The central figure is an economically secure individual spending her Sunday morning resting at home. Despite her pleasant surroundings and the sensory delights of her breakfast, her mind wanders to darker thoughts of ancient religious sacrifices. She questions her desire for eternal spiritual bliss while feeling drawn to the immediate beauty of the physical world.

The poetic speaker functions as a philosophical voice observing and eventually conversing with the protagonist. This entity articulates the text's core arguments about mortality and the beauty of the natural world. Blurring the line between an external observer and the woman's own internal monologue, the speaker advocates for finding divinity in earthly experiences rather than waiting for a heavenly paradise.

The mythological Roman god appears in the text as a representation of pure, unearthly divinity. He possesses an inhuman birth and never experiences the grounding reality of an earthly mother or sweet land. He exists as a distant, muttering king who eventually comingles with humanity.

A central figure of the Christian tradition whose historical death casts a long shadow over Western thought. His grave in Palestine represents the traditional religious thinking the protagonist attempts to move beyond. The text portrays his tomb not as a supernatural site of resurrection, but as a physical resting place.