Twelve Years a Slave · Character

Master Epps

A cotton planter whose drunken rages and sexual jealousy make him the most feared master Solomon ever endures.

major

Also known as Epps, Young Master Epps, Edwin Epps, old Epps, said Edwin Epps, Massa Epps

First appearance: vii

As a major figure in Twelve Years a Slave, Master Epps is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Brutal plantation owner who subjects Solomon and others to severe cruelty.

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Epps owns the Louisiana plantation where Solomon spends his longest years, and he rules through whips, caprice, and a jealousy that poisons everyone near him. His obsession with Patsey turns his wife into an enemy of the same enslaved girl, so that master and mistress compete in cruelty. Epps embodies the book's argument that slavery corrupts the enslaver as thoroughly as it destroys the enslaved.

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See Master Epps in vii

Character Web

42 connections

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

Relationship types

Psychological
Professional
Other

Character groups

Protagonist
Extended family and peripheral figures
Solomon's rescuers and allies
Solomon's captors and betrayers
Plantation slaves and overseers

+37 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This chapter marks the dramatic climax because it presents the first real hope of deliverance after years of d…

Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.

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Relationships

Patsey
psychological · negative
Epps obsessively exploits and brutalizes Patsey, subjecting her to relentless abuse and… How this plays out →
Bass
professional · negative
Mistress Epps
romantic · negative
Platt
professional · negative
Uncle Abram
professional · negative
Wiley
professional · negative
Armsby
professional · negative
Bass
professional · negative
Platt
professional · negative
Patsey
psychological · negative
Epps obsessively exploits and brutalizes Patsey, subjecting her to relentless abuse and… How this plays out →
Uncle Abram
professional · negative
Bass
professional · negative

Patsey
Epps obsessively exploits and brutalizes Patsey, subjecting her to relentless abuse and sexual coercion.
Bass
Bass works as a carpenter for Epps but secretly opposes his brutal treatment of slaves.
Mistress Epps
Epps and his wife have a volatile marriage marked by his infidelity with Patsey and her jealous rage.
Platt
Epps owns Platt as a slave, demanding hard labor and punishing him brutally for any perceived failure.
Uncle Abram
Uncle Abram is an elderly slave owned by Epps, who works him relentlessly despite his age.
Wiley
Wiley is a slave driver under Epps, enforcing his master's harsh discipline on other slaves.
Armsby
Armsby is a poor white man who betrays Platt's trust by reporting his escape plans to Epps.
Bass
Bass works as a carpenter for Epps but secretly opposes his brutal treatment of slaves.
Platt
Epps owns Platt as a slave, demanding hard labor and punishing him brutally for any perceived failure.
Patsey
Epps obsessively exploits and brutalizes Patsey, subjecting her to relentless abuse and sexual coercion.
Uncle Abram
Uncle Abram is an elderly slave owned by Epps, who works him relentlessly despite his age.
Bass
Bass works as a carpenter for Epps but secretly opposes his brutal treatment of slaves.

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See Master Epps in vii

In the story

Master Epps appears across 12 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Twelve Years a Slave
Brutal plantation owner who subjects Solomon and others to severe cruelty.
XI
Purchases Solomon from Tibeats, becoming his new master.
Chapter XII: The Slave's Daily Life on Bayou Boeuf
Cruel and calculating slaveholder who feeds his hogs shelled corn but gives his slaves corn in the ear, and who flogs slaves for breaking cotton stalks or failing to meet picking quotas.
Chapter XIII
Portrayed as hard, cruel, and unjust, valuing profit over human life, and licentious toward Patsey.
XIV
Beats Patsey frequently, especially when drunk; involved in a feud with Marshall; influenced by his wife's cruelty.
Chapter XVI
Confronts Solomon about the letter plot, is temporarily convinced by Solomon's lies, and later threatens him with a knife.
Chapter XVII
Owns Wiley; whips him severely and searches for him after he runs away.
Chapter XVIII
Displays his cruel and irrational nature, flogging Solomon for wanting to leave and stabbing Uncle Abram in a drunken rage. His jealousy toward Patsey leads to a horrific whipping.
XIX
Defends slavery with racist arguments, laughing off Bass's moral objections. Remains oblivious to Solomon's true identity.
XX
Hosts Bass, boasts about Solomon's value, and whips Solomon for oversleeping.
XXI
Solomon's current owner, who reacts with anger and threats upon learning of the rescue attempt.
Chapter C: The Legal Emancipation of Solomon Northup
Edwin Epps, the slaveholder who surrenders Solomon Northup after being satisfied with the proofs of his free status.

Chapter companion notes

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See Master Epps in vii

See Master Epps in Twelve Years a Slave