Kitely is the central character in the play's subplot. He is a merchant, but he is also a slave to his own feelings of jealousy and paranoia. He is worried that his wife is having affairs with at least one of several low-bred men that Wellbred, his brother-in-law, is associated with and has brought into his household. That he has no proof of this, only unfounded suspicions and fears, does not seem to matter. He wants to confront Wellbred about this but is too nervous to do so. His obsessive worries affect his business, as he is afraid to leave home in order to conduct important business deals. His fear of his wife's infidelity consumes every action and thought of Kitely. That all this could be avoided through simple conversation with his wife or brother-in-law, never seems to occur to Kitely. In the concluding scene of the play, Kitely learns that his fears have been unwarranted, and Kitely and his wife make amends.
In the 1598 English play Every Man and His Humour, Kitely is a merchant. An often comic character, Kitely is slightly paranoid and often neurotic. After having disagreements with the disrespectful Wellbred, Kitely finds himself desiring to intervene, but lacking the authority to do so.
Later, Kitely becomes concerned that his sister and his wife will be likely to give in sexually to the men that visit their home. This causes a sort of dual-paranoia between the couple, with each accusing the other of being unfaithful.
Kitley, in a sense, seems to possess a self-deprecating inadequacy that forces him to believe that he is becoming a cuckold. He doesn't offer much proof to this belief, rather considering the option of abandoning his home in order to avoid embarrassment.
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