Character guide

The Narrator

major

Also known as Unknown, myself, me, I

He is the unnamed captain of a merchant vessel in the Eastern seas, newly invested with authority he has done nothing to earn and everything to prove. His tension is inward: he confides his self-reproach to no one, wondering whether he has been decoyed into this awful command or entrusted with it. His early watch over a sick crew and a becalmed ship is what makes him matter — every small decision he makes about Ransome, Gambril, or the helm tests whether he is truly the master he claims to be.

Mr. Burns

major

Also known as Burns, poor Burns

As chief mate, Burns is the narrator's senior subordinate and the only man aboard who knew the ship under her former master, a man he openly says he defied and cowed. His distinctive tension is that his body is collapsing even as his suspicions sharpen — he lies in his bunk with broomstick legs, insisting the quinine was emptied and refilled as a sly vengeance. His certainty, voiced in a hollow voice between gasps, plants the seed of the narrator's remorse and gives the voyage its first real dread.

Ransome

supporting

Also known as The indefatigable Ransome, The unfailing Ransome

Ransome is the steward, the one man aboard whose muscular strength the narrator can still trust, and the only one whose calm presence feels like support rather than burden. His tension is that the dreadful knowledge of his own failing heart must be carried in silence while he hauls on halyards and volunteers for work he should not do. His steady voice and clear gray eyes matter because they give the narrator something to lean on in the blackness — and something to fear losing.

Captain Giles

supporting

Also known as Giles, Captain

Captain Giles is the experienced, unhurried presence in the officers' quarters, a man who knows the harbor's gossip, its suicides, and its shipping-office drawers. His tension is between his apparent idleness and his real influence: he deflects the narrator's thanks with dry talk of cooks and stewards, never explaining why he took such interest in either of them. He matters because the command itself — the whole voyage — arrives through his quiet intervention, and his calm judgment shadows the narrator's first days at sea.

Frenchy

minor

Also known as Poor Frenchy

A sailor who dies early in the story, prompting the narrator's promotion.

Captain Ellis

minor

A port official who appoints the narrator as captain of the ship.

Kent

minor

A minor character mentioned in the officers' quarters, likely a previous captain.

Chief Steward

minor

The ship's chief steward, who assists with supplies and crew management.

Head Shipping-Master

minor

Also known as the head Shipping - Master

A port official involved in the narrator's appointment as captain.

The Doctor

minor

Also known as the excellent doctor

A physician who treats the sick crew members during the voyage.

Neptune

minor

The ship's cat, a minor but recurring presence aboard the vessel.

Gambril

minor

Also known as the austere Gambril, the collapsing Gambril, The austere Gambril

A sickly sailor who becomes ill during the voyage, adding to the crew's troubles.

Hamilton

minor

A fellow captain encountered in port, who discusses the narrator's new command.