# Ysobel — Cup of Gold character guide

> Ysobel in Cup of Gold by John Steinbeck.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Doña Ysobel

**First appearance:** 0020-iv

## Who they are

A Spanish noblewoman ransomed from Panama, whose brief, searching confession to her captor leaves him staring at his own bewildered reflection.

## Relationships

### [Henry Morgan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cup_of_gold_se/characters/henry_morgan)

_romantic_

Henry is obsessed with Ysobel, an idealized and unattainable woman who represents his romantic longing and the source of his deepest emotional turmoil.

### [Henry Morgan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cup_of_gold_se/characters/henry_morgan)

_romantic_

Henry is obsessed with Ysobel, an idealized and unattainable woman who represents his romantic longing and the source of his deepest emotional turmoil.

### [Henry Morgan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cup_of_gold_se/characters/henry_morgan)

_romantic_

Henry is obsessed with Ysobel, an idealized and unattainable woman who represents his romantic longing and the source of his deepest emotional turmoil.

## In the story

### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cup_of_gold_se/chapters/iii)

Referred to as 'La Santa Roja'; Morgan repeatedly asks if she has been found, but she remains missing.

### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cup_of_gold_se/chapters/iv)

Doña Ysobel resists Morgan's advances, defends herself with a pin, and mocks his manhood, ultimately praying in her cell.

### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cup_of_gold_se/chapters/v)

Referenced as the Red Saint; Morgan arranges her ransom for twenty thousand pieces of eight.

### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cup_of_gold_se/chapters/vi)

Tells Henry her life story, from convent to Paris to a brutal thief; expresses sorrow for Henry's lost youth and prepares to return to her husband.

### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cup_of_gold_se/chapters/vii)

Ransomed and returned to her husband, she seeks validation from Morgan but is met with cold indifference.

### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cup_of_gold_se/chapters/v)

The ransomed Spanish noblewoman, whose fate becomes a symbol of the moral compromises of conquest.

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cup_of_gold_se/chapters/ii)

Mentioned as the woman in Panama; Morgan recounts the dilemma of choosing between her and ransom.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cup_of_gold_se/characters/ysobel
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cup_of_gold_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cup_of_gold_se/characters