War and Peace · Character
Catherine the Great
Also known as the Great Catherine, Catherine's, Catherine
- Minor
- First seen · Book 1 · Ch. 119
She is recalled through the weight of a gracious reception: a sovereign whose smile and words could make a court feel close, even as the majesty of her office remained unmistakable. The image is vivid but fleeting, touched by both warmth and the solemnity of history.
- Gender
- female
- First appears
- Book 1 · Ch. 119
- Books
- 1
Catherine the Great appears not as an active participant in the novel’s present, but as a measure of imperial memory and possibility. Andrew recalls the Empress Mother’s gracious reception of him, then remembers the same plump, sallow face lying in state on the catafalque. Elsewhere, her legacy sharpens a comparison between what Napoleon might offer Alexander through friendship and what Catherine herself had once been able to accomplish. Tolstoy leaves her as a presence from the past whose remembered authority complicates the ambitions of the present.
Description
Catherine is described as short and stout, with a plump figure and a rather sallow face. Her smile and gracious manner are among the few personal details preserved in Andrew’s recollection; no reliable details of her hair, eyes, or particular dress are given. She carries the composed, weighty presence of an empress, even in memory.
Story so far
BOOK 1War and Peace
Appearances
Meet Catherine the Great in Bookworm
Meet Catherine the Great in your EPUB — spoiler-safe to the book you're on.