The Brothers KaramazovFyodor DostoyevskyModern Library Classics

Characters in The Brothers Karamazov

13 characters, main characters first.

Main characters

Alexei Karamazov
The youngest brother, a gentle novice known as Alyosha.
Dmitri Karamazov
Ivan Karamazov

Antagonists

Fyodor Pavlovich Karamazov
The debauched, greedy father whose murder drives the plot.

Supporting characters

Zosima
The revered monastery Elder and spiritual mentor to Alyosha, whose teachings on faith, love, and forgiveness shape the novel's moral and religious themes; he dies partway through the story.
Pavel Smerdyakov
Ilyusha Snegiryov
Nikolai Krassotkin
Katerina Ospovna Khokhlakov
Liza Khokhlakov
Mikhail Osipovich Rakitin