Dr. Swift, D.S.P.D.
In "Verses on the Death of Dr. Swift, D.S.P.D. Swift explores the strange phenomenon of witnessing a friend undergo difficult circumstances. He focuses upon death and the uncontrollable. By the end, Swift is recounting his own life as if in an obituary, pondering what his friends would have to say about him after he's gone.
Strephon and Chloe
These are the subjects of their self-titled poem in which their sex life in marriage suffers because Strephon is disgusted by the human body. His revulsion to his wife's body on an intimate level is symptomatic of his own disgust with himself and his human condition. Meanwhile, Chloe's self-esteem suffers as well as her own attraction to her husband.
Vanessa
Vanessa is the woman created by Venus in "Cadenus and Vanessa." She is supposedly a perfectly virtuous person. She's created to resolve some contentions among the nymphs and the shepherds under Venus' domain. When Vanessa falls in love with an older man, she is rejected because he is unwilling to see her romantically, despite her upstanding character and general loveliness.
Cassinus & Celia
"Cassinus and Peter" is the story of these two men discussing Cassinus' marriage woes. Recently having married his wife Celia, Cassinus is quickly revolted by her behavior - namely, that she defecates. Cassinus had been operating under the assumption that women do not in fact excrete in the same way as men or ever, in fact. His character is used as a satirical figure who illustrates the absurd expectations which men often place upon women.
