Hecuba is the former queen of Troy, now enslaved by the Greeks following the sack of her city. Once a powerful and wealthy matriarch, she represents the devastating fall from grace experienced by the defeated survivors of the Trojan War. Despite being reduced to the status of a captive and suffering immense grief, she maintains her aristocratic dignity and a fierce protective instinct over her remaining family members.

Polyxena is the daughter of Hecuba and the late King Priam, recently reduced from a Trojan princess to an enslaved captive. Faced with the prospect of being sacrificed to the ghost of the Greek hero Achilles to secure favorable winds, she displays remarkable courage. She prioritizes her mother's grief over her own fear, viewing execution as a preferable alternative to a life of physical subjugation.

Agamemnon is the king of Mycenae and the supreme commander of the Greek army holding the Trojan women captive. Cautious and politically minded, he must balance his own desires with the demands of his restless, wind-bound soldiers. He demonstrates a degree of sympathy toward the fallen Trojan royalty, complicated heavily by his personal romantic interest in Hecuba's captive daughter.

Polymestor is the King of Thrace and a trusted ally to the royal house of Troy prior to the war. Priam and Hecuba entrusted him with the care of their youngest son and a large sum of gold, hoping to keep the boy safe from the Greek siege. Operating on opportunistic self-interest rather than loyalty, he readily aligns himself with the victorious Greeks and betrays the trust placed in him by the Trojan royals.

Polydorus is the youngest son of Hecuba and Priam. Before the war escalated, his parents sent him to Thrace with a fortune in gold, hoping to secure a future for the Trojan royal line should the city fall. Operating as an expository figure, he hovers over the shore and observes the tragic convergence of the Greek fleet, his grieving mother, and the impending sacrifices.

Odysseus is the cunning king of Ithaca and a prominent Greek hero. A pragmatic realist and skilled orator, he prioritizes the demands of the Greek army and their fallen heroes over personal debts. During the war, he infiltrated Troy as a spy and was spared by Hecuba—a history that complicates his current mission to enforce the army's harsh decrees against her family.

Talthybius is the elderly herald of the Greek army. Tasked with delivering messages between the commanders and the captives, he bridges the gap between the victors and the defeated. Unlike some of his Greek peers, he displays genuine compassion and is visibly moved by the suffering of the fallen Trojan royalty.

The handmaid is a loyal attendant to Hecuba, sharing in the misery of the enslaved Trojan women. She performs domestic and ritual duties for the fallen queen, acting as an extension of Hecuba's will and a direct witness to the unfolding tragedies on the Thracian beach.

The Chorus consists of enslaved Trojan women who have been taken captive after the sack of their city. They serve as companions and confidants to Hecuba, sharing her grief over their murdered families and ruined homeland. They express the collective anxiety of the captives, wondering which Greek cities they will be sent to and what their miserable futures hold.