Yevgeny is a poor government clerk living in Saint Petersburg. He worries constantly about his financial struggles and his lack of opportunity compared to the wealthy aristocratic class. He desires a simple, quiet life, dreaming of marrying his sweetheart, Parasha, and eventually raising a family away from the demands of the state.

Peter the Great is the historical tsar and founder of Saint Petersburg. Driven by a desire to modernize Russia and open a window to the West, he chooses to build a majestic city on a marshy flood plain regardless of the human cost. Within the narrative, his legacy is represented by the Bronze Horseman, an imposing statue that symbolizes the unyielding, absolute power of the Russian state over the individual.

Parasha is a young woman who lives with her widowed mother in a humble cottage near the coast. She is Yevgeny's sweetheart and represents his modest hopes for domestic happiness. Her vulnerable living situation places her directly in the path of the rising waters when the Neva River overflows.

The unnamed speaker of the poem is a devoted resident of Saint Petersburg. He actively enjoys the cultural life of the city, from reading in his room at dusk to attending balls and watching military parades. He views Peter the Great as a national hero but maintains a sense of compassion for the lower classes affected by the city's harsh environment.

Tsar Alexander I is the ruler of Russia during the great flood of 1824. Unlike his ancestor Peter the Great, who seemingly bent nature to his will by building the city, Alexander recognizes his own helplessness in the face of the raging elements. He dispatches men in boats to rescue as many citizens as possible during the disaster.

She is a widow living with her daughter, Parasha, in a small, battered cottage near the sea. Her remote and humble living situation leaves her entirely unprotected from the flooding river.

A ferryman who operates on the Neva River. He steers his small boat through rough, dangerous waters to help Yevgeny reach the opposite shore so the young clerk can search for his sweetheart's home.