The protagonist and narrator of the work is named once as Guillaume de Lorris himself, the author of the first part of the work. It is unclear at best what traits he shares with the real de Lorris, as little to nothing is known about him. While he is the primary character in the work, and the center of much of the action, he is a static character with minimal internal growth. He shows the devotion, foolishness, and emotionality expected of a courtly love tale. The narrator exists as a vehicle for the rest of the story, although he also serves as the lover of the rose, or a key part of the courtly love tradition of a pair of lovers.

The narrator is indirectly characterized by his thoughts and feelings; little personal information is given about him beyond his interest in the rose and his reactions to other characters. Since this is a medieval work, however, this sort of characterization is normal: The work functions as a psychological and spiritual allegory, so the narrator’s primary purpose is to convey this internal allegorical truth to the readers as broadly as possible.