# Hadrian — Poetry character guide

> Hadrian in Poetry by Fernando Pessoa.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** thou, Thy, thee, thy

**First appearance:** 0037-antinous

## Who they are

The Roman emperor whose grief for the dead Antinous becomes an imperial act of will, remaking a lost boy into a god.

## Relationships

### [Death](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_6_se/characters/death)

_rivalry_

Death and Hadrian are locked in a tense rivalry, with Hadrian resisting or challenging Death's inevitable claim.

### [Lo](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_6_se/characters/lo)

_friendship_

Hadrian and Lo share a bond of camaraderie and mutual support, often acting as allies in the face of larger forces.

### [Venus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_6_se/characters/venus)

_friendship_

Hadrian and Venus are companions who share a respectful and affectionate friendship, often mediating between others.

### [The Bride](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_6_se/characters/the_bride)

_social_

Hadrian and The Bride are acquaintances with a formal or distant connection, possibly through shared circles.

### [Ganymede](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_6_se/characters/ganymede)

_friendship_

Ganymede and Hadrian are close friends, bound by loyalty and shared experiences.

### [Venus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_6_se/characters/venus)

_friendship_

Hadrian and Venus are companions who share a respectful and affectionate friendship, often mediating between others.

### [Lo](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_6_se/characters/lo)

_friendship_

Hadrian and Lo share a bond of camaraderie and mutual support, often acting as allies in the face of larger forces.

## In the story

### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_6_se/chapters/xiii)

The beloved addressed as 'thee,' whose love is the speaker's dream.

### [XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_6_se/chapters/xix)

The beloved addressed as 'thee', whose beauty the speaker sings but does not wish to possess.

### [Chapter XX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_6_se/chapters/xx)

The beloved addressed as 'thee' whose face the speaker hopes to remember in a future life.

### [Antinous](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_6_se/chapters/antinous)

The grieving Emperor, consumed by sorrow and lust, who vows to deify Antinous and immortalize their love.

### [XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_6_se/chapters/xv)

Implied as the bridegroom whose haste is restrained in memory.

### [Spell](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_6_se/chapters/spell)

The addressed beloved, described as angelic, veiled, and crowned with spirit-beams.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_6_se/characters/hadrian
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_6_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_6_se/characters