Primary Characters:
Andrey Bolkonsky
Natasha Rostova
Pierre Bezukhov
Hélène Kuragin
Anatole Kuragin
Nikolai Rostov
Marya Bolkonskaya
Sonya Rostova
Petya Rostov
Dolohov
Boris Drubetskoy
Lisa Bolkonskaya
Mikhail Kutuzov
Princess Drubetskoya
Amelie Bourienne
Denisov
Tsar Alexander I
Napoleon Bonaparte
Character List
Bolkonsky Family
Prince Nikolay Andreyevitch Bolkonsky - The head of an ancient and honorable family, now an old man, who clings more and more to the values of an outdated feudal society.
Prince Andrey Bolkonsky - His son and heir, an intensely intellectual young man who is cynical, world-weary, and alienated. A loyal friend of Pierre Bezukhov.
Princess Marya Bolkonskaya - Andrey's sister. A plain, kindly young woman who sustains her lonely life by a strong Christian piety.
Mademoiselle Bourienne - Marya's companion, an orphaned Frenchwoman of a frivolous and opportunistic nature.
Nikolushka, later Nikolinka - Prince Andrey's son, who attains adolescence by the end of the novel.
Princess Lisa Bolkonsky - Andrey's wife, a pretty, immature, and frivolous society woman.
Bezukhov Family
Count Kirill Bezukhov - An old man, once a grandee in Catherine's court, who dies early in the novel after legitimizing his oldest son, to whom he leaves vast wealth.
Pierre Bezukhov - A primary character of the novel and the old count's son, whose spiritual development is considered to be an expression of Tolstoy's philosophy.
Rostov Family
Count Ilya Rostov - A gregarious, good-natured, and generous family man whose interest in maintaining his family's pleasures contributes to his financial ruin.
Countess Natalya Rostova - His wife, a typical Russian noblewoman, whose main interests center within the family.
Natasha Rostova - A primary character of the novel. She begins as a bewitching young girl who matures into a responsible woman, wife, and mother. Tolstoy regards her as the creature-manifestation of love, nature, and femininity.
Nikolai Rostov - The oldest son, who is an officer in the hussars and who later marries Marya Bolkonsky. He is a conservative young man who believes that doing one's duty is the highest virtue of the individual.
Vera Rostova - The eldest child, who marries Alphonse Berg, an opportunistic youth of German descent.
Petya Rostov - The youngest child, whose vivacity is closest to that of Natashar.
Sonya - The Rostov's poor relation whom they raise with their own children. She devotes her life to loving Nikolai.
Boris Drubetskoy - Son of a friend of Countess Rostova who has been educated with the Rostov children. Boris becomes important in court circles and is a career-man in the army.
Kuragin Family
Prince Vassily - A well-practiced courtier whose life is a series of political and social maneuvers to maintain prestige.
Hippolyte Kuragin - His dull-witted son, who would like to compromise Andrey's wife, Liza.
Anatole Kuragin - An avowed hedonist whose handsomeness attracts both Princess Marya, whom he would like to marry for her fortune, and Natasha, whom he all but seduces.
Helene Kuragina, later Countess Bezuhova - A beautiful sensualist who married Pierre and who becomes a celebrated salonniere.
Major Historical Figures
Napoleon - Tolstoy uses him as the outstanding example of the"great man" who is deluded by his own mystique and cannot see himself as history's unwitting tool.
Kutuzov - Commander-in-chief of the Russian forces, whom Tolstoy apotheosizes as the"Russian of Russians" whose intuitive power and humble self-image contribute to the victory.
Alexander I - Tsar of the Russias, whose divine-right function denies his personal existence. He is depicted as an incarnation of nobility .
Speransky - The intellectual young secretary of state whom Tolstoy treats ironically. Speransky believes his motives are to liberalize and enlighten the operations of government, whereas in reality his actions belittle others.
Wintzengerode, Pfuhl, Weierother, and others Prussian generals who share a mechanistic and "scientific" interest in war.
Prince Bagration - General hailed as the"hero of Austerlitz." Tolstoy shows that in reality he was a passive leader in the midst of numerous, separate events which compose the battle of Austerlitz.
Other Characters
Platon Karataev - This peasant is Pierre's fellow prisoner and the inspiration in his spiritual awakening.
Vaska Denisov - Captain of Nikolay's regiment who falls in love with, and is rejected by, Natasha. He is Nikolai's mentor in battle and performs the same function later for Petya Rostov.
Dolohov - A gambler who is notorious as a bully. His cruelty and bravery play a part in various incidents in the novel.
Anna Pavlovna Scherer - Celebrated St. Petersburg hostess who constantly schemes to maintain her prestige in court circles.
