Pierre: The main male character. Starts out as an oaf but goes through profound changes.
Count Bezukhov: Pierre’s father. Rich and old.
Andrei: Pierre’s best friend. Has unreasonably high ideals for achieving glory and having people love him.
Lise: Andrei’s wife. Pregnant with their son, Nikolenka.
Baron Bolkonski: Andrei’s father. Insufferably overbearing.
Marya: Andrei’s sister. Religious. Devoted to their father, Baron Bolkonski.
Mademoiselle Bourienne: Marya’s attendant.
Butler Tikhon, Overseer Alpatych, Dron: Andrei’s servants.
Natasha: The main female character. Very passionate. Always surprising.
Sonya: Natasha’s best friend and cousin, an orphan who lives with the family.
Nicholas: Natasha’s brother, who wants to be a hero. Learns the true meaning of courage.
Denisov: Nicholas’s boss.
Petya: Natasha’s young brother. Sweet and impetuous. Eventually goes to war.
Count and Countess Rostov: Natasha’s lovely parents. The count may fritter away his wife’s money, but he is good at being happy.
Boris: The social climber. Smarmy and shallow.
Widow Drubetskoy: Boris’s mother, who helps him in his social climbing.
Baron Vasili: The bad guy.
Helene: Baron Vasili’s naughty daughter. A femme fatale.
Anatole: Baron Vasili’s naughty son. A seducing Casanova.
Hippolyte: Another son.
Julie: Rich heiress. Pen pal of Marya (Andrei’s religious sister).
Dolokhov: The psycho. A terrible friend but a great soldier.
Platón: The noble peasant. Understands the joy of simply being alive.
Anna Palovna: Socialite hostess.
Napoleon: The enemy.
Général Murat: One of Napoleon’s many generals.
General (later promoted to Marshal) Kutuzov: The wise Russian military leader.
Marshal (later demoted to General) Barclay de Tolly: Kutuzov’s boss (later replaced by Kutuzov).
Major Bagration: Kutuzov’s main general.
General Pfuel: Smart general with a lot of plans that never work out.
General Raevsky: Showy general willing to sacrifice his sons for glory.
Artillery Captain Tushin: Hardworking but under-valued.
The Tzar: Head of Russia.
Secretary of State Speransky: A reformer of government with a cold and artificial manner.
Mayor Rastopchin: The foolish mayor/governor of Moscow.
Vereshchagin: Political prisoner.