Let B be a reductive Lie subalgebra of a semi-simple Lie algebra F of the same rank both over the complex numbers. To each finite dimensional irreducible representation Vlambda of F we assign a multiplet of irreducible representations of B with m elements in each multiplet, where m is the index of the Weyl group of B in the Weyl group of F. We obtain a generalization of the Weyl character formula; our formula gives the character of Vlambda as a quotient whose numerator is an alternating sum of the characters in the multiplet associated to Vlambda and whose denominator is an alternating sum of the characters of the multiplet associated to the trivial representation of F.