Bleak House

Bleak House

by

Charles Dickens

Mademoiselle Hortense Character Analysis

Mademoiselle Hortense, a French woman, is Lady Dedlock’s maid. She is an extremely jealous and proud woman and cannot stand to be treated as an inferior in her role as a servant. She despises Lady Dedlock because of her haughty manner and leaves her service when Lady Dedlock replaces her with Rosa and seeks to punish her for her arrogant behavior. While they are at Chesney Wold, Esther Summerson, Ada Clare, and Mr. Jarndyce watch Mademoiselle Hortense walk through wet grass in bare feet when Lady Dedlock dismisses her from her service and chooses Rosa over her. Mr. Jarndyce suggests that Mademoiselle Hortense does this so that she will become ill and will possibly die, which she feels will punish Lady Dedlock. This demonstrates the intensity of Mademoiselle Hortense’s pride and her obsessive hatred of her mistress. After she leaving Lady Dedlock’s service, Mademoiselle Hortense harasses Mr. Tulkinghorn and Mr. Snagsby, who she thinks may have incriminating evidence about Lady Dedlock’s past. Both these men find her unnerving and suggest she may be mad. This is confirmed at the end of the novel, when Mademoiselle Hortense murders Mr. Tulkinghorn and tries to frame Lady Dedlock for his murder. She confesses this when she is arrested by Mr. Bucket and is frenzied in her hatred for Lady Dedlock.

Mademoiselle Hortense Quotes in Bleak House

The Bleak House quotes below are all either spoken by Mademoiselle Hortense or refer to Mademoiselle Hortense. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Social Mobility, Class, and Lineage Theme Icon
).
Chapter 54 Quotes

Heaven knows what he sees. The green, green woods of Chesney Wold, the noble house, the pictures of his forefathers, strangers defacing them, officers of police coarsely handling his most precious heirlooms, thousands of fingers pointing at him, thousands of faces sneering at him. But if such shadows flit before him to his bewilderment, there is one other shadow which he can name with something like distinctness even yet, and to which alone he addresses his tearing of his white hair, and his extended arms.

Related Characters: Lady Dedlock, Sir Leicester Dedlock, Mr. Tulkinghorn, Mr. Bucket, Mademoiselle Hortense
Related Symbols: Houses
Page Number: 629-630
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Bleak House LitChart as a printable PDF.
Bleak House PDF

Mademoiselle Hortense Quotes in Bleak House

The Bleak House quotes below are all either spoken by Mademoiselle Hortense or refer to Mademoiselle Hortense. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Social Mobility, Class, and Lineage Theme Icon
).
Chapter 54 Quotes

Heaven knows what he sees. The green, green woods of Chesney Wold, the noble house, the pictures of his forefathers, strangers defacing them, officers of police coarsely handling his most precious heirlooms, thousands of fingers pointing at him, thousands of faces sneering at him. But if such shadows flit before him to his bewilderment, there is one other shadow which he can name with something like distinctness even yet, and to which alone he addresses his tearing of his white hair, and his extended arms.

Related Characters: Lady Dedlock, Sir Leicester Dedlock, Mr. Tulkinghorn, Mr. Bucket, Mademoiselle Hortense
Related Symbols: Houses
Page Number: 629-630
Explanation and Analysis: