John Barsad
John Barsad is a character in Charles Dickens' novel, A Tale of Two Cities.
Overview
Barsad is a turncoat English con-man and spy. In the pay of the Marquis St. Evremonde he initially frames the Marquis' nephew, Charles Darnay by planting evidence on him on a voyage across the English Channel to England. He unwittingly shows his hand to the lawyer Sydney Carton drinking in a bar on the night before Darnay’s trial. Under examination, Carton tricks him into recanting his testimony. Roger Cly then flees England and fakes his own death which Jerry Cruncher discovers when he attempts to 'resurrect' his body for medical research. Cruncher initially blames his wife's praying and thinks Roger Cly has been removed through spiritual means. When Cruncher discovers Barsad alive in Paris much later (as Miss Pross' long-lost brother Solomon), enlists Barsad's aid by blackmailing him to get into the prison to rescue Charles Darnay by changing places with him leading to Carton's eventual execution by guillotine. Barsad then brings Darnay out of the prison and back to his family. He is genuinely dumbfounded by Carton’s sacrifice - though not enough to change his own ways.
Analysis
Barsad is described in Book 2, Chapter 2 of A Tale of Two Cities as "one of the greatest scoundrels upon the earth since accursed Judas-which he certainly did look rather like." This is a direct reference to Judas Iscariot, the man who betrayed Jesus Christ in the Bible, and is explaining that Barsad is a very untrustworthy man.
Cinematic and Theatrical Portrayals
In the 2008 Broadway musical adaptation of 'A Tale of Two Cities,' John Barsad is played by Nick Wyman.