List of La Comédie humaine characters

The following is a list of characters from La Comédie humaine a collection of 95 loosely connected novels satirically detailing the life and times of French society in the period after the fall of Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821)—namely the period of the Restoration (1815–1830) and the July Monarchy (1830–1848). French novelist and playwright Honoré de Balzac (1799-1850), over the course of these novels, invents a plethora of unique and memorable characters.

An encyclopedia of all of the Comédie's characters was published as Repertory Of The Comedie Humaine, written by Anatole Cerfberr and Jules François Christophe.

Major characters

Recurring characters

Eugène de Rastignac - student, dandy, financier, politician (appears in 28 works)
Lucien Chardon de Rubempré (the use of "de Rubempré" is contested) - journalist, parvenu
Jacques Colin aka Carlos Herrera aka Vautrin aka Trompe-la-Mort - a criminal run away from hard labour
Camusot - examining magistrate (The Collection of Antiquities, A Commission in Lunacy, Scenes from a Courtesan's Life; his father also appears in A Distinguished Provincial at Paris)
Blondet, Emile - journalist, man of letters, prefect (The Collection of Antiquities, A Distinguished Provincial at Paris, Scenes from a Courtesan's Life). Compare and contrast with Raoul Nathan.
Raoul Nathan - in 19 works, writer, politician
Daniel d'Arthez
Delphine de Nucingen née Goriot
Roger de Granville
Louis Lambert
la duchesse de Langeais
la comtesse de Mortsauf
Jean-Jacques Bixiou - in 19 works, artist
Joseph Bridau - in 13 works, painter
Marquis de Ronquerolles - in 20 works
la comtesse Hugret de Sérisy - in 20 works
Félix-Amédée de Vandenesse
Horace Bianchon - in 24 works, doctor
des Lupeaulx - public servant
Salon leaders: the Duchesse de Maufrigneuse, the Marquise d'Espard
Dandies: Maxime de Trailles, Henri de Marsay
Courtesans: La Torpille (Esther van Gobseck), Madame du Val-Noble
Financiers: Ferdinand du Tillet, Frédérick de Nucingen (a thin fictionalization of James Rothschild), Keller brothers
Actresses: Florine (Sophie Grignault), Coralie,
Publishers/Journalists/Critics: Finot, Etienne Lousteau, Felicien Vernou
Money lenders: Jean-Esther van Gobseck, Bidault aka Gigonnet

Characters who appear in several titles but only significantly in one of them.

Birotteau
Goriot

Characters in a single volume

Raphaël de Valentin
le baron Hulot
Balthazar Claës
Grandet
le cousin Pons

Heraldry

Balzac created fictional coats of arms for many of the characters in the novels. They have later been illustrated and collected in the Armorial de la Comédie Humaine (1963).