# Rosalind Hilary — Dangerous Ages character guide > Rosalind Hilary in Dangerous Ages by Rose Macaulay. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Mrs. Hilary, Rosalind, Aunt Rosalind **First appearance:** 0002-dangerous-ages ## Snapshot Mrs. Hilary's malicious, sensuously alive sister-in-law, whose rich, ripe voice and watchful sympathy make every family gathering a quiet contest of appearances. ## Who they are Rosalind wallows in the shallows at the family's birthday bathe, crying out admiration for Mrs. Hilary while noting, with relish, that the others have swum off and left her. She is big, fair, and lazily alive, a woman before whom one must keep up an appearance of immense enjoyment because she is so malicious. Her needling attentions expose the small humiliations of ageing and family love, making her a persistent, needling pressure on the Hilarys' self-possession. ## Relationships ### [Nan Hilary](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/characters/nan_hilary) _family_ Nan and Rosalind are sisters, with a bond marked by mutual affection but also rivalry over life choices. ### [Gerda](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/characters/gerda) _family_ Gerda and Rosalind are sisters, with Rosalind often acting as a mentor and source of tension for Gerda. ### [Grandmama](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/characters/grandmama) _family_ Grandmama is Rosalind's grandmother, offering wisdom and a traditional perspective on life. ### [Gilbert](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/characters/gilbert) _family_ Gilbert is Rosalind's brother, with a relationship characterized by sibling banter and underlying care. ### [Jim Kenrick](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/characters/jim_kenrick) _romantic_ Jim is a former suitor of Rosalind, with lingering romantic tension and unresolved feelings between them. ### [Barry Briscoe](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/characters/barry_briscoe) _friendship_ Barry and Rosalind are friendly acquaintances, with Rosalind offering him advice about Gerda. ### [Grandmother](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/characters/grandmother) _family_ Grandmother is Rosalind's maternal grandmother, providing a contrasting, more modern influence than Grandmama. ### [Dr. Claude Evans](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/characters/dr_claude_evans) _professional_ Dr. Claude Evans is Rosalind's physician, treating her for anxiety and offering medical advice. ### [Pamela Neville](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/characters/pamela_neville) _friendship_ Pamela and Rosalind are friends, though their relationship is somewhat distant due to differing life stages. ### [Nan Hilary](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/characters/nan_hilary) _family_ Nan and Rosalind are sisters, with a bond marked by mutual affection but also rivalry over life choices. ### [Gerda](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/characters/gerda) _family_ Gerda and Rosalind are sisters, with Rosalind often acting as a mentor and source of tension for Gerda. ### [Nan Hilary](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/characters/nan_hilary) _family_ Nan and Rosalind are sisters, with a bond marked by mutual affection but also rivalry over life choices. ## In the story ### [Dangerous Ages](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters/dangerous-ages) Reflects on aging and the 'dangerous ages' of women, reading Freud and grappling with her sense of purpose. ### [Mrs. Hilary's Birthday](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters/ii-mrs-hilary-s-birthday) Mrs. Hilary feels her life's work is done; she is bored and melancholic, finding no solace in typical pastimes or intellectual pursuits. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters/i) Attends Mrs. Hilary's birthday as Gilbert's wife; enjoys exposing Mrs. Hilary's literary pretensions. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters/ii) Mrs. Hilary, turning sixty-three, expresses despair over the tedium of life and her lack of purpose, relying on Neville for comfort. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters/iii) Mrs. Hilary on her birthday; receives compliments from Grandmama, hosts her children, and expresses her strong opinions on psychoanalysis and the Salvation Army. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters/iii) Gilbert's wife, a voluptuous rake who has taken up psychoanalysis and studies Mrs. Hilary's 'case'; she recites poetry and recalls being saved at age eleven. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters/iv) Mrs. Hilary, the birthday woman, feels abandoned and struggles with her age during the family bathe. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters/v) Departs with Gilbert after dinner; her frank, unposturing nature contrasts with Mrs. Hilary's self-deception. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters/vi) Referred to as 'poor Gilbert's wife' by Grandmama; Mrs. Hilary's daughter-in-law, disliked by Grandmama. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters/vii) Interrupts Neville and Grandmama's conversation, feeling jealous and excluded; returns to bed after being soothed. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters/viii) Settled for the night along with Grandmama. ### [III: Family Life](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters/iii-family-life) Shows surprising, hesitant interest in psychoanalysis, asking Neville about its cures; also feels jealousy over Neville's closeness to Grandmama, weeping when she sees their bond. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters/iv) Mrs. Hilary reluctantly attends church with Grandmama and Neville, finding it stuffy and long, and is characterized by her restless, questing passion and high expectations of life. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters/v) Mentioned as having a 'too vivid fancy and a scandalous tongue' regarding Nan's affairs. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters/vi) Makes sharp, dismissive remarks about Ireland and the Anglo-Catholic Congress, revealing her irritable and conservative temperament. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters/vii) Feels excluded and bored after Neville is occupied, struggles with ennui and a sense of emptiness, contrasts herself with the young and Grandmama, and reluctantly considers Gerda's book. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters/viii) Caught reading Gerda's Freud book; blushes and dismisses it as absurd and not nice; unaware of Gerda's modern knowledge. ### [Roots](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters/iv-roots) Mentioned as Nan's mother; Nan fears becoming like her—'roaming, questing, feverishly devoured by her own impatience of life.' ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters/ii) Mentioned as Nan's mother, whose restless and jealous nature Nan fears becoming. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters/iii) Nan's mother; Nan fears inheriting her black moods and instability, though she sees herself as intellectually different. ### [V: Seaweed](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters/v-seaweed) Mrs. Hilary visits Rosalind for tea, hoping to discuss psychoanalysis. Rosalind is depicted as mocking and patronizing, enjoying the power dynamic. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters/i) The central consciousness of the chapter; she imagines a psychoanalytic interview and reflects on her life, her children, and her feelings of being old and discarded. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters/ii) Mrs. Hilary tries to share a personal story with Barry Briscoe but feels unheard and frustrated by her age. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters/iii) Mrs. Hilary's daughter-in-law, who is surprised by the visit and views her mother-in-law with amused condescension. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters/iii) The protagonist of the chapter, who goes shopping and then visits Rosalind for tea, seeking a private talk. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters/iv) Hosts Mrs. Hilary in her opulent drawing-room, displaying condescension and cruelty; discusses psychoanalysis and recommends Dr. Claude Evans. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters/iv) Visits Rosalind, feels uncomfortable and patronized; reveals her insomnia and interest in psychoanalysis, hoping for a cure. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters/v) Mrs. Hilary bitterly resents Rosalind for yawning behind her and for her perceived destructive influence on Gilbert, calling her a 'wicked, monstrous creature'. ### [VI: Jim](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters/vi-jim) Mrs. Hilary feels pained by Jim's mention of Neville, recalls past intellectual discussions with her husband, and shares her experience with Dr. Evans, seeking Jim's approval for psychoanalysis. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters/i) The patient seeking psychoanalysis; feels used up and bankrupt, but hopeful about treatment. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters/ii) Finds new purpose in psychoanalysis; feels hurt by children's perception of her as a fool; recalls past intellectual life with husband. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters/iii) Interrupts Neville and Jim's conversation, expresses skepticism about women doctors, and recalls past discussions with her husband. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters/i) Talking with Neville indoors. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters/iii) Present at the tea table, described with nervous, faded grace. ### [X: Principles](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters/x-principles) Mentioned as the one elder relative who might agree with Gerda's views on free unions, but for the wrong reasons—enjoyment rather than principle. Gerda finds this degrading. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters/iii) Mentioned as a potential ally for Gerda's views, but Gerda finds the idea degrading. ### [XI: That Which Remains](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters/xi-that-which-remains) Spreading scandal about Nan; Neville dismisses her as unchanging and scum-like. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters/i) Neville's mother; Neville compares her own aging and depression to her mother's, and imagines Rosalind will resort to heavy makeup and dye as she grows older. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters/i) Mentioned as the source of gossip about Nan and Stephen Lumley; described as a ferret for scandal. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters/v) Falls ill with influenza, abandoning plans to travel to Rome or write to Nan. ### [XII: The Mother](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters/xii-the-mother) Writes a gossipy letter to Mrs. Hilary about Nan's relationship with Stephen Lumley, provoking Mrs. Hilary's anger. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters/i) Undergoes psychoanalysis with Mr. Cradock, experiencing a religious-like happiness and exploring her unconscious. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters/ii) Engages in psychoanalysis with Mr. Cradock, finding it transformative and gaining a new lease on life. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters/iii) Sends a gossipy letter confirming Nan's rumored affair with Stephen Lumley, which Mrs. Hilary reads aloud to Grandmama. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters/iv) Seeks Mr. Cradock's advice about Nan's relationship, struggles with psychoanalytic terminology but feels strengthened. ### [XIII: The Daughter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters/xiii-the-daughter) Travels to Rome to confront Nan; struggles with travel, memories of Richard, and her own psychoanalytic treatment; oscillates between anger and maternal concern. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters/i) Protagonist enduring a difficult journey; reflects on her late husband Richard and her daughter Nan; skeptical of psychoanalysis. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters/ii) Arrives in Rome feeling ill and tense, struggling to maintain composure before meeting Nan. She is determined to have a thorough talk about Nan's relationship with Stephen Lumley. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters/iii) Confronts Nan in Rome about her affair with Stephen Lumley, revealing she consulted Mr. Cradock for advice. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters/iv) Strained with Nan, cold and bitter after their earlier quarrel; lies about Neville's health to provoke guilt. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters/v) Mentioned as someone who sees everything and says so, adding to Nan's distress. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters/vi) Comforts Nan in a rare moment of maternal tenderness ### [XVI: Time](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters/xvi-time) Struggles with time as an enemy after psychoanalysis ended; feels stranded and empty-handed, unable to fill the long evening. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters/i) Feels deserted by life, stranded at a watering-place, and consumed by a murderous hatred of time. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/chapters/ii) Finds the Army detestable and feels time as an agonizingly long stretch. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/characters/rosalind_hilary - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dangerous_ages_se/characters