The Brothers Karamazov characters

Appears from the start

A wealthy provincial landowner known for neglecting his family, pursuing pleasure, and performing the role of a shameless fool. Twice widowed, he has three acknowledged sons who were largely raised by others.

Also known as Mitya, Dmitri Fyodorovich

First appears in chapter 2

Fyodor Pavlovich's eldest son, born to his first wife and raised away from his father. Impulsive, emotional, and careless with money, he has returned to dispute the inheritance and property settlement he believes his father owes him.

Also known as Ivan Fyodorovich

First appears in chapter 3

The elder son of Fyodor Pavlovich's second marriage. Highly educated, reserved, and intellectually independent, he has begun to attract notice through writing on religious and social questions.

Also known as Alyosha, Alexei Fyodorovich

First appears in chapter 4

The youngest Karamazov brother, a novice at the local monastery and the narrator's designated hero. Gentle, perceptive, and trusted by people who otherwise distrust one another, he studies under the elder Zosima without withdrawing from his troubled family.

Also known as Father Zosima

First appears in chapter 5

A respected elder at Alyosha's monastery, sought out for spiritual advice by visitors from many social backgrounds. In poor health, he teaches active love, personal responsibility, and compassionate attention to particular people.

First appears in chapter 6

A liberal landowner related to Fyodor Pavlovich's first wife. He dislikes Fyodor's conduct and accompanies the family to the monastery meeting, where his concern for dignity is repeatedly tested.

First appears in chapter 9

A wealthy widow who visits Zosima while anxious about faith, health, and her responsibilities toward others. Talkative and emotionally demonstrative, she lives with her adolescent daughter Lise.

Also known as Lise

First appears in chapter 9

Madame Khokhlakov's sharp-witted adolescent daughter, currently using a wheelchair. She knows Alyosha from childhood and mixes teasing, affection, and abrupt seriousness when speaking with him.

First appears in chapter 12

A young seminarian familiar with both the monastery and provincial society. Intelligent, ambitious, and attentive to practical advantage, he often supplies Alyosha with skeptical interpretations of other people's motives.

First appears in chapter 14

Fyodor Pavlovich's elderly servant and former serf, sternly religious and fiercely loyal to the household. He helped care for Dmitri as a neglected child and now lives in the servants' quarters with his wife Marfa.

Also known as Katya, Katerina Ivanovna

First appears in chapter 16

Dmitri's proud and wealthy fiancée. Their engagement grew from a moment when he provided urgently needed money without demanding the humiliation she expected, leaving both of them bound by gratitude, pride, and unresolved obligation.

Also known as Grushenka, Agrafena Alexandrovna

First appears in chapter 16

A young woman whose beauty, wit, and guarded independence have captivated both Dmitri and Fyodor Pavlovich. Once abandoned by an earlier lover, she is now financially protected by the merchant Samsonov and holds considerable power over her rival suitors.

First appears in chapter 19

Fyodor Pavlovich's cook and servant, widely believed to be his unacknowledged son by Lizaveta, a vulnerable homeless woman. Withdrawn, resentful, and affected by epileptic seizures, he has taught himself enough to cultivate an air of superior judgment.

Also known as Ilusha

First appears in chapter 27

A proud schoolboy who bites Alyosha's finger after being harassed by other boys. His anger is tied to an insult inflicted on his impoverished father by one of the Karamazov brothers.

Also known as Captain Snegiryov

First appears in chapter 30

Ilyusha's impoverished father, a retired army captain caring for a disabled and distressed family. He remains acutely conscious of dignity after Dmitri humiliates him in public.

Also known as Kolya

First appears in chapter 63

A clever, self-confident schoolboy who has gathered younger boys around him as a leader. Proud of his advanced opinions and independence, he nevertheless cares deeply about the seriously ill Ilyusha.