Character Relationship Map: Definitely, Maybe

Characters

• Will Hayes (played by Ryan Reynolds) — protagonist

  Will is a New York advertising professional whose story is told through his divorce and memories of three important relationships. He meets Emily, April, and Summer at different stages of his life, su...

• Emily (played by Elizabeth Banks) — supporting

  Emily is presented in Will's story as his college sweetheart and an early romantic partner. She arrives in New York after Will plans to propose, but reveals that she slept with his roommate and urges...

• April (played by Isla Fisher) — supporting

  April is a campaign staffer Will meets in New York and the woman with whom he develops his deepest bond. She explains her search for a lost inscribed copy of Jane Eyre, remains connected to Will throu...

• Summer Hartley (played by Rachel Weisz) — supporting

  Summer is a journalist and a woman from Will's early New York years. After a spontaneous kiss, she later begins a relationship with him, but their romance ends when her article threatens his candidate...

• Hampton Roth (played by Kevin Kline) — supporting

  Hampton is Summer's professor and romantic partner during the period when Will first encounters her. His relationship with Summer is mentioned while she is still connected to him, before she begins a...

Canonical Relationships

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

• Summer Hartley → Hampton Roth (Romantic Dating Partners) — Hampton is Summer's romantic partner before her relationship with Will.

  The story states that Summer is dating her professor, Hampton Roth.

• Emily → Summer Hartley (Romantic Former Affair Partners) — Their past affair complicates Will's understanding of both women.

  Will reads Summer's diary and learns that Summer had a brief affair with Emily.

• Will Hayes → Summer Hartley (Romantic Partners) — Summer becomes Will's second major adult relationship.

  After Summer becomes a journalist, she and Will begin a relationship.

• Will Hayes → April (Professional Campaign Colleagues) — Their professional association becomes the foundation of a lasting personal connection.

  Will meets April while both are working on the presidential campaign.

• Will Hayes → Emily (Romantic College Sweethearts) — Emily is Will's first major romantic partner and the relationship shapes his early choices.

  In 1992, Will leaves behind his college sweetheart, Emily, when he moves to New York.

Story Dynamics

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

• April → Hampton Roth (Narrative Indirect Connection) — The connection is structural rather than based on a recorded direct interaction.

  April and Hampton are connected through Will's overlapping romantic history, while the plot separately identifies Hampton as Summer's partner.

• Will Hayes → Hampton Roth (Conflict Romantic Rival) — Hampton occupies a prior romantic position in Summer's story.

  Hampton is identified as Summer's partner before Summer begins a relationship with Will.

Story Analysis

A divorced father reconstructs his romantic history and learns that delayed honesty has kept him from the relationship he truly values.

Plot Progression

1. A Story With Changed Names — Will explains his divorce and recounts how he met the women from his past. He changes some names and facts, inviting the listener to identify his former wife.
2. The Proposal Triangle — Will arrives in New York intending to marry Emily while becoming entangled with April and Summer. The diary and April's Jane Eyre story expose emotional complications.
3. Ambition And Betrayal — Will builds a political consulting career and begins dating Summer. Summer's published article destroys his candidate's campaign and ends their relationship.
4. The Cost Of Waiting — Depressed and isolated, Will receives support from April but fails to act clearly on his feelings. A recovered copy of Jane Eyre gives him another chance.
5. The Happy Ending — Will finishes his divorce and realizes that life without April makes him miserable. He explains why he kept her book, and April finally lets him back into her life.