Krakatit · Characters
Character guide
Key figures in Krakatit by Karel Čapek.
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Engineer Prokop
major
Also known as Prokop, Mr. Prokop, Eng. Prokop, Mr. Eng.
A brilliant, nerve-shredded engineer who has just synthesized Krakatit, an explosive so absolute that possessing it feels less like triumph than a sentence.
The Princess
major
Also known as Princess Willy, Willy, Princess
An aristocrat whose cool composure and sudden, reckless tenderness pull Prokop toward both desire and surrender, making her as dangerous as anything in his laboratory.
Mr. Carson
major
Also known as Carson, Mr. Carson Balttin, Balttin, Sir Reginald Carson, Sir Reginald
A wealthy industrialist who hunts Prokop through coded newspaper notices, wanting Krakatit badly enough to make his interest feel less like an offer than a threat.
Annie
supporting
Also known as the terrified Annie
A young woman from Prokop's past whose quiet grief at his leaving exposes the human cost of his obsession, and whose brother's letter pulls him back toward the world.
George Thomas
supporting
Also known as George, George Thomas, Thomas, Mr. Thomas, Mr. George Thomas, this Thomas, Engineer Thomas, Mr. Engineer Thomas, the missing Thomas, Dr. Thomas, old Dr. Thomas, Dear Mr. Thomas, Herrn Thomas, Thomas
Prokop's fellow engineer, whose disappearance with the Krakatit secret and reappearance in the shadows of Grottup make him both rival and warning.
Comrade Daimon
supporting
Also known as Daimon, Old Daimon, LI Daimon
A revolutionary with yellow teeth and enormous hands who offers Prokop the world, then drinks himself into a fit, revealing the chaos beneath his grand promises.
The Doctor
minor
Also known as the doctor
Physician attending to Prokop during his illness and recovery.
Mr. Holz
supporting
Also known as Holz, the tranquil Mr. Holz, the attentive Holz, the serious and concentrated Mr. Holz, The silent Mr. Holz, Outside Mr. Holz
Holz moves through the inventor's orbit as Carson's right hand, calm and concentrated where Prokop is feverish and unraveling. His silence is a kind of pressure: he is always there, always observing, and never quite explained. That steady, unreadable presence makes him feel less like a servant than a gauge of how tightly the world is closing around Prokop and his secret.
Dr. Krafft
supporting
Also known as Krafft, So Dr. Krafft, Mr. Krafft
Krafft stands among the men who understand what Prokop has made and what it could be worth to states, armies, and industry. Where Prokop is consumed by passion and guilt, Krafft represents the cooler logic of colleagues and institutions circling the discovery. His presence sharpens the question at the book's heart: whether a creation like Krakatit can ever belong to its maker alone.
Paul
minor
Also known as Mr. Paul
Acquaintance of Prokop, appears in social contexts.
Uncle Rohn
supporting
Also known as the jovial Uncle Rohn, Rohn, the bareheaded Uncle Rohn, Oncle Rohn, Prince Rohn
Uncle Rohn belongs to the old, titled world of Balttin, where charm and hospitality are instruments of influence. His geniality makes the aristocratic circle around the Princess feel almost harmless, even welcoming, to a man like Prokop who has known only poverty and strain. That is precisely his function in the early arc: he embodies the seductive ease of the world that wants Krakatit, and wants Prokop with it.
Mon Oncle Charles
minor
Also known as Oncle Charles, the charming Oncle Charles, Mon Oncle, Uncle Charles
Charming French uncle of the Princess, a figure of old-world elegance.
Krakatit
supporting
Also known as Comrade Krakatit, the Krakatit
Krakatit is the invention everyone wants and no one can safely hold: a substance that could blow humanity to pieces in the wrong hands. It shadows every conversation, every negotiation, every embrace, turning allies into bidders and love into leverage. Personified in Prokop's fevered mind as 'Comrade Krakatit,' it is less a weapon than a mirror of the passion and corruption it promises to unleash.
Mazaud
minor
Also known as The old Mazaud, old Mazaud
Older scientist or industrialist, connected to the Krakatit network.
Prince Hagen
minor
Also known as Prince, the first Hagen, This Hagen, The old Hagen, the old Hagen, Hagen
Aristocratic figure, possibly a rival or ally in the power games.
Bob
minor
Minor character, possibly a servant or acquaintance.
Prince Suwalski
minor
Also known as the haughty Suwalski, le bon Prince, Suwalski
Haughty aristocrat, part of the Princess's circle.
Mr. d'Hémon
minor
Minor character, possibly French.
Von Graun
minor
Also known as Meanwhile Von Graun
German-sounding name, possibly a military or political figure.
Darling
minor
Term of endearment used by Prokop, possibly referring to the Princess.
Rosso
minor
Minor character in the international intrigue surrounding Krakatit.
Plinius
minor
Also known as Mr. Plinius
Minor character, possibly a scientist or associate.
Premier
minor
Political leader involved in the high-stakes negotiations over Krakatit.
Honzik
minor
Also known as the wiry-haired terrier Honzik, Whereat Honzik
A dog, Prokop's loyal companion.
Egon
minor
Also known as young Egon
Young man in the aristocratic circle.
Lieutenant Rohlauf
minor
Also known as Rohlauf
Military officer, possibly involved in security around Krakatit.
Minnie
minor
Also known as Marie
Minor female character, possibly a servant or acquaintance.
Agan Khan
minor
Exotic figure, possibly a foreign dignitary.
Peters
minor
Also known as Delegate Peters
Delegate, possibly political or industrial.
Tartar Princess
minor
Also known as Tartar, Princess
Exotic princess, possibly a fantasy or fever dream of Prokop.
Darwin
minor
Also known as hyperofabula ugongi dugongi Darwin
Mentioned in a feverish or satirical context, not a real character.
Wilhelmina Adelaide Maud
minor
Also known as Minna
Full name of a minor female character, possibly the Princess.
Whirlwind
minor
Also known as the careering Whirlwind
Personification of a storm or destructive force in Prokop's visions.
Li-taj Khan
minor
Also known as Li-taj
Exotic name, possibly from Prokop's fever dreams.
Joseph
minor
Minor character, possibly a servant.
Professor Wald
minor
Also known as Wald
Academic figure, possibly a mentor or colleague.
Father
minor
Religious figure, possibly in a ceremony or vision.
Nanda
minor
Exotic female name, possibly from Prokop's travels or dreams.
Prince Aladdin
minor
Exotic prince, likely from a fantasy sequence.
Grandfather
minor
Elderly relative, possibly in a memory or vision.
Tynice
minor
Place name or minor character, unclear.
Zahur
minor
Exotic name, possibly from Prokop's fever dreams.
Grottup
minor
Minor character, possibly a place or person in Prokop's visions.
Sudik
minor
Minor character, possibly a servant or worker.
Vedral
minor
Minor character, possibly a colleague.
Fritz
minor
Minor character, possibly German.