Lazaro de Tormes
Lazaro is the main character in the novel and he is also the narrator of the story. Lazaro was born in Spain in a poor family and he had to endure many hardships as a result. His father was arrested for stealing flour to feed his family so Lazaro remained fatherless from young age. His mother tried to take care of him the best she could but being a woman and having limited possibilities meant that she had to give up her child when he was still young. Lazaro then began to serve various masters and he presents his journey in the novel, highlighting both the positive aspects and the negative ones. The hardship he had to endure did not break his spirit but only made him want to succeed even more and made him want to find happiness.
Zaide
Zaide is Lazaro’s step-father, a black man who worked in the same house as Lazaro’s mother for a while. Zaide is described as being a compassionate and kind man, the person who took care of Antona and Lazaro and who provided them with food and other necessities. He was unfortunately punished for marring a white woman and he was whipped and then had hot oil poured over him. After that, Zaide is no longer mentioned by Lazaro and his mother moves from the house and starts working at an inn.
Antona Perez
Antona is Lazaro’s mother who is forced to give her child because of poverty. Antona was married to Tome Gonzales and together they had Lazaro. After Gonzales was accused of stealing and was incarcerated, Antona had to do everything she could to sustain her child financially. Thus, for a period of time, she prostituted herself and then she became a servant in the house of the Comendador of La Magdalena. There she meet her next husband, Zaide, with whom she had a child. When the master of the house found that Antona married a black man, he did everything he could to drive them out of the house. After that, Antona worked at an inn where she meet the blind man. After that moment, the narrator does not mention her anymore.
Tome Gonzales
Tome Gonzales was Lazaro’s birth father who unfortunately died when Lazaro was a young boy. Tome was a hardworking man but his work was not always enough to provide his family with food. Because of this, he had to resolve to steal from the mill where he worked. He was caught and he was punished by being whipped and then by being sent to fight against the Moors. Lazaro mentions that his father died on the battlefield when he was about eight years old.
The Archpriest
The Archpriest appears in the last part of the novel, towards the end. At that point, Lazaro was a grown man and he was no longer serving any type of master. The Archpriest noticed Lazaro and his talent for selling wine and the Archpriest convinced Lazaro to work for him by proposing to him to marry one of his servant girls. It is implied that the servant girl was the Archpriest’s mistress and that they had together three children before she married Lazaro. It is also implied that the servant girl continued to be a mistress after she got married to Lazaro.
The blind man
The blind man is the first of Lazaro’s masters, the one who takes Lazaro from his mother. The blind man is a beggar and he is also a man who makes prophecies regarding the future of those he meets and he is the one who prophecies that Lazaro will be cheated on by his wife. The blind man is cruel towards Lazaro and he keeps him unfed and suffering. At one point, Lazaro reaches his breaking point and decides that he must escape his master. To do this, he tricks him into jumping head first into a statue and then he proceeds to run away from him, not caring weather he is dead or alive.
The priest
The priest is Lazaro’s second master, the one he meets after departing from the blind man. The priest is described as being just as bad as the blind man, keeping Lazaro hungry all the time. To survive, Lazaro begins to steal from the priest’s chest small amounts of food every day until he is caught. Then, Lazaro is almost beaten to death by the priest for his thieving. After that, the priest tells Lazaro to go away and to never return.
The squire
The squire is the third master Lazaro has after the priest. The squire finds Lazaro in the city where he lived while begging on the streets and took him into an empty home. There, Lazaro found that the squire had no money but he still liked to pretend that he was well of. In reality, he did not have money to eat and they usually relied on whatever Lazaro was given when he was begging on the streets. The squire treats Lazaro well but he is forced to run away when he is told he must pay rent for the house where he was staying at.
The seller of indulgences
The seller of indulgence is another master Lazaro serves and Lazaro claims that he was among the better men he served. The seller of indulgences treated Lazaro with dignity and he mentioned that he was always well feed. Another thing that Lazaro mentions is his intelligence and his cunningness. The reason why Lazaro left is unclear but Lazaro talks about the seller of indulgences in a generally positive way.
The friar
The friar is another master Lazaro had during his lifetime. He only talks about him briefly and hints that he was unhappy while serving him. Because of this, he left his service shortly after beginning to work for him.
The chaplain
The chaplain is Lazaro’s seventh master and Lazaro remains under his service for a couple of years. Lazaro doesn’t say much about him except the fact that he put him to sell water.
The first constable
The first constable appears during the chapter when Lazaro talks about the seller of indulgences. The first constable was working with the seller and together they fooled people into buying many indulgences from them.
The second constable
The second constable is another master Lazaro served briefly but whom he abandoned after he was beaten up badly. Little it is said about him except for the fact that the job he was doing was a dangerous one.
The neighbors
The neighbors appear in the third chapter when Lazaro’s master is the squire. The neighbors are a group of women who spin wool for a living and who take care of Lazaro when he can’t go begging because of the law imposed by the city mayor.
The tambourine painter
The tambourine painter is another master Lazaro serves briefly but he abandons him because he treats him harshly.
Lazaro’s wife
Lazaro’s wife was a former maid in the house of the Archpriest. It is rumored that she already gave birth to three children before marring Lazaro and that she was the Archpriest’s mistress.
Comendador of La Magdalena
The Comendador of La Magdalena was the name of the person who Lazaro’s mother served for a brief period of time. It was in his house where she meet her next husband, the black servant.
