Phoenix
The phoenix is a mystical bird that burns itself in flames every 500 years and is renewed from the ashes. In this poem, the Phoenix is female. She is described as a “queen.” Her lover is the Turtle. When the poem begins, they have both died. Their love is a mystical union, in which they manage to be both united and separate, one being and two.
Turtle
The turtle (short for turtledove) is a bird associated with faithfulness (called “truth” or “constancy” in the poem). His lover in the poem is the Phoenix. Like his lover, he is dead at the time that the poem begins.
The bird of loudest lay
The poem begins with the bird with the loudest voice being called to perch on the “sole Arabian tree” (palm tree) to serve as a herald that is sending out a message to all birds who are pure in heart. This bird calls them all to the ceremony in honor of the Phoenix and the Turtle.
The screech-owl
The screech-owl is described as a “shrieking harbinger” because its shrill voice is thought to signal the arrival of death. The screech-owl is not invited to the ceremony because it is not a lucky animal.
The eagle
The eagle is the only bird of prey who is allowed to join the ceremony. This is because the eagle is regal, a “feather’d king.” He represents monarchy in the ceremony.
The swan
The swan is invited to the ceremony to serve as the priest because its feathers are white like the colors of the “surplice” (ceremonial clothing) that priests wear. It represents the church. The swan is also invited to sing because its music is associated with the last moments of life (as in the expression “swan song”). The swan is thought to sing as it dies.
The crow
The crow is invited to the ceremony for its natural blackness ("sable gender") which is suitable for an occasion of mourning. It is also an auspicious bird because myth describes it as living three times longer (”treble-dated”) than humans. There is also a belief that the crow reproduces through its breath, which makes it a symbol of chastity.
Property
The word “property” was used in Shakespeare’s time to mean “personality.” In the poem, the concept is personified as Property and becomes a character. Property is “appalled” (shocked, confused) by the love between the Phoenix and the Turtle. In their love, “the self was not the same.” The two lovers are separate beings but are also fused into one.
Reason
Reason is personified in the poem and is the speaker in stanzas 14-18. Reason is “confounded” (confused) by the love between the Phoenix and the Turtle because it breaks the rules of logic. Reason works by forming categories that make distinctions between things. This mystical love confuses Reason because things that should remain separate do not. The lovers are “either neither”—that is, they are neither entirely themselves nor entirely each other. This confusion causes Reason to call out. It yells that Love is now the true Reason. Then Reason recites the “Threnos” (funeral song) that concludes the poem. There it praises the Phoenix and the Turtle and declares that truth and beauty have died with them.
Speaker
The first 5 stanzas of the poem are spoken by an unnamed entity or entities. It may be the poet, or the "bird of the loudest lay," or the whole chorus of birds that is speaking.
Chorus of birds
Stanzas 6-13 are an "anthem" spoken by the chorus of birds that have gathered to commemorate the Phoenix and the Turtle. This chorus is made up of the eagle, swan, crow, and unidentified "bird of loudest lay."
