The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe

Professor Michael S. Hart

Originator of the Project Gutenberg concept, a library of electronic works freely shared with the public. For forty years, he produced and distributed Project Gutenberg eBooks with volunteer support.

Robinson Crusoe

Also known as Robinson Kreutznaer · Crusoe · Bob · Seignior Inglese · Mr. Englishman

The first-person narrator and protagonist, stranded on an island for nearly twenty-eight years. He leaves some mutineers there, returns to England, recovers his Brazilian fortune, and later revisits the island and helps establish a colony.

Friday

Also known as the savage Robinson rescues · Robinson’s man Friday

A man Robinson rescued and named Friday, now his devoted companion and skilled marksman. He travels with Robinson to Europe and saves their guide from a wolf, then kills a bear during their journey through the mountains.

The mutineers’ captain

Also known as the ship’s captain · the captain · the commander of the ship

The English captain whose crew mutinies and sets him ashore with his mate and a passenger. With Robinson’s help he defeats the mutineers and recovers his ship, then carries Robinson to England and later meets him again in Lisbon.

The captain’s mate

Also known as the mate

The unnamed mate of the mutinied ship, who was put ashore with the captain and a passenger and helped recover the ship. His later fate is not stated in this passage.

The passenger put ashore with the captain

Also known as the passenger

An unnamed passenger set ashore with the captain and mate after the mutiny. His later fate is not stated in this passage.

The two men delivered with the captain

Also known as the captain’s two men · the two other men

Two unnamed men put ashore with the captain and passenger after the mutiny. Their later fate is not stated in this passage.

The three prisoners put ashore by the mutineers

Also known as the captain and his two men

The ship’s captain, his mate, and a passenger, whom the mutineers brought ashore as prisoners. Robinson helped them defeat their captors and recover the ship.

The three mutineers who later submit

Also known as the three straggling men

Three unnamed crew members who returned after the first mutineers were defeated and submitted to the captain. They were held on the island.

The ten armed sailors from the ship

Also known as the ten men in the second boat

Ten unnamed sailors sent from the ship to investigate the missing boat and crew. Robinson’s party overcame them; several were kept as prisoners.

The two mutineers taken into Robinson’s service

Also known as the two prisoners serving Robinson

Two captured mutineers who joined Robinson’s party after promising loyalty. They helped defend the island and recover the ship.

The boatswain

Also known as the chief officer among the mutineers · the principal ringleader of the mutiny

The ship’s boatswain and principal mutiny leader, who came ashore with the second armed party. The captain and Friday killed him during the night attack.

Will Fry

Also known as Will Fry

A mutineer wounded during the night attack on the second group of sailors. The captain identified him as one of the men who must not be spared; his later fate is not stated here.

Tom Smith

Also known as Smith

A sailor among the mutineers who persuaded his companions to lay down their arms after hearing the boatswain was dead and Will Fry wounded. He was later released on Robinson’s island.

Will Atkins

Also known as Atkins

A mutineer who first seized and mistreated the captain during the mutiny. He was held prisoner and is among the men Robinson later frees to remain on the island.

The three mutineers held as hostages

Also known as the five hostages

Three mutineers kept in Robinson’s cave as hostages while five released prisoners helped the captain recover the ship. They are later discharged after their comrades keep their promise.

The new rebel captain

Also known as the rebel captain

An unnamed mutineer who took command of the ship after the original captain was put ashore. The captain’s mate killed him during the assault to retake the ship, and his body was hanged at the yard-arm.

The ship’s second mate

Also known as the second mate

An unnamed officer aboard the ship who was knocked down during the assault to recover it. His later fate is not stated here.

The ship’s carpenter

Also known as the carpenter

An unnamed crew member aboard the ship who was knocked down during the assault to recover it. His later fate is not stated here.

The boy aboard the ship during the mutiny

Also known as the boy in the round-house

An unnamed boy who was with the rebel captain and two men in the ship’s round-house when the captain’s party attacked. He was among those who yielded when the rebel captain was killed.

The five mutineers left on the island

Also known as the five men

Five mutineers whom Robinson frees after the captain retakes the ship, allowing them to remain on the island rather than face trial in England. Two soon return to the ship, complaining that the other three threaten them; they are taken back aboard, punished, and later prove quiet and honest.

The two mutineers who return to the ship

Also known as the two of the five men

Two of the five mutineers Robinson left on the island. They swim to the ship seeking protection from the other three, then are taken aboard, punished, and become quiet and honest.

The three mutineers who remain on the island

Also known as the other three

Three of the five mutineers Robinson frees to live on the island. The other two claim these men threatened to murder them; the passage does not confirm the accusation.

The seventeen bearded men

Also known as the white men rescued by Friday’s nation · the white men from the boat · the seventeen Spaniards

Seventeen unnamed European men whom Friday says his people rescued from drowning. Robinson expects them to come to his island; after he leaves, they arrive and become part of the island colony.

Friday’s father

Also known as the old savage · the old man

Friday’s father, whom Robinson and Friday rescued from captivity. He travelled with the Spaniard to bring the Spaniard’s stranded countrymen to the island; his later fate is not specified.

The Spaniard

Also known as the European prisoner rescued by Robinson and Friday · the white man · the bearded man · the poor Christian

An unnamed Spanish man whom Robinson and Friday rescued from sacrifice. He went with Friday’s father to bring his stranded countrymen to the island, where he later lived as part of the colony.

The Spanish and Portuguese settlers on the island

Also known as the Spaniards · the poor Spaniards

The Spaniard’s countrymen, including Spanish and Portuguese survivors whom Robinson helped bring to the island. They later became established settlers and eventually subdued the Englishmen who had been left there.

The English mutineers left on the island

Also known as the villains I left there · the Englishmen

The mutineers Robinson left on the island after the captain retook his ship. They first mistreated the Spaniards, later fought among themselves, and eventually were subdued by the Spaniards.

The Caribbeans who invade the island

Also known as the Caribbees

A group that landed on the island several times and fought with its settlers. On one later invasion, three hundred came, destroyed plantations, and were eventually nearly all killed or starved after a storm wrecked their canoes.

The island settlers’ first casualty

Also known as one of them killed

An unnamed settler killed during the first defeat in the islanders’ fight against the Caribbeans. The passage does not identify which settler it was.

The new guide

Also known as the guide

An unnamed guide who leads Robinson’s travelling party across the Pyrenees after heavy snow blocks the usual route. He is attacked and wounded by wolves, and Friday kills the wolf that has him.

Robinson’s other servant

Also known as the English sailor

An unnamed English sailor Robinson hires as a servant for the overland journey from Lisbon to England. He helps fend off the wolves and lays a train of gunpowder during the attack.

Robinson’s two hostages

Also known as the two hostages

Two mutineers held as hostages in Robinson’s cave while their comrades help retake the ship. They are discharged after the released men keep their promise.

The captain’s son

Also known as the old captain’s son

The son of the Portuguese captain who rescued Robinson and Xury. He took over his father’s ship and continued trading with Brazil; Robinson later travels with him on a voyage to the East Indies.

The Portuguese captain

Also known as the Portuguese ship’s captain · the captain who rescued Robinson

A charitable, honest captain who rescued Robinson and Xury, carried them to Brazil, and helped Robinson with his plantation affairs. Reunited with Robinson in Lisbon, he repaid money he held for him, arranged the recovery of his Brazilian assets, and received a lifelong annuity; he is also Robinson’s heir under an earlier will.

The first Guinea captain’s widow

Also known as the English captain’s widow · the gentlewoman · the ancient widow · the good ancient widow · the faithful steward

The widow of Robinson’s first Guinea captain, who held his money in trust and later helped arrange goods for his Brazilian plantation. When Robinson returns to England in poverty, he helps her; she later becomes his trusted guide and adviser, safeguarding his property.

The survivors of Robinson’s merchant-trustees

Also known as the two merchant-trustees · the survivors of my two trustees

Two unnamed merchants in Brazil whose fathers had been trustees of Robinson’s plantation. They send accounts and the proceeds owed to him, then buy his estate when he decides to sell it.

The merchant-trustees’ fathers

Also known as Robinson’s two trustees

Two unnamed merchants who served as trustees for Robinson’s share of the Brazilian plantation. They accounted for its produce before the government took over administration.

Robinson’s plantation partner

Also known as the partner

The unnamed partner who managed the Brazilian plantation with Robinson. He kept it productive, reported its earnings, and wrote to welcome Robinson back; he later bought Robinson’s share with the surviving merchant-trustees.

The procurator-fiscal

Also known as the procurator-fiscal

An unnamed Brazilian official who administered the income from Robinson’s plantation after he was presumed dead. The income was allocated partly to the king and partly to a monastery.

The Prior of St. Augustine

Also known as the prior · the good padre

An unnamed prior whose monastery received part of the proceeds from Robinson’s plantation while he was presumed dead. He honestly reported undistributed money and later received Robinson’s thanks and a donation for the monastery and the poor.

The steward of the king’s revenue from lands

Also known as the king’s land-revenue steward

An unnamed official who, with the monastery’s steward, ensured that Robinson’s partner gave a faithful annual account of the plantation’s produce.

The providore of the monastery

Also known as the monastery’s steward

An unnamed steward of the monastery of St. Augustine, who helped ensure the plantation’s annual produce was properly accounted for while Robinson was presumed dead.

Robinson’s wife

An unnamed woman Robinson marries after returning to England. Their marriage is described as satisfying, and they have three children; she later dies.

Robinson’s three children

Also known as two sons and one daughter

Robinson’s unnamed two sons and one daughter, born during his marriage in England. Their names and later lives are not given.

Robinson’s eldest nephew

Also known as the eldest nephew · the eldest of Robinson’s two nephews

The eldest of Robinson’s two nephews, one of his deceased brother’s children. Robinson raises him as a gentleman and provides an addition to his estate after Robinson’s death.

Robinson’s younger nephew

Also known as the other nephew · Robinson’s nephew who goes to sea

The younger of Robinson’s two nephews, whom Robinson places with a ship’s captain. After five years he proves sensible, bold, and enterprising, becomes a ship’s captain, and persuades Robinson to join a later trading voyage.

The ship’s captain who trains Robinson’s younger nephew

Also known as the captain of a ship

An unnamed captain with whom Robinson places his younger nephew. The nephew serves with him for five years before Robinson entrusts him with a good ship.

The English gentleman travelling with Robinson

Also known as the son of a merchant in Lisbon

An unnamed English gentleman, son of a merchant in Lisbon, who joins Robinson’s overland journey from Lisbon to England.

The two English merchants travelling with Robinson

Also known as the two merchants

Two unnamed English merchants who join Robinson’s overland party from Lisbon to England. Each shares a servant with one of the Portuguese gentlemen.

The two Portuguese gentlemen travelling with Robinson

Also known as the two young Portuguese gentlemen

Two unnamed young Portuguese gentlemen who travel with Robinson’s party as far as Paris.

The four French gentlemen

Also known as the French travellers

Four unnamed French gentlemen who, after snow blocks the mountain passes, find a guide and explain a safer route across the Pyrenees to Robinson’s party.

The other twelve travellers

Also known as the twelve other gentlemen

Twelve unnamed French and Spanish gentlemen, accompanied by servants, who join Robinson’s party and follow the guide across the mountains.

The merchant who writes to London

Also known as the Lisbon merchant

An unnamed merchant in Lisbon who writes to his London correspondent at Robinson’s request, arranging money and assistance for the captain’s widow.

The London correspondent

Also known as the correspondent in London

An unnamed correspondent asked by the Lisbon merchant to find Robinson’s captain’s widow, deliver money, and comfort her.

The physician in Lisbon

Also known as the physician

An unnamed physician summoned when Robinson becomes ill from the sudden joy of learning the extent of his recovered fortune. He orders Robinson to be bled, after which Robinson improves.

The man the wolves attack

Also known as the poor guide

The unnamed guide leading Robinson’s travelling party across the Pyrenees. A wolf attacks him and his horse, but Friday shoots the animal and saves him; the guide is badly bitten and cannot continue.

The servant holding Friday’s horse

Also known as my other servant

An unnamed servant in Robinson’s travelling party who holds Friday’s horse while Friday approaches a bear. He later helps lay a train of gunpowder to repel attacking wolves.

The man killed by wolves near the mountain pass

Also known as one of the two men

An unnamed traveller found dead beside a horse at the entrance to a wood, his upper body eaten by wolves. A fired gun lies nearby.

The second man killed by wolves near the mountain pass

Also known as the other man

An unnamed man found dead with another traveller beside a horse at the entrance to a wood, eaten by wolves.

The horse pursued by wolves

Also known as the horse with a saddle and bridle

An unnamed saddled and bridled horse that bursts from the wood while pursued by wolves. Its fate is not stated.

The bear Friday kills

Also known as the monstrous bear

A large bear encountered during the journey across the Pyrenees. Friday teases it into climbing a tree, then shoots it as it climbs down.

The wolf attacking the guide

Also known as the wolf Friday shoots

A wolf that attacks the guide and his horse on the mountain road. Friday rides up and shoots it in the head.

The wolf that attacks the guide’s horse

Also known as the other wolf

A wolf that fastens onto the guide’s horse during the attack. It flees after Friday shoots the other wolf.

The dead horse eaten by wolves

Also known as the poor horse

A horse killed by wolves and found in a clearing, where a pack is picking its bones.

The man who fires a gun in the wood

Also known as the man whose body is found by the horse

An unnamed man whose gunshot is heard in the wood before a saddled horse runs out pursued by wolves. His body is found nearby, partly eaten.

The two sisters Robinson finds in England

Also known as Robinson’s two sisters

Robinson’s two unnamed sisters, whom he finds alive after returning to England. He sends them money; one is widowed and the other has an unkind husband.

The husband of Robinson’s widowed sister

Also known as the deceased husband of one sister

An unnamed man, formerly married to one of Robinson’s sisters. He is dead by the time Robinson returns to England.

The husband of Robinson’s other sister

Also known as the unkind brother-in-law

An unnamed man married to one of Robinson’s sisters, whom Robinson describes as not treating her as kindly as he should.

The children of Robinson’s eldest brother

Also known as two of the children of one of my brothers

Two unnamed children of Robinson’s deceased eldest brother. One is Robinson’s nephew whom he raises; the passage does not identify the other’s later life.

The four French gentlemen’s guide

Also known as the guide who knows the safer mountain route

An unnamed guide who shows four French gentlemen a safer route across the snow-covered mountains. Robinson’s party hires him to lead them over the Pyrenees.

The Spanish captain’s owners

Also known as the owners of the ship

Unnamed owners of the ship Robinson helped the English captain recover. They hear the captain’s account of Robinson’s rescue of the crew and ship and reward him with nearly £200.

The English sailor who joins Robinson’s overland party

Also known as the English sailor

An unnamed sailor Robinson hires as a servant for the journey from Lisbon to England. He is distinct from the ship’s crewmen mentioned earlier.

The old man of the mountain village

Also known as the guide at the village

An unnamed local guide hired after the first guide is too injured to continue. He leads Robinson’s party onward to Toulouse.

The people of the mountain village

Also known as the country people

Unnamed villagers who are terrified by wolves and bears that have been attacking livestock and people during the severe winter.

Robinson’s three plantation workmen

Also known as the two workmen · the carpenter and a smith

An unnamed carpenter and smith whom Robinson brings from England to the island colony to help the settlers.

The seven women sent to the island

Also known as the women from Brazil

Seven unnamed women Robinson sends from Brazil to the island, chosen for service or as possible wives for settlers willing to marry.

The eleven mainland captives

Also known as the eleven men and five women prisoners

Eleven unnamed men and five unnamed women whom five islanders capture during an expedition to the mainland. Their arrival contributes to the island’s growing population.

The five islanders who raid the mainland

Also known as the five of them

Five unnamed settlers who make an expedition to the mainland and bring back eleven men and five women as prisoners.

The people of the Caribbean coast

Also known as the cannibals

People Robinson calls cannibals who visit the island to kill and eat prisoners. Friday’s father says the four survivors of the recent attack may have told their people that spirits guard the island, which keeps them from returning.

God

Also known as the Lord · Providence · the great Preserver · the wise Governor of all things · the true God

The divine being whom Robinson credits with preserving him and guiding events. Robinson sees his rescue of the ship’s captain as further evidence of God’s providence.

The three prisoners at the later feast

Also known as the three captives

Three unnamed captives brought ashore by the visitors during a later feast; Robinson observes that they intend to kill and eat all three. Two are rescued: the Spaniard and Friday’s father.

The two men sent to butcher the European prisoner

Also known as the two butchers

Two unnamed members of the visiting group sent to untie the European prisoner and prepare him for the feast. They flee when Robinson and Friday attack.

The three prisoners brought to the island

Also known as the three human bodies

Three unnamed prisoners brought ashore by the visitors during a later feast. One has already been killed when Robinson and Friday arrive; the other two are rescued: the Spaniard and Friday’s father.

The people of Friday’s nation

Also known as Friday’s nation · Friday’s people

The people among whom Friday was captured in battle and who later defeated their enemies elsewhere. Friday’s father believes the recent survivors may have frightened them away from the island by describing Robinson and Friday’s weapons as supernatural powers.

The four survivors of the island attack

Also known as the four men who escaped the sea

Four unnamed members of the group that brought prisoners to the island, who escaped by canoe after Robinson and Friday attacked. Friday’s father thinks their account of the attack may have convinced their people that spirits guard the island.

The sixteen stranded Spaniards and Portuguese

Also known as the Spaniard’s countrymen · the sixteen more of his countrymen and Portuguese

Sixteen unnamed men from a wrecked Spanish ship, including Spanish and Portuguese sailors, stranded on the cannibal coast. Robinson sends the Spaniard and Friday’s father to bring them to the island after provisions are prepared.

The five Portuguese seamen from the wreck

Also known as the Portuguese seamen

Five unnamed Portuguese sailors whom the Spaniard says had been taken aboard his wrecked ship from another wreck. They are among the survivors stranded on the cannibal coast.

The eleven English sailors who land on the island

Also known as the mutineers

The English crew members who come ashore, including three prisoners—the captain, his mate, and a passenger—and their mutinous captors. Robinson and the captain divide them, disarm them, and enlist some to help retake the ship.

The two ringleader mutineers

Also known as the two desperate villains

Two unnamed mutineers whom the captain considers too dangerous to spare. One is killed and the other badly wounded when the captain’s men attack.

The three mutineers who awake first

Also known as the first two seamen to awake · the other seaman who was awake

Three unnamed members of the mutinous crew who wake before the others. Two escape the first attack; the third is slightly wounded and later captured.

The first group of mutineers captured ashore

Also known as the five mutineers

Five unnamed mutineers captured by Robinson, the captain, and their allies after the captain’s landing. They are bound and held on the island.

The three honest sailors among the ten

Also known as the three honest fellows

Three unnamed sailors in the second boat whom the captain believes were drawn into the conspiracy through fear. They are spared and help Robinson’s party.

The two mutineers sent to Robinson’s cave

Also known as the two prisoners held in the cave

Two unnamed captured mutineers whom Robinson sends to his cave under guard. They are kept as hostages while the captain prepares to recover the ship.

Jesus

Also known as Jesus, thou son of David · the exalted Prince and Saviour · Jesus Christ · the Saviour of the world · our blessed Redeemer

The Christian saviour whom Robinson teaches Friday was sent to redeem humanity. Friday receives this teaching with interest and becomes a Christian.

The man Friday rescues in Robinson’s dream

Also known as the savage in Robinson’s dream

An unnamed prisoner in Robinson’s dream, fleeing people who intend to kill and eat him. In the dream he takes shelter with Robinson and becomes his servant; the dream anticipates Friday’s rescue.

The first victim at the cannibals’ feast

Also known as the first of the two prisoners

An unnamed prisoner whom the island visitors knock down and butcher for their feast. Robinson watches from a distance.

The second victim at the cannibals’ feast

Also known as the fleeing prisoner · Friday

A prisoner brought to the island to be killed and eaten who escapes and runs toward Robinson. Robinson saves him, and names him Friday because that is the day of his rescue.

Friday’s pursuer killed by Robinson

Also known as the man with the bow and arrow

An unnamed man pursuing Friday who aims an arrow at Robinson. Robinson shoots and kills him.

Friday’s pursuer knocked down by Robinson

Also known as the stunned pursuer

An unnamed man pursuing Friday whom Robinson strikes with his gunstock. After recovering, he is killed by Friday with Robinson’s sword.

The two women and child eaten by the cannibals

Also known as the two women and one child

Three unnamed people whom Friday says were among the twenty men, two women, and one child eaten at the island on a previous occasion.

The next king

Also known as Friday’s nation’s enemy king

An unnamed king whose subjects fought Friday’s people. Friday says his people captured many of the king’s subjects in battle.

The Oowokakee

Also known as the old men · Friday’s people’s religious leaders

The elders or religious leaders among Friday’s people. Friday says only these old men go to the mountains to speak with Benamuckee and report back to the people.

Benamuckee

Also known as Friday’s people’s god

A very old being whom Friday’s people believe made the sea and land and receives the dead. Friday says he lives beyond all things, though the Oowokakee go to the mountains to speak with him.

The devil

Also known as the evil spirit

The evil spirit Robinson describes to Friday as God’s enemy and a tempter of humankind. Friday questions why God, being stronger, does not destroy him.

The parrot Robinson shoots

Also known as the great fowl Robinson mistakes for a hawk

A parrot that Robinson shoots while demonstrating his gun to Friday. It is wounded and flutters some distance before Friday retrieves it.

The she-goat from whom Robinson takes a kid

Also known as the mother goat

An unnamed female goat Robinson sees resting in the shade beside two kids. He shoots one of the kids to feed Friday.

The kid Robinson shoots for Friday

Also known as the young goat shot for food

A young goat Robinson shoots and cooks to introduce Friday to other meat. Friday enjoys the cooked meat and says he will no longer eat human flesh.

The dog

Also known as Robinson’s dog

Robinson’s loyal companion, now old and infirm, who sits by him at meals. It lived with him for sixteen years before dying of old age.

Poll

Also known as the parrot

Robinson’s tame parrot, whom he teaches to speak his name and repeat phrases. Poll lives with him for twenty-six years and is his most articulate talking companion.

The two ship’s cats

Also known as the cats

The two female cats Robinson originally brought ashore have both died and were buried near his home. Their descendants multiplied; Robinson kept a few tame cats, but eventually let most run wild and drowned the young of his favorites.

The second and third parrots

Also known as the two more parrots

Two parrots Robinson keeps after Poll. They talk fairly well and call out “Robin Crusoe,” though neither speaks as well as Poll.

The tame sea-fowls

Also known as the tame sea birds

Several unnamed sea-fowls Robinson catches, clips, and keeps near his home. They live and breed among the grove by his castle.

The drowned boy from the Spanish shipwreck

Also known as the corpse of a drowned boy

An unidentified boy whose body washes ashore from the Spanish shipwreck. He is wearing a seaman’s clothes and has two pieces of eight and a tobacco pipe in his pockets.

The dog rescued from the Spanish shipwreck

Also known as the dog aboard the wreck

A starving, thirsty dog Robinson finds alive aboard the wrecked Spanish ship. It jumps into his boat when called, and Robinson gives it food and water.

The two drowned sailors from the Spanish shipwreck

Also known as the two men drowned in the cook-room

Two unnamed sailors found dead aboard the wrecked Spanish ship, their arms locked around one another. Robinson takes shoes from drowned men aboard the wreck, but the text does not identify which of them.

The gunner’s mate

Also known as the owner of the second chest

An unnamed member of the Spanish ship’s crew, inferred by Robinson to have owned one of the chests he salvages. The chest contains clothes, some powder, and about fifty pieces of eight.

The young kid Robinson captures

Also known as the kid

A young goat Robinson rescued and raised tame. It lived with him until old age, then died; Robinson could never bring himself to kill it.

The old he-goat in the pitfall

Also known as the large old he-goat

A fierce wild goat Robinson catches in a pitfall but releases because he cannot safely bring it out alive. Robinson later realizes hunger might have made it tame.

The three kids in the pitfall

Also known as the male kid and two female kids

Three young goats, one male and two female, caught in Robinson’s pitfall. He ties them together, brings them home, and tames them as the beginning of his domestic flock.

The unnamed person whose footprint Robinson finds

Also known as the person who left the footprint

An unidentified person whose bare footprint Robinson discovers in the sand. Robinson fears it may belong to someone from the mainland, but the passage does not establish who made it.

The natives of those climates

Also known as the Indians

People Robinson cites as makers of canoes from tree trunks, whose methods inspire his own attempt. No individual is identified.

The negroes who make canoes

Also known as the negroes

A people Robinson refers to when comparing his imagined canoe-making advantages and difficulties with theirs. No individual is identified.

Solomon

The biblical king whom Robinson invokes in a comparison, imagining that even Solomon may not have had a cedar as large as the tree he felled.

Father Abraham

Also known as Abraham

The biblical patriarch Robinson recalls as speaking to Dives about a great gulf between them.

Dives

A biblical figure mentioned by Robinson in connection with Father Abraham and the gulf between them.

Elijah

The biblical prophet whom Robinson recalls as being fed by ravens, comparing that provision with the way he believes God has sustained him.

The wild cat

Also known as the cat-like creature

A wild cat that once ate a piece of biscuit Robinson tossed it. He later shoots a wild cat of a kind he thinks differs from his European cats.

The dream messenger

Also known as the man in Robinson’s dream

A terrifying, radiant man who appears in Robinson’s fever dream, descends from a black cloud with a weapon, and warns that Robinson will die because he has not repented.

The returning cat

Also known as the cat that returned with three kittens

One of Robinson’s two ship’s cats, a female he had thought lost or dead, returns to his dwelling with three kittens.

The three kittens

Also known as the returning cat’s kittens

Three unnamed kittens brought home by one of Robinson’s ship’s cats. They begin the large population of cats that later becomes a nuisance to him.

The turtle Robinson finds on June 16

Also known as the large tortoise

A large female turtle Robinson finds by the shore and cooks for food. He discovers about sixty eggs inside her.

The she-goat killed during Robinson’s illness

An unnamed female goat Robinson shoots for food while weakened by fever. He struggles to carry her home and broils some of her meat.

The three Brazilian planters

Also known as Robinson’s three planter acquaintances

Three unnamed merchants and planters who proposed a secret Guinea voyage to acquire enslaved Africans for their plantations. They invited Robinson to serve as supercargo and agreed to look after his plantation during his absence; they fitted out and loaded the ship for the voyage.

The master of Robinson’s Guinea ship

Also known as the master

The unnamed master of the ship carrying Robinson and the three Brazilian planters’ Guinea-trading cargo. After storms leave the vessel leaky and disabled, he consults Robinson about their course; the ship later founders on a sandbank.

The master’s boy

Also known as the boy

The unnamed boy aboard Robinson’s Guinea ship, who is washed overboard during the first storm.

The mate of Robinson’s Guinea ship

Also known as the mate

The unnamed mate aboard the ship who helps launch the remaining boat after it founders. He is among the eleven men who set out for shore; Robinson is the only one known to survive.

The ship’s gunner

Also known as the gunner

An unnamed member of the crew who kept some of the ship’s papers and supplies. Robinson searches for and salvages the gunner’s powder and weapons.

The ten shipmates drowned with Robinson’s crew

Also known as the other ten men in the boat

The ten unnamed men who leave the wreck in a boat with Robinson and are drowned when a great wave overturns it. Robinson later finds only scattered hats, a cap, and unmatched shoes as signs of the shipwrecked crew.

The unnamed crewman who cries “Land!”

Also known as the man who cried “Land!”

An unnamed sailor aboard Robinson’s ship who spots land shortly before the vessel strikes a sandbank.

The crewman who dies of calenture

Also known as the man who died of calenture

An unnamed sailor who dies of a fever during the first storm.

The she-goat

Also known as the dam

A female goat Robinson shoots for food. Her kid follows him to his enclosure, and he later kills it when it will not eat.

The injured goat

Also known as the young goat

A young goat Robinson brings home with a broken leg. He splints and nurses it until it recovers; it becomes tame and stays near his dwelling.

Crusoe’s father

A wise, grave man from Bremen who settled in Hull and later York. He urges Robinson to remain in the comfortable middle station of life and warns that going to sea will bring misery.

Crusoe’s mother

Robinson’s mother, whose family name is Robinson. She refuses to help persuade his father to let him go to sea and fears his choice will ruin him.

Robinson’s eldest brother

An older brother who became a lieutenant-colonel in an English regiment in Flanders and was killed fighting the Spaniards near Dunkirk.

Robinson’s second brother

An older brother whose fate is unknown to Robinson and his parents.

The companion who first takes Robinson to sea

Also known as Bob’s companion

A young seafarer and son of the ship’s master who invites Robinson aboard his father’s ship for the passage to London. After the shipwreck, he urges Robinson to return home.

The master of the London-bound ship

Also known as the companion’s father

The father of Robinson’s first seafaring companion. After the shipwreck, he warns Robinson that he should not go to sea and advises him to return to his parents.

The master of the Guinea-trading ship

Also known as Robinson’s first Guinea captain · Robinson’s friend the captain

An honest, plain-dealing captain who befriends Robinson, teaches him navigation, and helps him profit from his first Guinea voyage. He dies soon after their return.

The mate who succeeds the first Guinea captain

The former mate who takes command of Robinson’s next Guinea voyage after the first captain dies. The ship is captured by a Sallee rover.

The captain of the Sallee rover

Also known as Robinson’s patron · Robinson’s master

The captain of the Turkish rover that captures Robinson’s ship and enslaves him. He uses Robinson for domestic work and fishing.

Muley

Also known as Ismael · Moely

A Moorish kinsman of Robinson’s enslaver who rows with Robinson and Xury. Robinson tricks him into bringing provisions and supplies before escaping, then forces him to swim back to shore.

Xury

Also known as the boy

A boy enslaved by Robinson’s patron who helps Robinson escape by boat and remains faithful through their journey along the African coast. Robinson later lets the Portuguese captain take him under an agreement to free him after ten years if he becomes Christian.

The English slave carpenter

Also known as the carpenter of the ship

An Englishman enslaved by Robinson’s patron who is ordered to build a cabin in the longboat.

The Scotch sailor

Also known as the Scottish sailor

A sailor aboard the Portuguese ship who speaks to Robinson and helps establish that Robinson is English and has escaped Moorish slavery.

The Brazilian plantation owner

Also known as the good honest man

An honest man in Brazil who owns a sugar plantation and sugar-house. He takes Robinson in and teaches him about planting and making sugar.

Wells

Also known as Robinson’s neighbour

A Portuguese man from Lisbon, born to English parents, whose plantation lies beside Robinson’s in Brazil. He and Robinson begin as sociable neighbours with modest means.

Robinson’s servant from Lisbon

Also known as the servant brought by the Portuguese captain

A servant whom the Portuguese captain buys for Robinson under a six-year service agreement and brings from Lisbon to Brazil.

Robinson’s enslaved African worker

Also known as the negro slave

A person Robinson buys to work on his Brazilian plantation; the passage gives no individual name.

Robinson’s other European servant

Also known as the European servant

A European servant Robinson buys for his plantation, in addition to the servant brought from Lisbon; the passage gives no individual name.