# Moby-Dick — Character guide

> Key figures in Moby-Dick by Herman Melville.

- [Ishmael](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/moby_dick_se/characters/ishmael.md): The narrator and sole survivor of the Pequod's voyage, who signs on for a whaling journey to cure his melancholy.
- [Captain Ahab](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/moby_dick_se/characters/captain_ahab.md): The monomaniacal captain of the Pequod, obsessed with hunting the white whale Moby Dick to avenge his lost leg.
- [Queequeg](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/moby_dick_se/characters/queequeg.md): A skilled Polynesian harpooner and Ishmael's close friend, known for his tattoos, idol worship, and noble character.
- [Starbuck](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/moby_dick_se/characters/starbuck.md): The first mate of the Pequod, a prudent and religious Quaker who questions Ahab's dangerous obsession.
- [Stubb](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/moby_dick_se/characters/stubb.md): The second mate of the Pequod, an ever-cheerful and pragmatic man who smokes a pipe and laughs at danger.
- [Flask](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/moby_dick_se/characters/flask.md): The third mate of the Pequod, a short, pugnacious man who views whales as oversized prey.
- [Moby Dick](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/moby_dick_se/characters/moby_dick.md): The legendary white sperm whale, famed for his size, cunning, and ferocity, who is the object of Ahab's vengeance.
- [Fedallah](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/moby_dick_se/characters/fedallah.md): A mysterious, sinister Parsee harpooner smuggled aboard by Ahab to captain his private whaleboat.
- [Pip](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/moby_dick_se/characters/pip.md): A young African American cabin boy who goes mad after being left adrift at sea during a whale chase.
- [Captain Peleg](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/moby_dick_se/characters/captain_peleg.md): A retired sea captain and part-owner of the Pequod, who interviews and hires Ishmael in Nantucket.
- [Captain Bildad](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/moby_dick_se/characters/captain_bildad.md): A devout Quaker and retired sea captain, part-owner of the Pequod who haggles over Ishmael's lay.
- [Tashtego](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/moby_dick_se/characters/tashtego.md): A skilled Native American harpooner from Gay Head, who serves as Stubb's boat-steerer on the Pequod.
- [Daggoo](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/moby_dick_se/characters/daggoo.md): A gigantic African harpooner who serves as Flask's boat-steerer on the Pequod.
- [Elijah](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/moby_dick_se/characters/elijah.md): A mysterious, ragged prophet in Nantucket who warns Ishmael and Queequeg about sailing on the Pequod.
- [Father Mapple](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/moby_dick_se/characters/father_mapple.md): A former harpooner turned preacher in New Bedford, who delivers a powerful sermon on Jonah and disobedience.
- [Perth](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/moby_dick_se/characters/perth.md): The blacksmith aboard the Pequod, a broken man who forges Ahab's special harpoon for hunting Moby Dick.
- [The Carpenter](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/moby_dick_se/characters/the_carpenter.md): The pragmatic, unemotional craftsman aboard the Pequod who repairs gear and fashions Ahab's ivory leg.
- [Dough-Boy](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/moby_dick_se/characters/dough_boy.md): The timid, pale steward of the Pequod who serves the mates in the cabin.
- [Fleece](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/moby_dick_se/characters/fleece.md): The elderly, deaf cook of the Pequod whom Stubb lectures on cooking whale steak properly.
- [Yojo](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/moby_dick_se/characters/yojo.md): Queequeg's small black idol, which he consults for important decisions, including choosing a ship.
- [Mrs. Hussey](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/moby_dick_se/characters/mrs_hussey.md): The landlady of the Try Pots Inn in Nantucket, who serves Ishmael and Queequeg excellent clam and cod chowder.
- [Peter Coffin](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/moby_dick_se/characters/peter_coffin.md): The landlord of the Spouter-Inn in New Bedford, who assigns Ishmael to share a bed with Queequeg.
- [Aunt Charity](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/moby_dick_se/characters/aunt_charity.md): Captain Bildad's kind-hearted sister, who provides small comforts for the Pequod's crew before departure.
- [Bulkington](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/moby_dick_se/characters/bulkington.md): A stoic, experienced sailor Ishmael sees at the Spouter-Inn, who signs on the Pequod shortly after a long voyage.
- [Gabriel](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/moby_dick_se/characters/gabriel.md): A deranged Shaker prophet aboard the Jeroboam who claims Moby Dick is the incarnation of the Shaker God.
- [Captain Boomer](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/moby_dick_se/characters/captain_boomer.md): The jovial, one-armed English captain of the Samuel Enderby, who lost an arm to Moby Dick but bears no grudge.
- [Dr. Bunger](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/moby_dick_se/characters/dr_bunger.md): The surgeon of the Samuel Enderby, who humorously describes extracting the iron from Captain Boomer's arm.
- [Captain Gardiner](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/moby_dick_se/characters/captain_gardiner.md): The distressed captain of the Rachel, who begs Ahab to help search for his son lost in a whaleboat chase.
- [Steelkilt](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/moby_dick_se/characters/steelkilt.md): A rebellious, defiant sailor in the story of the Town-Ho, who leads a mutiny against the mate Radney.
- [Radney](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/moby_dick_se/characters/radney.md): The cruel, unpopular mate of the Town-Ho, whose conflict with Steelkilt leads to a fatal encounter with Moby Dick.
- [Captain Mayhew](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/moby_dick_se/characters/captain_mayhew.md): The captain of the Jeroboam, whose authority is undermined by the mad prophet Gabriel aboard his ship.
- [Derick De Deer](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/moby_dick_se/characters/derick_de_deer.md): The captain of a German whaler, the Jungfrau, whose empty ship is outrun and out-hunted by the Pequod.
- [Captain Sleet](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/moby_dick_se/characters/captain_sleet.md): An English whaling captain and author humorously cited in a chapter discussing the whale's spout.

HTML index: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/moby_dick_se/characters