# Julie d'Aiglemont — A Woman of Thirty character guide

> Julie d'Aiglemont in A Woman of Thirty by Honoré de Balzac.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Julie, poor Julie, the Marquise, Madame la Marquise, Madame d'Aiglemont, Marquise, Madame

**First appearance:** 0001-a-woman-of-thirty

## Who they are

A young wife who weds a soldier for love and discovers too late that marriage can be a slow, elegant form of abandonment.

## In the story

### [A Woman of Thirty](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_woman_of_thirty_se/chapters/a-woman-of-thirty)

Central figure reflecting on her life and societal expectations at thirty.

### [I: Early Mistakes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_woman_of_thirty_se/chapters/i-early-mistakes)

Reflects on her unhappy marriage, decides to manipulate her husband for her daughter's sake, but struggles with her conscience. She attempts to reassert herself in society but is shaken by seeing Arthur.

### [II: A Hidden Grief](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_woman_of_thirty_se/chapters/ii-a-hidden-grief)

Reveals her suicidal despair, hidden grief over a lost love, and conflicted feelings about motherhood and societal expectations.

### [At Thirty Years](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_woman_of_thirty_se/chapters/iii-at-thirty-years)

Now thirty years old, Julie is melancholy, resigned, and guarded. She reveals to Charles the secret love who died for her four years ago, and uses her maturity to control the dynamics of their relationship.

### [IV: The Finger of God](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_woman_of_thirty_se/chapters/iv-the-finger-of-god)

Appears as the mother in the riverside scene, showing clear preference for her younger son Charles and displaying a romantic attachment to a young man.

### [Two Meetings](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_woman_of_thirty_se/chapters/v-two-meetings)

The Marquise is present at Hélène's deathbed, overwhelmed by guilt and sorrow, and later reflects on her daughter's reproach.

### [VI: The Old Age of a Guilty Mother](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_woman_of_thirty_se/chapters/vi-the-old-age-of-a-guilty-mother)

The aging mother who has given up her fortune and is neglected by her daughter Moïna. She endures subtle cruelties and ultimately dies, leaving Moïna remorseful.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_woman_of_thirty_se/characters/julie_daiglemont
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_woman_of_thirty_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_woman_of_thirty_se/characters