Character Relationship Map: Ulysses

Characters

• Leopold Bloom (played by Milo O'Shea) — protagonist

  Leopold Bloom is the central male figure, moving through Dublin while handling ordinary errands and reflecting on his marriage to Molly Bloom. He notices Stephen Dedalus’s vulnerability, asks whether...

• Molly Bloom (played by Barbara Jefford) — protagonist

  Molly Bloom is Leopold Bloom’s wife and the focus of his anxious thoughts during the day. In the conclusion, she lies awake and reflects freely on desire, marriage, memory, and her attraction to Leopo...

• Stephen Dedalus (played by Maurice Roëves) — supporting

  Stephen Dedalus is a withdrawn young poet and teacher who feels increasingly alienated from those around him. Buck Mulligan mocks his grief and pride, while Haines regards him with suspicion. Stephen...

• Buck Mulligan (played by T. P. McKenna) — supporting

  Buck Mulligan is Stephen Dedalus’s companion at the coastal tower and treats Stephen with open mockery. He ridicules Stephen’s refusal to kneel beside his dying mother, as well as his grief, clothing,...

• Garrett Deasy (played by David Kelly) — minor

  Garrett Deasy is the school authority who speaks with Stephen Dedalus after Stephen teaches. He gives Stephen a letter about foot-and-mouth disease and urges him to help circulate it. Their discussion...

• Haines (played by Graham Lines) — minor

  Haines is present with Stephen Dedalus and Buck Mulligan at the coastal tower and questions Stephen while regarding him with suspicion. His attitude contributes to Stephen’s sense of alienation, contr...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Leopold Bloom → Molly Bloom (Family Husband And Wife) — Their marriage and Molly's desire frame the story's intimate emotional arc.

  Bloom thinks about Molly and his anxieties about their marriage; Molly's concluding reflections consider her marriage and attraction to Leopold.

• Garrett Deasy → Stephen Dedalus (Professional Employer And Teacher) — Deasy's request gives Stephen a task, though Stephen's independence remains uneasy.

  Stephen teaches at a school, where Garrett Deasy gives him a letter about foot-and-mouth disease and urges him to help circulate it.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Leopold Bloom → Stephen Dedalus (Alliance Protective Supporter) — Bloom responds to Stephen's vulnerability with practical help and protection.

  Bloom encounters Stephen, asks whether he has money, and offers help. Later, during the night disorder, Bloom tries to protect Stephen and reason with...

• Haines → Stephen Dedalus (Social Suspicious Acquaintances) — Their uneasy exchange contributes to Stephen's sense of estrangement.

  At the tower, Haines questions Stephen and regards him with suspicion.

• Buck Mulligan → Stephen Dedalus (Conflict Antagonistic Companions) — Mulligan's ridicule deepens Stephen's alienation.

  At the coastal tower, Buck Mulligan taunts Stephen and mocks his grief, clothes, and pride as a poet.

Story Analysis

One day in Dublin links Stephen's alienation, Bloom's care and anxieties, and Molly's final affirmation of desire.

Plot Progression

1. Taunts at the Tower — Stephen begins the day at the coastal tower with Mulligan's mockery and Haines's questions. Their treatment leaves him withdrawn and alienated.
2. A Letter from Deasy — Stephen teaches at a school and receives Deasy's letter about foot-and-mouth disease. Their discussion ranges across circulation, newspapers, and politics, while Stephen's independence remains uneasy.
3. Bloom's Dublin Day — Bloom moves through Dublin, attends to ordinary business, and thinks about Molly. He hears of a difficult childbirth and offers help when he encounters Stephen.
4. The Night Trial — In the night district, a grotesque, dreamlike trial turns Bloom into an accused spectacle. The disorder draws Stephen into religious accusations and confrontation, while Bloom tries to protect him.
5. Molly's Final Reflection — After the night's disorder breaks apart, Bloom and Stephen are left exhausted. Molly's reflections on marriage, memory, and desire close the story with an affirmation of life.