# Beloved — Poetry character guide > Beloved in Poetry by James Joyce. **Role:** major **Also known as:** thou, thee, thy, sweetheart, lady, dear heart **First appearance:** 0000-chamber-music ## Snapshot The addressed sweetheart — remembered in kisses by Donnycarney, invoked in rain, and finally missed when an army charges and she is gone. ## Who they are She is the 'thou' and 'sweetheart' of the Chamber Music sequence, present in a summer walk, a kiss softer than the wind, and a hand-in-hand wandering through a brown land where love has ended. Her defining tension is absence: she is invoked more than she speaks, and the poems' tenderness keeps shading into leave-taking. She matters because the narrator's whole emotional weather — rain, winter, waters, the charging army — is measured against her nearness or her loss. ## Relationships ### [Narrator](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_11_se/characters/narrator) _romantic_ The narrator is intensely devoted to the Beloved, who represents a specific person of desire, with interactions suggesting longing and emotional intimacy. ### [Love](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_11_se/characters/love) _psychological_ Beloved and Love are abstract counterparts, with Beloved representing a tangible object of affection and Love an idealized force, creating a tension between reality and ideal. ### [Players](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_11_se/characters/players) _social_ The Beloved shares a distant or symbolic connection with Players, likely as part of a performance or allegorical scene. ## In the story ### [Chamber Music](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_11_se/chapters/chamber-music) The object of the narrator's affection, addressed directly in the verses. ### [IV: When the Shy Star Goes Forth in Heaven](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_11_se/chapters/iv-when-the-shy-star-goes-forth-in-heaven) The one addressed, who is called to recognize the singer. ### [V: Lean Out of the Window](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_11_se/chapters/v-lean-out-of-the-window) Addressed as 'Goldenhair,' the singer whose merry air draws the narrator out. ### [VI: I Would in That Sweet Bosom Be](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_11_se/chapters/vi-i-would-in-that-sweet-bosom-be) The object of the speaker's desire, whose bosom and heart represent safety and sweetness. ### [VII: My Love Is in a Light Attire](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_11_se/chapters/vii-my-love-is-in-a-light-attire) Walks in a light attire among apple trees, bending to her shadow and holding up her dress. ### [Who Goes Amid the Green Wood](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_11_se/chapters/viii-who-goes-amid-the-green-wood) The young and fair true love for whom the woodland wears its rich apparel. ### [IX: Winds of May, That Dance on the Sea](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_11_se/chapters/ix-winds-of-may-that-dance-on-the-sea) The absent true love whom the narrator seeks. ### [X: Bright Cap and Streamers](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_11_se/chapters/x-bright-cap-and-streamers) Addressed as 'Sweetheart' at the end, the one the lover comes to. ### [XI: Bid Adieu, Adieu, Adieu](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_11_se/chapters/xi-bid-adieu-adieu-adieu) The addressee, a young woman being urged to abandon her girlish ways and maidenhood for Love. ### [XII: What Counsel Has the Hooded Moon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_11_se/chapters/xii-what-counsel-has-the-hooded-moon) Referred to as 'my shyly sweet' and 'sweet sentimentalist,' the object of the narrator's address. ### [XIII: Go Seek Her Out All Courteously](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_11_se/chapters/xiii-go-seek-her-out-all-courteously) The one being sought out and addressed through the wind's song. ### [XIV: My Dove, My Beautiful One](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_11_se/chapters/xiv-my-dove-my-beautiful-one) The one addressed as 'my dove, my beautiful one' and 'my sister, my love'. ### [XVI: O Cool Is the Valley Now](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_11_se/chapters/xvi-o-cool-is-the-valley-now) The one addressed and invited to the valley. ### [XVII: Because Your Voice Was at My Side](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_11_se/chapters/xvii-because-your-voice-was-at-my-side) The beloved whose voice and hand guided the speaker's actions. ### [XVIII: O Sweetheart, Hear You](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_11_se/chapters/xviii-o-sweetheart-hear-you) The sweetheart being addressed and asked to hear the lover's tale. ### [XIX: Be Not Sad Because All Men](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_11_se/chapters/xix-be-not-sad-because-all-men) The recipient of the speaker's comfort, addressed as 'Sweetheart' and urged to be at peace. ### [XX: In the Dark Pine-Wood](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_11_se/chapters/xx-in-the-dark-pine-wood) The one addressed and invited to share an intimate moment in the forest. ### [XXII: Of That So Sweet Imprisonment](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_11_se/chapters/xxii-of-that-so-sweet-imprisonment) The one whose soft arms woo the narrator to relent and detain. ### [XXIII: This Heart That Flutters Near My Heart](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_11_se/chapters/xxiii-this-heart-that-flutters-near-my-heart) The one whose heart flutters near the speaker's, representing hope and happiness. ### [XXIV: Silently She’s Combing](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_11_se/chapters/xxiv-silently-she-s-combing) The silent figure combing her long hair, whose beauty and grace are described as bewitching. ### [XXV: Lightly Come or Lightly Go](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_11_se/chapters/xxv-lightly-come-or-lightly-go) Addressed directly as 'thy' and 'thee'; urged to let laughter run and hair ripple in the mountain air. ### [XXVI: Thou Leanest to the Shell of Night](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_11_se/chapters/xxvi-thou-leanest-to-the-shell-of-night) The dear lady who leans to the shell of night with a divining ear. ### [XXVII: Though I Thy Mithridates Were](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_11_se/chapters/xxvii-though-i-thy-mithridates-were) The beloved is addressed directly, and their tenderness is described as having a 'malice' that the speaker must confess. ### [XXIX: Dear Heart, Why Will You Use Me So?](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_11_se/chapters/xxix-dear-heart-why-will-you-use-me-so) The addressed heart and eyes, whose beauty is praised but whose actions cause sorrow. ### [XXX: Love Came to Us in Time Gone By](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_11_se/chapters/xxx-love-came-to-us-in-time-gone-by) The one who played shyly and stood in fear during the early days of love. ### [XXXI: O, It Was Out by Donnycarney](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_11_se/chapters/xxxi-o-it-was-out-by-donnycarney) The beloved who speaks sweet words and gives a gentle kiss to the narrator. ### [XXXII: Rain Has Fallen All the Day](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_11_se/chapters/xxxii-rain-has-fallen-all-the-day) The one addressed and invited to come among the trees and share a moment of connection before parting. ### [XXXIII: Now, O Now, in This Brown Land](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_11_se/chapters/xxxiii-now-o-now-in-this-brown-land) The companion addressed as 'sweetheart,' sharing a final kiss and farewell. ### [Pomes Penyeach](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_11_se/chapters/pomes-penyeach) Addressed in several poems as the object of desire and affection. ### [Tilly](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_11_se/chapters/tilly) Implied through the torn bough, a symbol of lost love or connection. ### [She Weeps Over Rahoon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_11_se/chapters/she-weeps-over-rahoon) The dark lover lying under the rain on Rahoon. ### [Tutto è Sciolto](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_11_se/chapters/tutto-sciolto) The one remembered, with 'clear young eyes' and 'fragrant hair,' who yielded love with a sigh. ### [On the Beach at Fontana](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_11_se/chapters/on-the-beach-at-fontana) The trembling boy, likely a beloved child, whom the speaker comforts. ### [Alone](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_11_se/chapters/alone) The unnamed beloved whose name is whispered by the reeds. ### [Bahnhofstrasse](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_11_se/chapters/bahnhofstrasse) Implied by the trysting star and the mocking eyes that sign the way. ### [A Prayer](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_11_se/chapters/a-prayer) Addressed as 'silent love' and 'beloved enemy,' the object of the narrator's desperate prayer. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_11_se/characters/beloved - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_11_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_11_se/characters