Mihail Afanasyevich Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita is an exceptional book that stands out for its theme, the use of fantasy and grotesque, and the many characters the author uses in his attempt to portray and criticize life in Russia. Complex, symbolic and thoroughly developed characters create depth and complexity to the story, while exploring universal themes that are still relevant today. Through them, Bulgakov questions and presents the themes of freedom, resistance, art and human nature. His characters are the bearers of different stories and perspectives, and yet, they are all interconnected or opposed, thus enriching the story and enabling readers to think about the deeper questions of life. Therefore, the characters of the novel and their characterization are the main subject of analysis in this paper, with the focus being on their names, costumes and portraits. When naming the characters, Bulgakov uses numerous other, global and biblical texts, also those that are less familiar to the reader, as well as the procedures of not naming and creating new names. With the meanings and denotations of the name, he connects both the costume and the portrait of the character, whereby the mentioned elements complement each other and complete the character, that is, the actions of the characters themselves. To fully understand the novel and its messages, a thorough study of the signifiers (names) of the characters, what is signified by them, and the appearance of the characters is necessary.