# Prince Shcherbatsky — Anna Karenina character guide > Prince Shcherbatsky in Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. **Role:** minor **Also known as:** Papa, papa **First appearance:** 0000-part-i-i ## Who they are Kitty and Dolly's father, an old-fashioned aristocrat skeptical of modern suitors like Vronsky. ## In the story ### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se/chapters/part-i-xii) Kitty's father, who favors Levin as a suitor. He is described as exceedingly punctilious and irrationally jealous over his daughters' honor, leading to frequent disputes with his wife over Kitty's social exposure and prospects. ### [Chapter XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se/chapters/part-i-xiii) Mentioned as not having come in yet, contributing to the privacy of the scene. ### [Chapter XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se/chapters/part-i-xiv) Enters late and greets Levin with warm affection, oblivious to the tension, which further detains Levin and contrasts with his cold nod to Vronsky. ### [Chapter XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se/chapters/part-i-xv) Furiously accuses his wife of vulgar matchmaking, declaring Levin a far better, more serious man than the 'precious rubbish' Vronsky, whom he sees as merely amusing himself. ### [Vronsky's Background and Reflections](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se/chapters/part-i-xvi) Referenced indirectly alongside his wife as part of the family whose concerns about Kitty's happiness are unknown to Vronsky. ### [The Consultation](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se/chapters/part-ii-i) Sees through the medical farce, furious at the doctor's conceit and fully comprehending the emotional cause of Kitty's illness. He withdraws in contempt. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se/chapters/part-ii-ii) Shows insight and tenderness towards Kitty, understanding her shame. Blames his wife and societal norms for Kitty's suffering, arguing they enabled Vronsky. His outburst reveals his protective anger and traditional values. ### [The Prince's Perspective](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se/chapters/part-ii-xxxiv) Returns in good humor but finds the spa's invalid society 'melancholy' and 'unseemly.' His ironic, worldly perspective dismantles Kitty's idolization of Madame Stahl. ### [Kitty's Crisis of Conscience](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se/chapters/part-ii-xxxv) His jovial, earthy nature and critique of foreign 'institutions' provides a stark contrast to the artificial world Kitty has been inhabiting, triggering her reevaluation. ### [The Dinner Debate](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se/chapters/part-iv-x) Interjects with comical proverbs and analogies (e.g., the wet-nurse, the Englishman nursing a baby) to mock the abstract debate, delighting Turovtsin with his humor. ### [Chapter XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se/chapters/part-iv-xiii) Interrupts Levin and Kitty's 'secrétaire' game, reminding them it's time to leave for the theater. ### [XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se/chapters/part-iv-xv) Tries to appear unmoved but is visibly moved to tears. He expresses his long-held wish for the match and affectionately embraces both Kitty and Levin. ### [Chapter XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se/chapters/part-iv-xvi) Playfully defers to Levin on wedding timing. Shows affection to his wife, momentarily muddled by the youthful love in the air. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se/chapters/part-v-vi) Holds the wedding crown above Kitty's head with a shaking hand, urged by others to 'Put it on!' ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se/chapters/part-vii-i) Accompanies Kitty to visit Princess Marya Borissovna; talks loudly to Vronsky during the meeting and shows special warmth to Kitty afterwards, indicating his approval. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se/chapters/part-vii-viii) Acts as Levin's guide to the club, humorously explaining the concept of 'shlupiks'—men who have succumbed to a life of club-bound idleness. ### [The Agony of Waiting](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se/chapters/part-vii-xiv) Seen walking up and down the hall with a frowning face, sharing in the family's tension. ### [Chapter VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se/chapters/part-viii-vi) Sits on the balcony with Kitty, showing mild irony about the visitors being a 'bore in this heat.' ### [Chapter XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se/chapters/part-viii-xv) Sides with Levin, expressing his own inability to feel the sudden popular affection for the Slavonic brethren and questioning the legitimacy of the movement. ### [Chapter XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se/chapters/part-viii-xvi) Interrupts with cynical, practical observations. He jokes about the self-interest behind public positions and newspaper advocacy, suggesting editors who advocate for war should be sent to the front. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se/characters/prince_shcherbatsky - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se/characters