List of Characters
Characters referred to most often by their surnames (stressed vowels are underlined)
Lebezyatnikov, Andrei Semyonovich: Neighbour of the Marmeladovs and a ‘young friend’ of Luzhin. Works ‘in one of the ministries’. The Russian verblebezit’ means ‘to fawn’.
Luzhin, Pyotr Petrovich: A middle-aged ‘man of business’ recently arrived from the provinces to work as a lawyer in St Petersburg.Luzha: puddle or pool.
Marmeladov, Semyon Zakharovich: Married to Katerina Ivanovna. Father of Sonya from his first marriage. A failed civil servant.Marmelad: fruit jelly, from the French marmelade.
Raskolnikov, Rodion (Rodka, Rodya) Romanovich: The twenty-three-year-old hero, who has recently dropped out of university.Raskolot’: to cleave, split, chop, break.
Raskol: a split or schism, especially in reference to the Schism within Russian Orthodoxy in the seventeenth century, though with broader metaphorical application; raskolnik: religious schismatic, dissenter. Raskolnikov’s first name and, in particular, its associated diminutive forms (Rodya, Rodka) point to the family theme:rod, meaning ‘family, kin, origin’.
Razumikhin, Dmitry Prokofyevich: A friend of Raskolnikov’s from university.Razum: reason, intellect.
Svidrigailov, Arkady Ivanovich: A nobleman and country gentleman with a disreputable past.
Zametov, Alexander Grigoryevich: Head clerk at the police bureau. A friend of Razumikhin.Zametit’: to notice, observe.
Zosimov (only surname given): Doctor. Friend of Razumikhin.
Characters referred to most often (or always) by first name and patronymic Alyona Ivanovna: Ageing, widowed pawnbroker.
Amalia Ivanovna Lippewechsel: The Marmeladovs’ (and
Lebezyatnikov’s) landlady.
Avdotya (Dunechka, Dunya) Romanovna Raskolnikova: Raskolnikov’s sister. Worked as a governess in the country for the Svidrigailovs.
Ilya Petrovich (‘Powder Keg’): Assistant to the district superintendent Nikodim Fomich at the police bureau.
Lieutenant.
Katerina Ivanovna Marmeladova: Married to Marmeladov. Mother from her first marriage of two girls, Polina (Polya, Polechka, Polenka) and Lenya (first mentioned as Lida/Lidochka), and a boy, Kolya (the common diminutive of Nikolai).
Lizaveta: Alyona Ivanovna’s younger half-sister. Mends and sells clothes. Friend of Sonya.
Luiza (Laviza) Ivanovna: A madam well known to the local police.
Marfa Petrovna Svidrigailova: The recently deceased wife of Svidrigailov, whom she saved from ruin. Distantly related to Luzhin.
Mikolai (Mikolka) Dementyev: A young man of peasant background, from the province of Ryazan, who decorates apartments in Petersburg. Mikolka is also the name of the peasant in Raskolnikov’s dream in Part One, Chapter V.
Mikolai is a fairly rare derivative of Nikolai, which is also used in the original but is avoided here in order to spare the English reader further confusion.
Nastasya (Nastyenka, Nastasyushka): A country girl who now works as a cook and maid in the house where Raskolnikov lives. A diminutive form of Anastasiya. Like Sofya (see below), Anastasiya also has a strong spiritual meaning derived from Greek: resurrection.
Nikodim Fomich: District superintendent at the police bureau. Captain.
Porfiry Petrovich: Chief investigator. Distant relative of Razumikhin.
Praskovya Pavlovna Zarnitsyna (Pashenka): Raskolnikov’s widowed landlady.
Pulkheria Alexandrovna Raskolnikova: Raskolnikov’s widowed mother.
Sonya (Sonechka) Semyonovna: Marmeladov’s daughter and Katerina Ivanovna’s stepdaughter. A prostitute.
Though usually referred to as Sonya, the full form of her first name Sofya (Sophia: divine wisdom) is clearly significant.
