Ben Jonson
Jonson is the speaker and the boy's father. He bitterly resents the death of his son, even though he attempts to convince himself that it's for the best. The poem makes their relationship seem loving and intimate.
The son
Jonson's son, who died at seven years old, is the subject of the poem and the person the speaker addresses. We don't learn much about his personality, but we know who he was to his father: a source of joy, a person he liked, and a favorite child.
God
Though Jonson never names God directly, he's an important character in the poem. The speaker sees God as a powerful and distant figure who gave him his son as a loan, and has now collected the debt. God is a just figure, but not a very lovable one.
