Minor Characters
Prince Shcherbatsky
Kitty, Dolly, and Natalie’s father, the old Prince, never trusts Vronsky, instead much preferring Levin as a match for Kitty. He sees through the hypocrisies of fashionable society.
Princess Shcherbatsky
Kitty, Dolly, and Natalie’s mother, the old Princess, is eager to please fashionable society. She initially prefers Vronsky to Levin and enjoys the finer aspects of life. Unlike her husband, she is somewhat oblivious to hypocrisy.
Varenka
Kitty’s friend at the German spa. Varenka is humble, loyal, and good. She and Levin’s brother, Koznyshev, almost get engaged, but the moment passes and the potential relationship fizzles.
Petrov
Petrov is a painter at the German spa. Varenka has an innocuous friendship with him, but although Kitty naively tries to do the same, she finds that Petrov is falling in love with her, despite her attempts not to flirt.
Katavasov
Vronsky’s friend who becomes involved in the Slavic question and political affairs later in the novel.
Princess Varvara Oblonsky
Anna’s and Oblonsky’s elderly aunt, Princess Varvara, is notorious for living off other people’s largess. She rationalizes Anna and Vronsky’s affair because she wants to keep benefitting from their luxurious lifestyle, but towards the end of the novel, even she abandons Anna.
Petritsky
Vronsky’s roommate and friend in the regiment; a rash, carefree young officer.
Marya
Nikolai’s mistress, Marya, is a prostitute, but she cares for Nikolai as though she were his legal spouse.
Agafya Mikhailovna
Agafya was Levin’s childhood nurse, and he is loyal to her. She has stayed with Levin and worked for him throughout his life, and she comes to work for Levin and Kitty when they marry.
Golenishchev
Golenishchev is one of Vronsky’s friends; although relations between Golenischev and Vronsky have been somewhat strained in the past, they get along in Italy, especially since Golenischev doesn’t judge Anna and Vronsky’s relationship.
Veslovsky
A young society dandy and friend of Oblonsky’s whom Oblonsky brings along when he visits Levin. Veslovsky is an abysmal hunter and he flirts shamelessly with Kitty, yet he is ultimately affable and pleasant.
Madame Stahl
Madame Stahl, a woman at the German spa whom Varenka takes care of, is—unlike Varenka—a hypocrite, professing to be extremely spiritual when in fact she operates in an entirely vain, self-serving fashion.
Sviyazhsky
Levin’s friend, a landowner, whose cruel actions towards his peasants go against his stated enlightened opinions about them.
Prince Lvov
Natalie’s husband and Levin’s brother-in-law. Levin feels comfortable around the affable Prince, who has raised his children well.
Princess Natalya (Natalie) Alexandrovna Lvov
Dolly and Kitty’s sister, Natalie, is a pleasant woman with a happy family life.
Metrov
A scholar whom Levin visits in Moscow.
Jules Landau
Landau is a French clairvoyant whom Lydia, in her sanctimonious spiritualism, consults for advice. Tolstoy portrays him as a bogus fraud. Lydia uses Landau’s advice to declare that Karenin should not divorce Anna.
Mitya
Mitya (a diminutive form of the name Dmitri) is Levin and Kitty’s baby. At the end of the novel, Mitya recognizes his parents, showing that they are a solid, happy family unit.
Countess Vronsky
Vronsky’s mother, Countess Vronsky, is another example of a hypocritical society lady.
Frou-Frou
Vronsky’s excitable horse. When Vronsky isn’t paying enough attention to the steeplechase and grows over-confident, the horse falls and breaks its back and must be killed out of mercy.
Laska
Levin’s hunting dog, who can sense Levin’s moods.
Mikhailov
Mikhailov is the talented painter in Italy who paints Anna’s portrait. Unlike Vronsky, who dabbles in art but does not display any real passion for it, Mikhailov has true skill, and he captures Anna’s charisma.