Characters and speaker

The poem “Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802” by William Wordsworth presents the poet as the speaker. As the title of the poem says, the poet stopped on Westminster Bridge in the morning of September 3, 1802; there, he became fascinated by the beauty he saw.

The presence of the author can be sensed through the use of the first person singular “I”: “Ne’er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep!” (l. 11)

The poem presents the poet’s feeling of awe regarding the London landscape. The feeling is so powerful that the author needs to call upon God: “Dear God! the very houses seem asleep;” (l. 13)

The above line also suggests the fact that the poet sees the city of London as a divine creation. Even the way in which the morning sun looks above the city seems spectacular, something out of the ordinary:

“Never did sun more beautifully steep
In his first splendour, valley, rock or hill;” (ll. 9-10)

When talking about characters and narrator, try to imagine how the poem would have looked like if it were written from another perspective. Would it have had the same effect on you if it were written from a third-person perspective, for example?...