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Poetry · Character

Phlebas the Phoenician

A drowned Phoenician sailor whose death is contemplated in The Waste Land.

minor

Also known as Water Phlebas the Phoenician, Consider Phlebas

First appearance: IV: Death by Water

Phlebas the Phoenician shows up with force in Dans le Restaurant. The page is where that presence becomes real.

Drowned Phoenician, forgetting his past life and cargo.
In the storyDans le RestaurantOpen this moment free

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In Dans le Restaurant: Drowned Phoenician, forgetting his past life and cargo. Later, in The Waste Land: The drowned Phoenician sailor, whose death by water is contemplated in section IV, forgotten by the sea and…

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The fuller portrait of Phlebas the Phoenician sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.

See Phlebas the Phoenician in IV: Death by Water

Character Web

1 connection

A slice of how Phlebas the Phoenician sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

UNUnknown NarratorPTPhlebas the Phoenician

Relationship types

  • Other

Character groups

  • The Waste Land characters
  • Protagonist

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Rising action.

SetupEscalationAftermathClimax
  • Setup
  • Escalation
  • Breaking point
  • Aftermath
  • Closing

The emotional and psychological peak occurs when the speaker, having been devoured and reduced to dry bones, e…

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In the story

Phlebas the Phoenician appears across 4 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Phlebas the Phoenician unlock in the free preview.

See Phlebas the Phoenician in IV: Death by Water