cost. She cannot accept that Diego changed so much during his stay in Europe, and taunts him relentlessly at every opportunity.

Bernard is a nine-year-old orphan adopted by the de la Vega who fulfills the role of family mascot. A lively, quick- witted, happy child, he is considered a son by Don Alejandro, and a brother by Diego, alias Zorro. At a certain point in the story, Bernard discovers that Diego is actually his idol, Zorro, and so decides to become “Little Zorro” in order to help Diego defeat the region’s evil tyrants. Bernard does what he can to help out on the farm, and plays a rather unusual role as a sort of “Cupid” in the relationship between Diego and Lolita.

A small, stocky, likeable bulldog. He follows Bernard everywhere, always ready to come to “Little Zorro’s aid. He wanders around the farm during the day, sleeps a lot, and acts very lazy, but when Bernard calls, he’s there in a flash! He is a very useful ally for Little Zorro. Figaro doesn’t like the arrogant members of the military who govern the region and is always ready at Little Zorro’s side, to launch cunning, ferocious attacks at them.

Don Carlos Prideaux is Lolita’s fifty year-old father, and a rich landowner like Don Alejandro de la Vega, Diego’s father. He is ambitious, but not openly bad or arrogant. In order to consolidate his family’s prosperity, he is not above making cheap, underhand agreements with the Governor to keep his books in good shape. He does many things that he knows are not only unjust, but sometimes outright unlawful(e.g. when he helps the smugglers and takes a share of their loot), and although he is not a bad person, and definitely not a criminal, he continues to blithely behave almost like one.

Don Carlo's wife and Lolita’s mother, 38 years old, and devoted to her husband. She is aware of all his business, and when , he is beset by doubts about the legality of his actions at times, she always reassures him. She is very emotional, and often breaks into tears, a side of her character that her daughter has not inherited. She is very affectionate with Lolita and educates her according to her principles that sometimes are not as clear as they should be...

The Governor of Southern California is a petty, evil, arrogant man, who wields absolute power over the region. Overbearing and aggressive, he imposes his own ideas and collaborates closely with Captain Raymond who is charged with carrying out his orders.

The typical bad man. Selfish and cruel, he thinks only about his own best interests. He commands the National Guard, and is one hundred percent dependent on the Governor for whom he does the dirty work.

A lieutenant in the National Guard, he takes orders directly from Raymond and is as evil, cruel, and arrogant as the Captain. Convinced he is the best soldier in the fort, he sincerely believes he deserves to be more than a mere lieutenant, and aspires to take over the Captain’s position.

Diego de la Vega’s dog, a large Great Dane that is very fierce when provoked or called upon, to protect his master. He could hardly wait for his master to return from attending school in Europe, and loves to laze in the warm Southern Californian sunshine. He helps Zorro fight his enemies, keeping out of the limelight, but always ready to attack if the Masked Hero is in difficulty. Zorro, alias Diego, and Tackle understand each other so well that a look or a gesture is enough to set the dog into action.

A National Guard sergeant, 22 years old, a heavy set, corpulent man who loves to eat more than anything else in life. He is under lieutenant Gabriel’s command, but has trouble understanding the lieutenant’s orders. Often he discusses his orders and the motives behind the military operations with Diego de la Vega. He carries out his orders to the letter, and rarely questions the assignments he receives, though at times, he doesn’t understand why he has to chase Zorro who helps the weak in their struggle against tyrants.

Zorro’s favorite horse is a white stallion with a yellow mane. Fleet-footed, extraordinarily brave, Viento helps Zorro in all his adventures, never leaves his side, and understands his every look and gesture.

A crooked bum trader, and close friend of Captain Raymond. He is a thief and a smuggler; in other words, there is nothing honest about him. He wants a monopoly on the fort's selling supplies, and goes to great lengths to ingratiate himself with the Captain and the other officers of the National Guard.

The cornerstone of the de la Vega’s farm is a very large, middle-aged woman with a cheerful, kindly disposition. She is like a second mother for everyone on the farm, and runs the house with enthusiastic dedication.

A National Guard career officer in his forties, Captain Jekyll stubbornly believes that Spain has the right to rule over the people of the region as best it can, using the officers stationed in the area to maintain order and impose its laws.