Main Characters
- Leopold Bloom – The novel’s protagonist, a Jewish advertising canvasser in Dublin. He represents Odysseus anped snds his day wandering the city, dealing with themes of alienation, identity, and belonging.
- Stephen Dedalus – A young intellectual and aspiring writer, Stephen is a semi-autobiographical figure for Joyce (also the protagonist of A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man). He parallels Telemachus, the son of Odysseus.
- Molly Bloom – Leopold’s wife, a singer who is having an affair with Blazes Boylan. She represents Penelope and delivers the famous final monologue of the novel.
Supporting Characters
- Blazes Boylan – Molly’s lover, a charismatic concert manager.
- Malachi ‘Buck’ Mulligan – Stephen’s witty and irreverent roommate, who mocks his intellectualism. Based on Joyce’s real-life friend Oliver St. John Gogarty.
- Haines – An Englishman staying with Stephen and Mulligan at the Martello Tower; fascinated by Irish culture.
- Simon Dedalus – Stephen’s father, an alcoholic and former nationalist who is emotionally detached from his son.
- Garrett Deasy – The headmaster of the school where Stephen briefly teaches, known for his conservative and anti-Semitic views.
- Gerty MacDowell – A young woman Bloom voyeuristically watches on Sandymount Strand.
- Patrick Dignam – A deceased man whose funeral Bloom attends.
- Martin Cunningham, Jack Power, and Simon Dedalus – Men who accompany Bloom to Dignam’s funeral.
- The Citizen – A nationalist and anti-Semitic character in Cyclops who clashes with Bloom.
- Martha Clifford – A woman Bloom corresponds with through letters under the pseudonym “Henry Flower.”
- Bella Cohen – The brothel owner in Circe, where Bloom undergoes hallucinatory experiences.
- Mrs. Breen and Josie Breen – Acquaintances of Bloom, representing different aspects of Dublin’s social world.
- Old Mother Grogan - a recurring character, first appearing as the milk maid in 1 Telemachus
(Boom)Bloom