An Allied Forces soldier in World War I who is physically exhausted by continuous warfare. He survives a sudden chemical attack but is left traumatized by witnessing a fellow soldier suffocate. He possesses a strong sense of duty to record the grim physical realities of war and harbors intense anger toward those who blindly promote military service to youth.

A weary soldier in the speaker's regiment who fails to secure his mask in time during a chlorine gas deployment. He suffers severe internal chemical burns and suffocates on dry land. His violent agony haunts the speaker in recurrent dreams.

A figure representing pro-war propagandists and naive supporters on the home front. This person enthusiastically repeats the Latin phrase "Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori" to children, encouraging them to seek military glory without understanding the physical horrors of the battlefield.

A 25-year-old English soldier and poet who enlists in World War I and experiences front-line combat. He is diagnosed with shell shock and treated at Craiglockhart War Hospital. He dedicates his writing to exposing the physical horrors of battle and actively writes against patriotic propaganda that glorifies combat.

An established poet and soldier who meets Owen while both recover from shell shock. He reads and edits Owen's poetry, helping him translate his emotional experiences into art. He opposes Owen's return to active duty.

A woman poet who writes popular pro-war verses aimed at young men. She compares military service to a game and urges young men to enlist. Her work represents the home-front ignorance that Owen vehemently opposes in his writing.

A doctor who treats Owen for shell shock in Edinburgh. He encourages Owen to process his wartime trauma and flashbacks by writing poetry for the hospital's journal.

An elderly French poet and pacifist. He meets Owen before the outbreak of World War I and encourages his early literary efforts.

The mother of Wilfred Owen. She raises four children in England and maintains a close relationship with her eldest son before he goes off to war.

The father of Wilfred Owen. He works as a railway station master in England near the border of Wales.

An English poet who writes verses focusing on the honor, heroics, and glory of military service. His work, such as "The Soldier," provides a direct contrast to the gritty realism of poets who experience actual combat.

An ancient Roman poet. He originates the famous line "Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori," which becomes a widely used philosophy to support English military efforts during World War I.

A military sergeant who serves in World War I. He records the experience of troops singing repetitive songs to cope with the endlessness and lack of progress in trench warfare.