An aging hero and king of Ithaca who has recently returned home after the Trojan War and a grueling sea journey. Unfulfilled by the mundane tasks of governing, he longs for the thrill of adventure and the pursuit of new knowledge. He possesses a deeply restless spirit and views constant exploration as the only true way to live.

The capable and dutiful son of Ulysses. He is well-suited to the slow, prudent work of governance and domestic administration that his father despises. He possesses the patience needed to gradually civilize a rugged population and maintain the religious and civic traditions of the island.

The wife of Ulysses who waited for his return to Ithaca during his long absences. Within the poem's text, her husband views their domestic life together as part of the dull, static existence he desperately wants to leave behind.

The surviving sailors who accompanied Ulysses through his treacherous journey home from Troy. They are old men now, but they share their captain's history of surviving extreme hardship. They serve as the intended audience for Ulysses's rousing speech to set sail once more.

A legendary fallen warrior from the Trojan War. Ulysses uses his memory to inspire the mariners, suggesting that even if their new journey leads to death, they will earn the reward of reuniting with this great hero in the Happy Isles.