Characters
This optimistic philosopher teaches Candide that "all is for the best in this best of all possible worlds."
Who is Pangloss?
Voltaire satirizes this optimistic philosophy, associated with Leibniz, through Pangloss’ absurd justifications of suffering
What is philosophical optimism?
Candide is expelled from this castle after being caught kissing Cunegonde.
What is the Baron’s castle (Castle Thunder-ten-Tronckh)?
Voltaire uses Candide to satirize this optimistic German philosopher’s idea that “all is for the best in the best of all possible worlds.”
Who is Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz?
This character endures rape, enslavement, and loss of nobility, yet remains a key figure in Candide’s life.
Who is Cunegonde?
Candide falls in love with this noblewoman, though her beauty and status decline over time.
Who is Cunegonde?
DAILY DOUBLE
Candide concludes that the best way to live is to do this, rejecting idle speculation.
Candide and Cacambo acquire great wealth in El Dorado but lose much of it due to this.
What is theft and deception (or “bad luck”)?
The Catholic Church is mocked through corrupt figures such as a promiscuous Grand Inquisitor and this Jesuit baron.
Who is Cunegonde’s brother?
Despite her suffering, this character remains the most resilient woman in the novel, often advising Candide.
Who is the Old Woman?
This former princess turned servant shares a tragic life story, including cannibalism and slavery.
Who is the Old Woman?
This mythical land of wealth and harmony represents an unattainable utopia.
What is El Dorado?
This event, which devastated Lisbon in 1755, is mocked as an example of meaningless suffering.
What is the Lisbon earthquake?
Candide is horrified to find enslaved sugar plantation workers missing limbs, exposing the brutality of this economic system.
What is colonialism (or the Atlantic slave trade)?
The Old Woman is the daughter of a pope and a princess from this country.
What is Italy?
This arrogant noble refuses to let Candide marry is sister, even after Candide saves his life.
Who is the Baron?
Voltaire mocks this institution by depicting religious figures as corrupt and hypocritical.
What is the Church?
Candide kills this man in self-defense after he attacks him over Cunegonde.
Who is the Baron (Cunegonde’s brother)?
In Candide, Voltaire criticizes this legal practice, demonstrated by the senseless execution of an English admiral “to encourage the others.”
What is capital punishment?
Candide eventually marries Cunegonde, but her appearance has drastically changed due to this factor.
What is aging (or hardship/slavery)?
Candide's loyal but pessimistic servant, who often challenges Pangloss' optimism.
Who is Cacambo?
Throughout Candide, Voltaire critiques the brutality and senselessness of this human activity.
What is war?
At the end of the novel, Candide and his companions settle on a farm and embrace this lifestyle.
What is simple, practical work?
DAILY DOUBLE
The concept that wealth does not bring happiness is reinforced when Candide and Cacambo struggle to leave this mythical, gold-filled land.
Cunegonde and the Old Woman survive by using this asset, which the Old Woman admits is often the only power women have in society.
What is their beauty (or sexuality)?