Character Relationship Map: Burke & Hare

Characters

• William Burke (played by Simon Pegg) — protagonist

  An immigrant from Ulster who partners with William Hare in selling corpses to Dr. Knox for dissection. After grave-digging fails, he begins murdering vulnerable lodgers and others to maintain their in...

• William Hare (played by Andy Serkis) — protagonist

  William Burke's partner in the corpse-selling scheme, Hare learns from Fergus that Dr. Knox pays well for cadavers. He helps obtain bodies, plans further murders after extortion, and persuades Burke n...

• Ginny (played by Isla Fisher) — supporting

  A young former prostitute who performs an excerpt from Macbeth in a pub where Burke sees her. She becomes the object of Burke's affection and is later arrested with him while they are together. Burke'...

• Danny McTavish (played by David Hayman) — minor
• Fergus (played by David Schofield) — minor

  A local henchman who informs William Hare that Dr. Knox pays for cadavers, particularly because demand has increased. He later works with a local criminal leader to kidnap Burke and Hare and force the...

• Lord Provost (played by John Woodvine) — minor
• Lucky (played by Jessica Hynes) — supporting

  William Hare's wife and the owner of the inn where several lodgers live. After discovering what Hare and Burke are doing, she surprisingly approves and imposes a payment of one pound for every corpse...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Danny McTavish → Fergus (Professional Employer) — Fergus serves McTavish within his criminal organization.

  Fergus is identified as a local henchman working for Danny McTavish.

• William Burke → Ginny (Romantic Love Interest) — Burke develops strong romantic feelings for Ginny.

  After seeing Ginny perform an excerpt from Macbeth, Burke is immediately taken with her.

• William Hare → Lucky (Family Husband) — They are married and share a household.

  Lucky is explicitly described as Hare's wife and owns the inn where they live and operate.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Lord Provost → William Hare (Conflict Institutional Adversary) — The civic response surrounds Hare's prosecution and public scandal.

  The Lord Provost supports a political cover-up after the authorities uncover the connection between the murders and medical dissection.

• Lord Provost → William Burke (Conflict Institutional Adversary) — The civic authorities treat Burke's case as a threat to public reputation.

  The Lord Provost participates in efforts to suppress the scandal surrounding the murders and the city's medical schools.

• Fergus → William Burke (Social Criminal Contact) — Fergus becomes an important contact in their criminal network.

  Fergus's information reaches Hare while Burke and Hare are together, leading both men to sell the first corpse.

• Fergus → William Hare (Narrative Informant) — Fergus provides the information that enables the corpse-selling business.

  Fergus tells Hare that a medical doctor pays for cadavers, especially because demand has increased.

• Danny McTavish → William Hare (Conflict Kidnapper) — Hare is repeatedly targeted by McTavish's coercion.

  McTavish captures Hare and later kidnaps him again while attempting to extort the remaining money.

• Danny McTavish → William Burke (Conflict Extortionist) — McTavish directly exploits and threatens Burke.

  McTavish kidnaps Burke and threatens to kill him unless Burke and Hare surrender half their money.

• William Burke → Lucky (Alliance Criminal Associate) — Lucky's inn becomes the initial base of their operation.

  Burke and Hare flee to Lucky's inn, where Lucky asks them to remove a dead lodger's body and later approves their business.

• William Burke → William Hare (Alliance Criminal Partner) — They operate together as partners in the corpse-selling scheme.

  Burke and Hare jointly sell a corpse to a medical doctor and agree to supply more cadavers for payment.

Story Analysis

A darkly comic crime story in which economic desperation becomes murder, and Burke's love for Ginny leads to his final sacrifice.

Plot Progression

1. From Fraud To Cadavers — Burke and Hare flee a failed patent-medicine fraud and discover that medical schools pay for corpses. Their first sale transforms a desperate escape into a profitable criminal enterprise.
2. Murder Becomes Routine — Grave-digging fails, so the partners kill Joseph and sell his body. Money brings temporary pleasure, while Burke's attraction to Ginny introduces a competing emotional motive.
3. Extortion And Escalation — McTavish and Fergus seize the partners and take half their earnings. To recover the loss, Burke and Hare plan more murders as public suspicion begins to rise.
4. The Dead Reveal The Living — McTavish becomes a dissection cadaver, and anatomical photographs link the medical trade to missing people. The investigation leads to the arrests of both couples.
5. A Confession For Love — In prison, Burke considers repentance while Hare urges silence. Political authorities suppress the scandal, but Burke confesses to save Ginny and is hanged.