stephen dedalus
In Stephen Hero, an early version of what became Portrait, Stephen's surname is spelled "Daedalus" in more precise allusion to Daedalus, the architect in Greek myth who was contracted by King Minos to build the Labyrinth in which he would imprison his wife's son the Minotaur. Buck Mulligan makes reference to the mythological namesake in Ulysses, telling Stephen, "Your absurd name, an ancient Greek!" In revising the mammoth Stephen Hero into the considerably more compact Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Joyce shortened the name to "Dedalus".…more
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Stephen Dedalus
Stephen Dedalus is James Joyces literary alter ego, appearing as the protagonist and antihero of his first, semi-autobiographical novel of artistic existence A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and an important character in Joyces Ulysses....
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Simon Dedalus
The father of Stephen, he is described as still grieving for his wife and is also portrayed as feckless in the upbringing of his children. This point is made when his daughters are described as feeling hungry and are evidently poor, whilst he is drinking ...
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Fr. John Conmee
Conmee was the rector of Clongowes Wood College when Joyce was a student there. He then became prefect of studies at Belvedere College. In Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Stephen went to Conmee for support when he was unfairly punished by Father Do...
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Mary Dedalus
Mary Dedalus dies from cancer between the end of A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and the opening of Ulysses. Stephen returns home from Paris to see her. In her dying moments, she asks Stephen to pray over her and he refuses. As a result, Mary dies...