The Brothers Karamazov · Character
Fyodor Pavlovitch Karamazov
The brothers' father, a buffoon turned moneylender whose maxim is 'après moi le déluge' and who lives as if the world may burn so long as he is comfortable.
major
Also known as Fyodor Pavlovitch, old Karamazov, old Fyodor Pavlovitch
First appearance: Fyodor Pavlovitch Karamazov
As a major figure in The Brothers Karamazov, Fyodor Pavlovitch Karamazov is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.
Introduced as the dissolute, selfish father whose marriages and neglect shape his sons' lives.
Fyodor Pavlovitch began as a poor dependent, married into money, and grew bolder with prosperity until only his malicious cynicism remained. He swindled Dmitri of his maternal inheritance and is now spending it on the same woman his son wants, cheerfully treating fatherhood as a joke he was never required to take seriously. The prosecutor calls him typical of a whole class of modern fathers, and the novel's first murderous quarrel is built directly on his refusal to be one.
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Character Web
48 connectionsA slice of how Fyodor Pavlovitch Karamazov sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.
Relationship types
- Family
- Other
Character groups
- Trial and Investigation Core
- Minor and Background Characters
- Mokroe Episode Participants
- Protagonist
+43 more in the full Character Web
Open in readerNarrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This scene is the dramatic climax because it centers on Katerina Ivanovna’s hysterical, guilt-ridden declarati…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingRelationships
- Alyosha Karamazov
family · ambivalent
Alyosha feels pity and a sense of duty toward his debauched father, but Fyodor mostly… How this plays out →
- Ivan Karamazov
family · negative
- Dmitri Karamazov
family · negative
- Alyosha Karamazov
family · ambivalent
Alyosha feels pity and a sense of duty toward his debauched father, but Fyodor mostly… How this plays out →
- Ivan Karamazov
family · negative
- Alyosha Karamazov
family · ambivalent
Alyosha feels pity and a sense of duty toward his debauched father, but Fyodor mostly… How this plays out →
- Dmitri Karamazov
family · negative
- Ivan Karamazov
family · negative
- Dmitri Karamazov
family · negative
Relationship notes
How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.
See Fyodor Pavlovitch Karamazov in Fyodor Pavlovitch KaramazovIn the story
Fyodor Pavlovitch Karamazov appears across 42 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.
- Part I
- Book I: The History of a Family
- Fyodor Pavlovitch Karamazov
- II: He Gets Rid of His Eldest Son
- III: The Second Marriage and the Second Family
- The Third Son, Alyosha
- V: Elders
- Book II: An Unfortunate Gathering
- +34 more
Chapter companion notes
Spoil-light check-ins for Fyodor Pavlovitch Karamazov unlock in the free preview.
See Fyodor Pavlovitch Karamazov in Fyodor Pavlovitch Karamazov