The only character who appears in the poem is the speaker. Indeed, she is a tremendously isolated figure, alone in a maze which keeps her constantly turning, looking for the right way. We can assume that the speaker is female from the context of the other poems in the sonnet sequence, which present a woman's perspective on the romantic pursuit central to the sonnet form. This speaker is depicted as someone in a state of panic: overwhelmed with many different options, and uncertain which is the right one. She seems to be a deeply unhappy and ultimately pessimistic figure, someone who sees little hope of ever finding the way out.