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Mrs. Woodcourt is Mr. Woodcourt’s mother and becomes the mother-in-law of Esther Summerson. She is a friend of Mr. Jarndyce’s and often visits his house. Mrs. Woodcourt is a proud woman and claims that she comes from a noble Welsh family which is not recognized by the British aristocracy. When she realizes that Mr. Woodcourt is in love with Esther, Mrs. Woodcourt is initially convinced that Esther is not good enough for her son. She tries to put Esther off by subtly suggesting this and implying that her son is not really in love with Esther. She changes her mind, however, towards the end of the novel, when she discovers that Esther is Lady Dedlock’s daughter. Although Lady Dedlock is not really from a noble family, Mrs. Woodcourt does not realize this and assumes that Esther is a member of the aristocracy because of Lady Dedlock’s marriage to the noble Sir Leicester Dedlock.
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Mrs. Woodcourt Character Timeline in Bleak House
The timeline below shows where the character Mrs. Woodcourt appears in Bleak House. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 17
The next day, Mr. Woodcourt comes to visit and brings his mother, Mrs. Woodcourt . Mr. Woodcourt has plans to travel to China and has come to say goodbye....
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Chapter 30
When Esther, Ada, and Mr. Jarndyce return to Lincolnshire, Mrs. Woodcourt comes to visit them. She takes an interest in Esther and tells her a lot...
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Mrs. Woodcourt then asks Esther if she intends to marry and, when Esther expresses surprise, Mrs. Woodcourt...
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After Mrs. Woodcourt ’s departure, Caddy comes to stay and asks Ada and Esther to help her plan...
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Chapter 44
...does her hair in the mirror. The sight of her scarred face makes her remember Mrs. Woodcourt and, for some reason, this and the memory of Mr. Woodcourt’s flowers makes her cry...
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Chapter 60
Mrs. Woodcourt has come to stay with them, and Mr. Jarndyce asks Esther how she gets along...
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Chapter 64
...doubt that the pair loved each other. He tells her that he has spoken with Mrs. Woodcourt and that once he explained that Esther is really a Dedlock, the woman was won...
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