John Donne is a metaphysical poet and devoted husband who faces an impending, extended physical separation from his wife. Driven by profound spiritual and romantic devotion, he constructs elaborate poetic arguments to console her. He rejects conventional public mourning, viewing their emotional bond as pure and capable of transcending physical distance.

Anne is the 16-year-old wife of John Donne, having married him secretly without her family's blessing. She serves as the intimate, private audience for his valediction and represents the "fixed foot" in his compass metaphor. Her anticipated sadness over his departure prompts his poetic reassurances of their unbreakable bond.

Sir Robert Drury is a gentleman journeying to the European continent. His planned expedition serves as the catalyst for the physical separation between the poet and his wife, indirectly inspiring the central farewell of the poem.

Anne's father is a strict figure of authority who fiercely opposes his daughter's relationship. Exercising his social and legal power, he retaliates against the union by withholding financial support and enforcing legal penalties against his new son-in-law.

Sir Thomas Egerton is a prominent figure who appoints the young poet as his private secretary. He represents the professional and political establishment in which his secretary attempts to build a stable career.

Elizabeth is the mother of the poet, living through a turbulent era of English religious history. She helps instill the religious foundation that later shapes her son's complex relationship with faith, purity, and spirituality.