Following Soviet atheism, he insists to Ivan Nikolayevich Ponyryov that the Gospel Jesus was a mythical figure with no historical basis. Woland intervenes in this conversation, and later predicts that Berlioz will be decapitated by a young Soviet woman, which comes to pass when he slips on oil spilled by “Annushka” and is subsequently run over (and beheaded) by a tram.
Ivan Nikolayevich Ponyryov (Bezdomny)
A young, aspiring poet. His pen name, Bezdomny (Иван Бездомный), means “homeless”. Initially a willing tool of the MASSOLIT apparatus, he is transformed by the events of the novel. After witnessing the unfolding of Woland’s prediction—Berlioz’s death—he embarks on a wild chase around Moscow in search of Woland and his entourage.
However, Ivan leads himself to a communal apartment and later to the Moscow River, where he engages in a symbolic self-baptism. Unable to rationalize the events he has witnessed, his psychological distress mounts and his behavior becomes increasingly erratic.
His seemingly irrational claims about Woland lead him to be taken to Doctor Stravinsky’s psychiatric clinic, where he is diagnosed with schizophrenia and meets the Master. He eventually decides to stop writing poetry and comes to terms with the tragedy.
Before settling on Bezdomny, Bulgakov tried many other names in earlier versions of the novel, including Bezrodny (“the lonely”), Besprizorny (“the stray kid”), Bezbrezhny (“the boundless”) and many others. Proletarian writers often used similar pseudonyms; a notable example is Maxim Gorky (“the bitter”).
Stephan Bogdanovich Likhodeyev
The Director of the Variety Theatre and Berlioz’s roommate, often called by the diminutive name “Styopa (Stepa)”. His surname is derived from the Russian word for “malfeasant”. For his wicked deeds (denouncing at least five innocent people as spies so that he and Berlioz could grab their multi-bedroom apartment), he is magically teleported to Yalta, thereby freeing up the stolen apartment for Woland and his retinue.
Grigory Danilovich Rimsky
The Treasurer of the Variety Theatre. Rimsky is the only character to escape from an attack by Woland’s entourage. Despite trying to find logical explanations for Styopa’s disappearance and other odd phenomena, he realizes that Varenukha is lying to him when he outlines a seemingly reasonable explanation for where Styopa had gone, and correctly identifies that Varenukha has no shadow, which is impossible under normal circumstances.
On the night of Woland’s performance, Rimsky is ambushed by Varenukha (who has been turned into a vampire by Woland’s gang) and Hella. He barely escapes the encounter and flees to the train station to get out of the city.
Ivan Savelyevich Varenukha
The administrator of the Variety Theatre, whose surname refers to a traditional Ukrainian spiced vodka resembling mulled wine. He is turned into a creature of darkness when Hella ambushes him in his attempt to report the odd circumstances surrounding Styopa’s disappearance to the authorities. He is forgiven by the end of Walpurgis Night, restoring his humanity.
Alexander Riukhin
A poet who brings Ivan to Dr Stravinsky’s psychiatric clinic. He is tormented by Ivan’s insults of the integrity of his poetry and acknowledges that his poetry is bad because he doesn’t believe in anything he writes. As the night ends, he mourns the loss of the night of fun and feasting he could’ve had at Griboedov’s.
Natasha (Natalia Prokofyevna)
Margarita’s young maid, later turned into a witch after using Azazello’s magic cream on herself.
Nikolai Ivanovich
Margarita’s downstairs neighbor, who rubs Azazello’s magic cream on himself and turns into a hog. Natasha rides Nikolai (as a hog) to Woland’s Ball. He receives a certificate from Woland that confirms his activity of attending the ball and turning into a hog on the night of the ball.
Nikanor Ivanovich Bosoy
The Chairman of the House Committee at 302A Sadovaya Street (the former residence of Berlioz). Unlike regular Moscow citizens, who generally live in communal apartments, Bosoy shares an entire apartment with only his wife. After Bosoy accepts a bribe from Koroviev for allowing Woland to stay in the Berliozs’ apartment, Woland swiftly punishes his crookedness.
The bribe from Koroviev magically turns into foreign money, and Bosoy is arrested by the secret police. Bosoy’s character is loosely based on one of Bulgakov’s own landlords, Nikolay Zotkiovitch Raev, who similarly abused his power.
Maximilian Andreevich Poplavsky
An uncle of Mikhail Alexandrovich Berlioz. He is a highly educated man who comes to Moscow from Kyiv in an attempt to claim Berlioz’s Moscow apartment. When he arrives, he is mocked by Koroviev for trying to take advantage of Berlioz’s death while not feeling any genuine grief for the deceased. Ultimately, he is sent home by Woland’s retinue.
Andrei Fokich Sokov
The barman at the Variety Theater; a short, bald, and outwardly-humble character. In an apartment commandeered by Woland and his retinue, Sokov is interrogated and ultimately it is revealed that, behind his humble and well-behaved veil, the barman has amassed an enormous fortune. He is then told by Woland that he will die of liver cancer in nine months’ time, and finds himself in Professor Kuzmin’s office desperately begging to be cured.
Doctor Stravinsky
The head of the clinic in which the Master, “Homeless” and other characters reside, Stravinsky plays an important role in the novel. When Ivan arrives in the clinic after witnessing Berlioz’s decapitation, Stravinsky diagnoses him with schizophrenia and alcoholism, and insists he remains in the clinic because he believes that Ivan’s story is a sign of mental illness. Ivan insists upon leaving the clinic, but Stravinsky manipulates him in discussion and convinces him that he must remain there.
George Bengalsky
The master of ceremonies at the Variety Theater. Bengalsky, after commenting on black magic at Woland’s performance, is beheaded by Woland’s retinue. His head is returned after the audience forgives him. Later, it is implied that he is in Stravinsky’s clinic.
Bengalsky is meant to represent the Soviet public and their refusal to believe in magic and religion; he makes sure to describe the “rational” explanations behind all of Woland’s tricks and becomes irritated when Woland refuses to admit that there are explanations for his magic. Woland becomes angry with Bengalsky because Woland sees him as a symbol of Soviet brainwashing; the citizens believe only what they are told and cannot think for themselves, even when the simple truth is right in front of them.
Vassily Stepanovich Lastochkin
The bookkeeper at the Variety Theater. Described by Bulgakov as “precise and efficient”, Lastochkin is not present for Woland’s séance and is left to make sense of the event’s aftermath for the police as the theater’s most senior remaining member. After being questioned by the police, Lastochkin heads to the Commission on Spectacles and Entertainment of the Lighter Type to explain the prior day’s events, but is greeted by pandemonium as the Commission’s chairman has been turned into a talking suit.
Unable to file his report there, Lastochkin continues on his way to the Commission’s affiliate, where he encounters further havoc as the staff have been forced to sing uncontrollably. His final stop of the day takes him to the bank to deposit the Variety’s earnings from Woland’s performance. There, upon discovering that the fees have turned into thousands in various foreign currencies, Lastochkin is promptly and unceremoniously arrested.
Woland and his entourage
Woland
Woland (Воланд, also spelled as Voland) is Satan in the disguise of a “foreign professor” who is “in Moscow to present a performance of ‘black magic’ and then expose its machinations”. Woland instead exposes the greed and bourgeois behaviour of the spectators themselves. Woland is described as having platinum crowns on the left side of his teeth and gold on the right, with his right eye black and his left eye green. The contrasts in his appearance reflect the complexity of his character and moral positioning within the novel.
Woland is also mentioned in Faust when Mephistopheles announces to the witches to beware because “Squire Voland is here”. Along with that, it is highly implied throughout the novel that he is present as the devil in the form of a sparrow (such as in the Pilate narrative). In the previous versions of The Master and Margarita, Woland’s name changed multiple times. In the second version from 1929, his name was Dr Theodor Voland.
The name was written down and given to Ivan Bezdomniy in Greek letters as opposed to the Cyrillic letters. In a subsequent version of the novel, Woland’s name changed to господин [gospodin] or seigneur Azazello Woland. The demon we now know as Azazello was called Fiello. Only in 1934, the definitive names of Woland and Azazello got their final meaning.
Behemoth
An enormous demonic black cat (said to be as big as a hog) who speaks, walks on two legs, and can transform into human shape for brief periods of time. He has a penchant for chess, vodka, pistols, and obnoxious sarcasm. He is evidently the least-respected member of Woland’s team—Margarita boldly takes to slapping Behemoth on the head after one of his many ill-timed jokes, without fear of retaliation. In the last chapters, it appears that Behemoth is a demon pageboy, the best clown in the world.
His name (Бегемот) refers to both the Biblical monster and the Russian word for hippopotamus. Behemoth is a well-known character from The Master and Margarita, and he is frequently depicted. However, in the original version of the novel from 1928 to 1929, which was titled The Black Magician, there was a sentence mentioning the presence of a second cat on the curtain rod when the theatre’s buffet master visits Woland. Bulgakov later abandoned the idea of having two cats in the story.
Korovyev
Also known as Fagotto (Фагот, meaning “bassoon” in Russian and other languages), he is described as an “ex-choirmaster”, perhaps implying that he was once a member
