Character Relationship Map: Empire

Characters

• Anna (played by Anna Neye Poulsen) — protagonist

  Anna is the owner of a wealthy household in the Danish West Indies and shares her home with Peter Von Scholten. During the auction, she challenges the auctioneer’s claim about Frederik’s value in an e...

• Petrine (played by Sara Fanta Traore) — supporting

  Petrine is enslaved in Anna’s household and has access to Peter Von Scholten’s seals, making her a suspect when a forged letter reaches The King. She is put up for sale and separated from her son, Fre...

• Peter Von Scholten (played by Claus Riis Østergaard) — supporting

  Peter Von Scholten is the islands’ governor-general and shares a home with Anna. He argues that conditions are peaceful and initially resists calls to inflame tensions, but under pressure from Irminge...

• Frederik (played by Tyler Errol Murray) — supporting

  Frederik is Petrine’s son, whom the auctioneer offers for sale separately from his mother. Anna tries to help him by challenging the claim that he is worth 300 rigsdaler as a fan, but the sale proceed...

• Gudrun (played by Caroline Henderson) — supporting
• Admiral Irminger (played by Jesper Groth) — supporting

  Admiral Irminger warns Peter Von Scholten that plantation owners fear rebellion and demand military protection. He argues that Tom’s death must be brutal and public to frighten enslaved people, helpin...

• Tom (played by James L. Sampson) — supporting

  Tom is exposed as having poisoned someone, and Peter confronts him over it. Irminger argues that Tom’s death must be made brutal and public to serve as a warning to enslaved people. Under pressure, Pe...

• Mr. Hagensen (played by Anders Brink Madsen) — supporting

  Mr. Hagensen warns Peter Von Scholten that plantation owners fear a rebellion and demand military protection. His warning, alongside Admiral Irminger’s, challenges Peter’s claim that conditions are pe...

• Sorte Svend (played by Prince Yaw Appiah) — minor

  Sorte Svend secretly offers Petrine a chance to get Frederik back. Petrine agrees to leave the following day and promises not to tell Gudrun or Anna. His offer gives her a possible path toward reuniti...

• Auctioneer (played by Mikkel Hilgart) — minor
• The King (played by Peter Gantzler) — minor

  The King is the monarch whose promise that slavery will end in eleven years is introduced at the start of the story. A letter bearing Peter Von Scholten’s handwriting and seals reaches him requesting...

Canonical Relationships

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

• Auctioneer → Frederik (Professional Auctioneer And Offered Enslaved Child) — The auctioneer appraises Frederik and proceeds with the sale that separates him from Petrine.

  At the auction, the auctioneer claims Frederik is worth 300 rigsdaler as a fan, and the sale proceeds.

• Peter Von Scholten → The King (Professional Governor And Sovereign) — Peter's official authority is implicated by a letter sent to The King in his handwriting and bearing his seals, though he suspects Petrine used them.

  Peter is the islands' governor-general, and a letter bearing his handwriting and seals reaches The King requesting Irminger's intervention.

• Peter Von Scholten → Tom (Power Authority And Condemned Man) — Peter confronts Tom over the poisoning and authorizes the brutal public execution under pressure.

  After Tom is exposed as having poisoned someone, Peter confronts him and later allows the cruel execution intended as a warning.

• Peter Von Scholten → Petrine (Power Enslaver And Enslaved Woman) — Peter exercises power over Petrine and refuses her plea to recover Frederik.

  Peter tells Petrine that Frederik was never hers and orders her away after she begs for her son.

• Anna → Petrine (Power Enslaver And Enslaved Woman) — Petrine is enslaved within Anna's household; the excerpt also shows Anna trying to intervene when Frederik is valued at auction.

  The reference says Anna owns a wealthy household, including Petrine, and describes Petrine as facing the violence and humiliations of slavery.

• Petrine → Frederik (Family Mother And Son) — Petrine is separated from Frederik at auction and remains desperate to recover him.

  The auction separates Petrine from her son Frederik, and Petrine later begs Peter for him.

Story Dynamics

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

• Petrine → Gudrun (Social Secretive Household Connection) — Petrine withholds her plan to leave from Gudrun, indicating that Gudrun is part of her household circle.

  Petrine promises Sorte Svend not to tell Gudrun or Anna about the planned departure.

• Sorte Svend → Petrine (Alliance Escape Ally) — Sorte Svend offers Petrine a possible route to recover Frederik, prompting her to agree to leave secretly.

  Sorte Svend secretly offers Petrine a chance to get Frederik back, and she agrees to leave the next day.

• Admiral Irminger → Tom (Conflict Advocate Of Public Execution) — Irminger argues for making Tom's execution a public, brutal warning.

  Irminger insists that Tom's death will not frighten enslaved people unless it is made brutal and public.

• Admiral Irminger → Mr. Hagensen (Alliance Political Allies) — They jointly press Peter to provide military protection amid fears of rebellion.

  The reference says Admiral Irminger and Mr. Hagensen warn Peter that plantation owners fear rebellion and demand military protection.

• Peter Von Scholten → Admiral Irminger (Conflict Political Opponents) — They disagree over how to respond to unrest, with Peter ultimately yielding to Irminger's demand for a public warning.

  Irminger demands military protection and later insists that Tom's death must be brutal and public; Peter initially refuses to inflame tensions but eve...

• Anna → Frederik (Alliance Attempted Advocate) — Anna attempts to help Frederik during the sale, but the auction proceeds and he is separated from Petrine.

  At the auction, Anna challenges the auctioneer's claim that Frederik is worth 300 rigsdaler as a fan.

Story Analysis

In the Danish West Indies, the persistence of slavery and mounting political tension intersect with Petrine's effort to recover her son.

Plot Progression

1. A Promise Under Strain — The narrator establishes that slavery continues in the Danish West Indies despite a future promise of abolition. Peter describes conditions as peaceful while Irminger and Hagensen warn of rebellion fe...
2. Seals and Suspicion — A letter bearing Peter's handwriting and seals reaches the King requesting Irminger's intervention. Peter suspects Petrine, who has access to his seals and resents being excluded from household discus...
3. A Family Divided at Auction — Petrine and other household workers face the violence of slavery. At auction, Anna challenges Frederik's valuation, but the sale goes ahead and separates Petrine from her son.
4. A Public Warning — Tom is exposed as having poisoned someone, and Peter confronts him. Irminger demands a brutal public execution as a warning, and Peter allows it under pressure.
5. A Secret Plan, an Uncertain Crisis — Petrine's plea for Frederik is rejected by Peter, who orders her away. Sorte Svend offers her a chance to get Frederik back, while Peter hurries to the Frederiksted fort amid signs that something may...