Moby Dick – Character List
In 1851, Moby Dick was written by a novelist named Herman Melville. The novel deals with the adventures of Ishmael, a wandering sailor, who joined the voyage of the Pequod, a whaling ship commanded by Captain Ahab. Ishmael later found out that his captain is obsessed with getting revenge on Moby Dick, a giant sperm whale who had caused the loss of the boat and the captain’s leg.
Here is the list of Moby-Dick characters:
1. Captain Ahab
He is the domineering captain of the whaling ship, Pequod. He has an obsession to kill the great sperm whale known as Moby Dick. It’s Moby Dick that caused him to lose one of his legs. Ahab claims that he is the ruling god of the Pequod, but his character shows a more diabolical figure due to his unholy goal of capturing Moby Dick.
2. Ishmael
He is the narrator of the novel. Ishmael is a Pequod sailor and sails the seas out of her affection for him. His main role is to be an observer of the things around him, especially the conflicts in the Pequod. He develops a close friendship with Queequeg. Also, he is the only survivor of Pequod because he is on a whaling ship when Moby Dick destroys Pequod and is rescued by another ship. Thus, Ishmael lives to tell the story of Moby Dick.
3. Queq
He is a pagan harpooner from the land of New Zealand. He is the king’s son but gives up his throne so he can travel the world and understand Christianity. He chooses to join the voyages of the whaling ships.
4. The Three Companions
has. starbucks
He is the Pequod’s first officer. He is from Nantucket and Quaker. He has a slender build and displays a practical sense. In the novel, he is portrayed as an advocate for human imperfections and that such imperfection can be controlled. Starbuck has the ability to show opposition against Captain Ahab, especially in the captain’s mission to get revenge on the sperm whale.
b. heel
He is the Pequod’s second officer. He is from Cape Cod and a quiet character. He manages to sound hilarious even when he is speaking in front of the sinister captain, Ahab. Although he is always full of humor, he is a talented whaler. Stubb is the man who kills the first whale during Pequod’s voyage.
against flask
He is the Pequod’s third officer. He is from Martha’s Vineyard and has a less important role than the other two companions. Flask is a man who is never satisfied. The more he fills up with food, the hungrier he gets.
5. Pippin
Replaces a Stubb rower. Pippin is young and black. He almost goes insane when he still fails to face a whale for the second time and realizing that his crew will let him die because of his cowardice.
6. Fedallah
He is the mysterious member of Ahab’s whaling crew. He is sometimes believed to be a demon in disguise who wishes to trap Ahab. He dies on the second day of chasing Moby Dick because he got caught in the whale’s bait.
7. Peter’s coffin
He is the innkeeper of the Spouter Inn, where Ishmael has stayed on his way to Nantucket.
8. Father Mapple
He gave up sailing to join the ministry. He is a famous preacher. In one of his sermons that Ishmael attended, he uses the story of Jonah and the whale
9. Hosea Hussey
She owns the Try Pots Inn, where Ishmael and Queequeg stayed on Nantucket. She is Peter’s cousin.
10. Peleg
He is retired and was captain of the Pequod. He and Bildad own Pequod. He is the first person to speak of the darkness within Ahab comparing him to the well-known vile king of the same name.
11. Bildad
He is one of the owners of Pequod. He rebuked Pequod’s crew for blasphemy and is sorry for leaving Pequod behind on his long and uncertain journey.
12. Elijah
Ishmael and Queequeg have met him on Nantucket. He asks if they have met Captain Ahab yet and if they sold their souls to the devil by joining the crew of the Pequod.
13. Bulkington
A Pequod sailor who loves danger and the sea so much that he immediately joins another voyage, even if he has just finished his four-year sea adventure.
14. Tashtego
It’s Stubb’s Indian Harpooner from Martha’s Vineyard.
15. Dagooo
It’s the giant Flask harpooner from Africa.
16. The dough boy
He is the Pequod’s butler and cooks dinner for the crew. He feels nervous when he is around Tashtego and Queequeg.
17.Perth
He is the blacksmith from Pequod who created Ahab’s harpoon.
18. Captain Mayhew
He is the captain of a Nantucket ship, Jeroboam, who became the prey of an agitator’s mutiny.
19.Gabriel
He is Jeroboam’s agitator who proclaims himself Archangel Gabriel and causes the riot.
20. Macey
He is a member of Jeroboam’s crew who was killed by the great Moby Dick.
21. Derick De Deer
He is the captain of the Jungfrau, a German ship. He pleads with the Pequod’s crew for oil, but then competes with them for sperm whale hunting.
22. Dr Bunger
He is the doctor and surgeon of the British ship Samuel Enderby. He warns Captain Ahab to forget his pursuit of Moby Dick.
23. Captain Gardiner
He is Rachel’s captain who begs for Captain Ahab’s help in finding one of his lost ships that has his son. He gives Captain Ahab important information about the Moby Dick sighting. It is Raquel, her boat, who saves Ismael.
Critics have described the Moby Dick characters as having their own universe. Each Moby Dick character best portrays human behaviors and habits. Some of the characters are also inspired by characters from the Bible.