Death in Venice characters

Appears from the start

A celebrated German author in his early fifties whose reputation rests on disciplined, formally controlled work. Widowed and solitary, he has organized his life around artistic duty until a sudden impulse to travel unsettles his carefully maintained routine.

Appears from the start

An unknown man whom Aschenbach sees near a cemetery in Munich. His foreign-looking appearance and confrontational gaze stir vivid thoughts of distant landscapes and awaken Aschenbach's long-suppressed desire to travel.

First appears in chapter 3

An elderly passenger on the steamer to Venice who uses cosmetics, dyed hair, fashionable clothes, and drunken high spirits to pass among a group of young men. His attempt to disguise age repels Aschenbach.

First appears in chapter 3

A silent, unlicensed gondolier who takes Aschenbach toward the Lido despite being ordered to stop at San Marco. His pale appearance, abrupt manner, and unexplained disappearance after the journey make the ride disturbing.

First appears in chapter 3

A beautiful Polish boy of about fourteen staying with his family at Aschenbach's hotel on the Lido. Fair-haired, reserved, and watched over by his mother, he immediately appears to the writer as an image of exceptional classical beauty.

First appears in chapter 3

An elegant Polish woman vacationing at the Lido with Tadzio, his sisters, and their attendants. Dignified and protective, she supervises the children's ordered routine and treats her son with particular tenderness.

First appears in chapter 5

The leader of a band of street performers who entertains guests on the hotel terrace. Insolent and watchful beneath his comic manner, he carries the smell of disinfectant and evades Aschenbach's questions about sickness in Venice.

First appears in chapter 5

An English employee at a Venice travel office who answers Aschenbach honestly when local officials and hotel staff will not. He explains the danger spreading through the city and urges his visitor to leave at once.