Adonais is a brilliant, 25-year-old poet who suffers an untimely death from a virulent illness. Modeled after the mythological figure Adonis, he represents the tragic loss of unfulfilled artistic promise and the physical vulnerability of youth. His death prompts a cosmic outpouring of grief from nature and allegorical figures, though his spirit ultimately transcends mortal decay to achieve a glorious immortality.

The narrator of the elegy is an idealistic and impassioned poet grieving the loss of his young peer. He considers the implications of death for an artist, fighting a dark lure toward despair and self-destruction. He eventually serves as a philosophical guide, articulating the immortal nature of the poetic soul and finding hope in spiritual endurance.

A mythological muse and the allegorical mother of Adonais. She is devastated by the sudden loss of her youngest and dearest child, leaving her sanctuary to travel to his death chamber. She represents the profound, unanswerable grief of a parent losing a child too soon, asking unanswerable questions about why his wisdom could not protect him.

An allegorical representation of the harsh literary establishment, specifically the critic John Wilson Croker. Described as an envious, tone-deaf insect, he is blamed for inducing the deep melancholy that left the young poet vulnerable to illness. The Speaker curses him to live a long life burdened by secret shame.

A revered historical poet who died centuries prior to the events of the elegy. He is summoned by the speaker as a point of comparison to highlight the tragedy of dying young. He serves as an example of the enduring immortality that great artists achieve through their creative works.

One of the illustrious, deceased poets who now reside in eternity. He rises, still bearing the solemn memory of his own earthly agony, to welcome the newly deceased youth into the immortal company of great artists.

A celebrated past poet who fought, lived, and loved sublimely during his time on Earth. He exists in eternity and steps forward to greet the newly arrived soul with dazzling immortality.

A notable literary figure from the past whose works ensured his immortality. He joins the assembly of great minds who receive the fallen poet into their radiant, eternal throng.