Elisa Esposito
Played by Sally Hawkins, Elisa is a mute janitor who works at a secret government laboratory. Along with her friend and translator Zelda Fuller, Elisa discovers a strange creature being locked away in the facility and kept away from the world. As she grows fonder of the creature, she finds in the creature something similar to her—a being that cannot speak, that does not judge her, and that she doesn't judge.
Zelda Fuller
Zelda is the funny guy to Elisa's straight man, often depicted as sassy and constantly sounding off on anything that comes to mind. She is a good friend to Elisa—not just her translator, but one of her fiercest allies. The only time we see Zelda quiver is when confronted by arch-antagonist Strickland, the very type of figure in society who is hell-bent on her oppression.
Richard Strickland
Richard Strickland is the ruthless colonel who finds the strange creature in the Amazon and brings it back to the U.S. for research. He's also a family man, a reader of self-help books, and a man who looks like he needs a Cadillac. His character and his desires seem to embody a kind of bad-dream version of the mid-century American dream of a good job, a nice wife, and a suburban home. He is the villain of the film, but not just because he wants to kill the creature. He sexually harasses Elisa, takes pleasure in dominating those around him, and shows no impulses other than fear and anger.
Giles
Giles is Elisa's next-door neighbor, a down-on-his-luck illustrator and closeted gay man who finds himself frequently at odds with his times. He proves pivotal in Elisa's plan to steal the creature away from the laboratory, and quickly grows infatuated with the creature once it is in Elisa's apartment.
The Creature
Plucked from the Amazon where he was regarded as a god, the creature is both the film's monster (well, one of them) and main love interest. He quickly picks up sign language from Elisa and shows more tenderness than some of the other characters in the film. Guillermo Del Toro roughly modeled the creature on the monsters from The Creature from the Black Lagoon, although this monster is really something unique.
Richard Hoffstetler, aka Dimitri
Hoffstetler is the chief scientist assigned to work with the creature, and is the only figure in the government operation who believes the creature exhibits extraordinary signs of intelligence. We learn that Hoffstetler is actually a double agent and Soviet national, but his interests are driven by a genuine scientific curiosity, not any sort of political alignment. Hence, he emerges as a key ally in Elisa's mission to save the creature.
General Hoyt
Strickland's superior, General Hoyt represents the military establishment of the early Cold War. His support of vivisecting the creature and threatening Strickland with being disappeared show a brutality central to the American post-war project.
Fleming
Fleming is the manager character at the lab facility, in charge of keeping operations running smoothly and, later, accompanying Strickland on his investigation. Fleming mainly exists as a character to provide comedic relief, often pleading with the other characters not to curse or use the name of the Lord in vain.
The Clerk at the Pie Shop
The clerk at the pie shop is the object of Giles's affection, and at first appears to flirt with Giles. But when Giles finally makes a move, the clerk has a homophobic outburst and kicks Giles out right before he tells a black couple that they're not welcome to sit in the restaurant. The clerk represents the ugly side of the American status quo, and the naked bigotry that underpinned Norman Rockwell-like ideas about the quaint American way.
Brewster Fuller
We hear Zelda talk about Brewster a lot, often as she complains about him or recounts all the little lies she tells him to keep their marriage together. But we don't meet Brewster until Strickland storms into the Fuller house demanding to know the whereabouts of the creature. In that moment, Brewster stays put in his recliner and doesn't do anything to get Strickland's hands off his wife. Instead, he betrays information about the creature in an act of cowardice.
