Louise Labe
Labe, as narrator of most of her poems, is also the primary character. She is not a particularly round character, providing explicit details about her life; instead, she expresses the agony of her love lost. For the most part, she walks through the stages of grief, frequently giving her specific reasons for avoiding death as an option out of her pain. Perhaps the greatest consolation for the agony of love is found in Sonnet VIII, in which Labe observes how even in love the agony is nearly unbearable.
The Lover
Labe's unnamed lover in Sonnet XXIII is the one who left. He broke his promises and sought to control her, eventually leaving her when he found he could not. Although she receives no consolation, Labe credits him with equal suffering in the breakup. She is certain that he too is mourning, even if she can identify true reasons to be upset with him now.
