Newland Archer is a main character. He is a young lawyer from a respected New York family. He is engaged to May Welland but falls in love with Ellen Olenska.
May Welland is an important character too. She is Newland's fiancée. She appears to be the perfect society girl, but she has her own ways of dealing with the situations around her. Ellen Olenska is also a main figure. She is a countess who has returned to New York after leaving her unhappy marriage in Europe, and she brings a different perspective to the rather stuffy New York society.