The Speaker
The speaker is the narrator and most important human character in the poem. He admires the west wind for its power, destructive and revitalizing nature, and freedom. The speaker laments that aging has made him feel trapped, recalling the more carefree and hopeful days of his youth. He is a visionary who wants to inspire great change, not just within himself but within mankind as a whole.
The West Wind
The west wind is the focal point of the poem and, in a sense, its most important character. The wind is described as a simultaneously destructive and rejuvenating force ("Destroyer and preserver"), as it, for example, means death in the fall but growth in the spring. The wind is extremely powerful and free, causing waves and clouds to move across the water and sky, respectively. Due to all of these traits, the wind is seen as inherently revolutionary, causing great change, like the transformations that take place at various points in the history of the human race.
