# The Beadsman — Poetry character guide

> The Beadsman in Poetry by John Keats.

**Role:** minor

**Also known as:** ancient Beadsman

**First appearance:** 0051-i

## Who they are

The ascetic figure who opens The Eve of St. Agnes, praying in the cold.

## Relationships

### [Saturn](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/characters/saturn)

_social_

Saturn occasionally seeks the Beadsman's prayers and counsel, but their interactions are formal and distant.

### [Saturn](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/characters/saturn)

_social_

Saturn occasionally seeks the Beadsman's prayers and counsel, but their interactions are formal and distant.

## In the story

### [The Eve of St. Agnes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/the-eve-of-st-agnes)

An ancient holy man who prays in the chapel at the beginning and dies alone at the end.

### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/i)

The ancient Beadsman is introduced, praying in the cold chapel on St. Agnes' Eve.

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/ii)

The ancient Beadsman says his prayer, rises, and returns along the chapel aisle, meagre, barefoot, and wan.

### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/iii)

The ancient Beadsman performs harsh penance on St. Agnes' Eve, sitting among ashes and grieving for sinners.

### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/iv)

The ancient Beadsman hears the prelude soft and observes the preparations.

### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/xiv)

The Beadsman speaks, expressing amazement and warning Porphyro about the dangers of St. Agnes' Eve.

### [XLII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/xlii)

After a thousand aves told, the Beadsman sleeps unsought-for among his ashes cold.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/characters/the_beadsman
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/characters