Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Verified for the 2026 exam
Verified for the 2026 exam•Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Definition
Ishmael is the narrator and protagonist of Herman Melville's novel Moby Dick. He serves as a witness to the events aboard the Pequod and offers philosophical reflections throughout the story.
Ahab is the captain of the whaling ship Pequod in Herman Melville's novel Moby Dick. He is a complex character driven by an obsessive desire to seek revenge on the white whale, Moby Dick.
In Herman Melville's novel, Moby Dick refers to an enormous white sperm whale that has become infamous for its destructive encounters with whaling ships. It symbolizes nature's power, human obsession, and existential themes explored in the book.
Queequeg: A harpooner from Polynesia who becomes Ishmael's close friend and companion aboard the Pequod.