Character List
Russian Names
The middle name of all male characters end in "ovitch" and of all female characters in "ovna." This ending simply means "son of" or "daughter of" the father whose first name is converted into their middle name and is called a patronymic. For example, Rodya and Dunya's father was named Roman Raskolnikov. Thus, Rodya's middle name Rodion Romanovitch means son of Roman and Dunya's middle name, Avdotya Romanovna, means daughter of Roman.
Rodion Romanovitch Raskolnikov (Rodya, Rodenka, or Rodka) A poverty-stricken student who conceives of a theory of the "Ubermensch" or extraordinary man who has the right and/or obligation to trangress the laws of the ordinary man in order to give a New Word or idea to all of humanity. He uses this theory as a justification or rationalization to commit murder.
Sonya Marmeladov (Sofya Semyonovna Marmeladov) A quiet, modest, suffering prostitute who will become Raskolnikov's chief redemptive figure.
Porfiry Petrovitch An official of the investigating department who is in charge of the "crime."
Svidrigailov (Arkady Ivanovitch) A sensualist and vulgarian who asserts his own will in order to achieve his personal goals.
Dunya (Avdotya Romanovna Raskolnikov) Raskolnikov's devoted sister who was previously Svidrigailov's employee and who was propositioned by him.
Razumihkin (Dmitri Prokofitch) One of Raskolnikov's student friends who will become enamored of his sister Dunya.
Semyon Zakharovitch Marmeladov A dismissed government clerk who is an alcoholic.
Katerina Ivanovna Marmeladov Marmeladov's consumptive wife had been previously married to an army officer by whom she had three children.
Pulcheria Alexandrovna Raskolnikov Raskolnikov's mother who is frightened of her moody and intellectual son.
Alyona Ivanovna The sadistic and nasty moneylender whom Raskolnikov murders.
Lizaveta Ivanovna The mild, likable half sister to Alyona who is brutalized by her.
Polenka, Lyona, Kolya (Kolka) Katerina Ivanovna's children by a previous marriage. Sonyas greatest fear is that Polenka might have to enter into prostitution — Raskolnikov plagues her with this thought.
Marfa Petrovna Svidrigailov's wife who once assumed Dunya had designs on her husband.
Luzhin (Pyotr Petrovitch) A petty and miserly clerk in government who wants a poor person for his bride so that she will be indebted to him.
Lebezyatnikov (Andrey Semyonovitch) Luzhin's roommate who calls himself an "advanced liberal."
Praskovya Pavlovna Raskolnikov's shy and plump landlady.
Nastasya Praskovya Pavlovna's maid who befriends Raskolnikov and looks after him when he is ill.
Amalia Fyodorovna The Marmeladov's landlady who is particularly disliked by Katerina Ivanovna Marmeladov.
Kapernaumovs Sonya and Svidrigailov rent rooms from these rather depressed people.
Zossimov The doctor who cares for Raskolnikov during his illness.
Nikodim Fomitch A handsome police officer who was also at Marmeladov's death scene and reports this fact to Porfiry.
Zametov (Zamyotov), Alexander Gigorevitch The chief clerk at the police station.
Ilya Petrovitch A loud and somewhat overbearing police official to whom Raskolnikov makes his confession when there was no one else to confess to.
Nikolay (Milkolka) and Dmitri (Mitka) The painters who were working in the flat below the pawnbroker's flat at the time of the crime.
A Note on Pronunciation
If the reader will remember to give strong stress to the syllable marked with an accent in this list, to give the vowels their "continental" value, and pronounce the consonants as in English, a rough approximation to the Russian pronunciation will be obtained. The consonant "kh" sounds rather like the Scottish "ch" in "loch"; the "zh" represents a sound like "s" in "measure"; and the final "v" is pronounced "f."
`Rodion Ro`manovitch Ras`kolnikov: "raskol"=schism or split.
Svidri`gailov
Razu`mikhin: "razum"=reason or common sense.
Marme`ladov: "marmelad"= jam or jelly.
Al`yona I`vanovna