Demons · Character

Captain Lebyadkin

A drunken, boastful retired captain who clings to a shabby gentility and hints darkly at a secret involving Stavrogin that he is too afraid to tell.

supporting

Also known as Mr. Lebyadkin, Lebyadkin, Ignat Lebyadkin, this Lebyadkin

First appearance: demons

As a supporting figure in Demons, Captain Lebyadkin is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

A dubious character who lives at Virginsky's expense after becoming the preferred partner of Virginsky's wife; later disappears from town.

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Captain Lebyadkin is a disgraced former officer living in squalid circumstances with his sister Marya Timofeyevna, surviving on borrowed money and self-aggrandizing monologues. He claims to possess a secret about Stavrogin's past, a claim that makes him both a nuisance and a potential threat to the powerful men who would prefer him silent. His drunken bravado and pathetic dignity mask a genuine fear, and his presence in the novel keeps a buried history alive that others are desperate to forget.

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Character Web

37 connections

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Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Core characters and antagonists
Servants, minor officials, and background figures

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This scene is the dramatic climax because it forces Stavrogin to confront the core crisis of his identity: his…

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In the story

Captain Lebyadkin appears across 18 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

VIII
A dubious character who lives at Virginsky's expense after becoming the preferred partner of Virginsky's wife; later disappears from town.
III: The Sins of Others
Drunkenly encounters the narrator at the gate, boasting of his education and reciting a poem.
V
Mentioned as abusing his sister Marya Timofyevna with a whip and having mysterious funds.
Chapter VI
Mentioned as having received money from Stavrogin and spreading rumors about a young lady stealing seven hundred roubles.
VIII
Kirillov dismisses the morning's unpleasantness as nonsense because Lebyadkin was drunk.
Chapter IX
Drunk and recites verses to Lizaveta Nikolaevna, claims to be a knight and soul of honor.
II
Author of a drunken, threatening letter to Liza; lives near Shatov.
V
Mentioned as absent; his violence and neglect of his sister are noted, and he is expected to return.
VI
Lebyadkin arrives drunk, bangs on the door, recites poetry, and hints at a secret about Marya Timofyevna before retreating.
IV
Visits Varvara Petrovna's drawing-room, recites his poem 'The Cockroach,' and behaves erratically, hinting at secrets about his sister.
Chapter VI
Confronted by Pyotr Verhovensky, admits to exploiting his sister and threatening Stavrogin, then collapses in submission before Stavrogin's arrival.
Chapter VI
Mentioned as possibly spying on Shatov for the society.
II: Night (Continued)
The nervous and obsequious host who recites his poem 'In Case She Were to Break Her Leg' and pleads for financial help.
II
Acts as a buffoon, recites his poem 'In Case She Were to Break Her Leg,' and pleads for money while confessing his revolutionary activities and fear of Pyotr Verhovensky.
III
Mentioned as having romanced about Marya Timofyevna dressing up; he holds her back as she shouts after Stavrogin.
IV
Mentioned by Fedka as a drunkard who left his door open and talked about Stavrogin in taverns.
VIII: Ivan the Tsarevitch
Referenced as the author of the anonymous threatening letter; Verhovensky wants to bribe him to leave town.
II
Drunken captain who appears on stage in a dress-coat, later revealed as the poem's author.

Chapter companion notes

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