The Lady With the Dog

The Lady With the Dog Character List

Dmitri Dmitrich Gurov

Gurov is a man just under forty years of age, with three children from an unhappy marriage. He is a serial adulterer, and though he holds women in contempt, he is entirely dependent on their attention. He is the protagonist of Chekhov's "The Lady with the Dog."

Anna Sergeyevna von Diderits

Anna is a young, fair-haired woman who briefly vacations in Yalta, without her husband, and with only her Pomeranian dog for company. She is also in an unhappy marriage' although she is deeply regretful about the deception, she enters into a love affair with Gurov.

Gurov's wife

Gurov's wife goes unnamed in the story, but she is described as a tall, dignified woman with dark eyebrows and a penchant for the intellectual. The narrator does not describe her feelings for Gurov, except for hinting that she is aware of his adultery.

Von Diderits

We never meet Anna's older husband. However, she describes him as a "flunkey," or someone who obsequiously performs menial tasks for someone else. She is unhappy with him, although he seems to provide a good life for her.

Pomeranian dog

Anna's Pomeranian accompanies her wherever she goes in Yalta; her dog is the first distinguishing factor that draws Gurov to her.

Gurov's daughter

Gurov compares Anna to his daughter, imagining her as a schoolgirl. His daughter also appears later in the story, asking Gurov several questions about the snow and the atmosphere as Gurov daydreams about meeting Anna for a rendezvous at a Moscow hotel.