The Speaker

The most important character in the poem, as in most poetry, is the speaker. The speaker is a prisoner, both literally and metaphorically. He is himself a poet of sorts, choosing elaborate, symbolically rich language to describe his experiences of imprisonment. He is also an ardent monarchist, a supporter of the king and a defender of his cause. He is proud of his beliefs, and of his own courage in standing up for them even as they become politically unpopular and personally dangerous.

Althea

The only other character in the poem is Althea. She is presumably the speaker’s love interest. However, we learn very little about her during the poem. We learn that she is “divine,” perhaps an allusion to her physical beauty (3). We know the speaker considers himself bound to her in a deep way. It is likely that Althea was not a real woman...