Buddenbrooks

Patriarch of the Buddenbrook clan who presides over the family business with a strong sense of duty. He embodies traditional bourgeois values and works to keep the family and its fortune intact, even as the pressures of modern capitalism mount. His leadership sets the tone for generations, signaling both stability and rigidity.

Eldest son who inherits the burden of the family firm. He strives to preserve the business and reputation, even as personal life intrudes. He marries Gerda and is later elected as a senator, balancing public duty with private tensions.

Tony's life is shaped by the expectations of the marriage market. Her arranged marriage to Bendix Grünlich embodies the clash between affection and social duty. Her experiences reflect the constrained agency of women in the family’s world.

The other son who shows little interest in the family business, preferring theatre and a life of roaming. His carefree attitude contrasts with the firm’s seriousness and foreshadows generational shifts.

Dutch heiress who becomes Thomas’s wife and the mother of Hanno. Cultured and socially oriented, she moves through a world of aristocratic circles and expectations, influencing the family’s social standing.

The florist’s assistant who serves as Thomas’s secret romance before he marries Gerda. Her presence highlights the conflict between desire and propriety within the family’s social world.

A prominent Hamburg businessman who marries Tony but soon faces bankruptcy, testing the family’s fortunes and Tony’s loyalties.

A cheerful Bavarian hop merchant who catches Tony’s eye and marries her, bringing a different social milieu into Lübeck life. His drinking and demeanor contribute to the family’s social dynamics.

Thomas and Gerda’s son, a gifted musician who shows little interest in the family business and dies in his teens, marking a tragic turn for the next generation.

The widow who steadies the family in tough times, acting as a matriarch and keeper of the clan’s social responsibilities.

A political figure connected to the family world, illustrating how wealth and status intersect with governance and public life.