# Emma Bovary — Madame Bovary character guide > Emma Bovary in Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Mademoiselle Emma, Mademoiselle d’Andervilliers, Madame Bovary junior **First appearance:** 0003-part-i-ii ## Snapshot A farmer's daughter who married a country doctor and now measures every ordinary day against the operatic passions she read about in convent-school novels. ## Who they are Emma enters marriage expecting the transports of the books she devoured as a girl, and finds instead a quiet house, a plodding husband, and neighbors who talk about cider and weather. Her beauty draws attention she half-wants and half-despises, and her restlessness curdles into boredom, spending, and a hunger for feeling that nothing in Yonville can satisfy. Flaubert lets us watch her from inside, so that her dissatisfaction becomes the engine of the whole story. ## Relationships ### [Charles Bovary](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/madame_bovary_se/characters/charles_bovary) _family_ Charles is Emma's devoted but dull husband, whose blind adoration she finds suffocating and contemptible. ### [Rodolphe Boulanger](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/madame_bovary_se/characters/rodolphe_boulanger) _romantic_ Rodolphe is Emma's first and most cynical lover, who seduces her out of boredom and later abandons her. ### [Léon Dupuis](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/madame_bovary_se/characters/leon_dupuis) _romantic_ Léon is Emma's second lover, beginning as a timid admirer and later becoming her jaded partner in a sordid affair. ### [Monsieur Lheureux](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/madame_bovary_se/characters/monsieur_lheureux) _psychological_ Lheureux is a predatory merchant who systematically manipulates Emma's vanity and materialism into crippling debt. ### [Monsieur Homais](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/madame_bovary_se/characters/monsieur_homais) _social_ Homais is the pompous town pharmacist whose progressive chatter bores Emma, though they maintain a neighborly acquaintance. ### [Justin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/madame_bovary_se/characters/justin) _professional_ Justin is Homais's apprentice who is infatuated with Emma and runs errands for her, including accessing the arsenic. ### [Doctor Larivière](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/madame_bovary_se/characters/doctor_lariviere) _professional_ The renowned surgeon is called in as a last resort during Emma's final illness, representing cold, clinical competence. ### [Félicité](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/madame_bovary_se/characters/felicite) _professional_ Félicité is Emma's maid and reluctant confidante, complicit in her affairs and witnessing her decline. ### [Monsieur Binet](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/madame_bovary_se/characters/monsieur_binet) _social_ Binet is a minor local official whose repetitive habit of making napkin rings symbolizes the provincial boredom Emma despises. ### [Père Rouault](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/madame_bovary_se/characters/pere_rouault) _family_ Rouault is Emma's doting father, whose simple peasant life she rejects in favor of her romantic fantasies. ### [Berthe Bovary](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/madame_bovary_se/characters/berthe_bovary) _family_ Emma is a neglectful and resentful mother who sees her daughter as an obstacle to her dreams of luxury and passion. ### [Charles Bovary](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/madame_bovary_se/characters/charles_bovary) _family_ Charles is Emma's devoted but dull husband, whose blind adoration she finds suffocating and contemptible. ## In the story ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/madame_bovary_se/chapters/part-i-ii) Introduced as Mademoiselle Rouault. Charles observes her beauty, especially her eyes, and her cultivated skills, which contrast with her rustic surroundings. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/madame_bovary_se/chapters/part-i-iii) Shows a mix of coquettishness and melancholy during Charles's visits. Shares stories of her convent life and romantic disappointments, unwittingly fueling Charles's fascination. ### [The Wedding](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/madame_bovary_se/chapters/part-i-iv) The bride; her dress trails on the ground, she is fastidious about picking off grass, and she gives no outward sign of emotion during or after the ceremony, in stark contrast to Charles. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/madame_bovary_se/chapters/part-i-v) Attempts to decorate and improve the house, but is already questioning the meaning of words like 'felicity' and 'passion,' feeling the first pangs of disillusionment with her married life. ### [Emma's Education in Illusion](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/madame_bovary_se/chapters/part-i-vi) As a young girl and teenager, her imagination is inflamed by romantic literature, religious imagery, and historical novels at the convent, forming her idealized and ultimately destructive worldview. ### [Chapter VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/madame_bovary_se/chapters/part-i-vii) Plunged into deep ennui and romantic longing; questions her marriage and life choices; fantasizes about exotic locales and a more passionate husband; feels a growing chasm between herself and Charles. ### [The Ball at Vaubyessard](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/madame_bovary_se/chapters/part-i-viii) Enthralled by the luxury and romance of the ball; her waltz with the Viscount is a peak experience that leaves her disillusioned with her ordinary life. ### [Chapter IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/madame_bovary_se/chapters/part-i-ix) Sinks deeper into romantic fantasies and dissatisfaction; abandons music and embroidery; obsesses over Paris and the memory of the Viscount. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/madame_bovary_se/chapters/part-ii-i) Mentioned indirectly as a passenger on the Hirondelle. She weeps and grows angry when her dog is lost, blaming her husband Charles. ### [Arrival in Yonville](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/madame_bovary_se/chapters/part-ii-ii) Arrives in Yonville; feels a connection with Léon over shared romantic ideals and dissatisfaction with provincial life; feels the 'cold' of her new home. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/madame_bovary_se/chapters/part-ii-iii) Gives birth to a daughter, feeling bitter disappointment it is not a son. Her maternal affection is attenuated from the start, and she reflects bitterly on the constraints of being a woman versus the freedom of a man. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/madame_bovary_se/chapters/part-ii-iv) Observes Léon from her window, shares intimate moments with him over reading, and holds a romantic, tempestuous ideal of love. Her dissatisfaction with domestic life is palpable. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/madame_bovary_se/chapters/part-ii-v) Consumed by repressed love for Léon and hatred for Charles; her internal suffering manifests as physical anguish she hides. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/madame_bovary_se/chapters/part-ii-vi) Deeply affected by Léon's departure; experiences inner tumult, irritability with Berthe leading to the child's injury, and a moment of cold detachment where she finds her daughter ugly. ### [Chapter VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/madame_bovary_se/chapters/part-ii-vii) Consumed by regret and longing for Léon, she engages in extravagant whims (Gothic prie-dieu, cashmere gown) and failed intellectual pursuits. Her profound boredom and dissatisfaction manifest physically. She tends to the fainting Justin with a sensuality noted by Rodolphe. ### [The Agricultural Show](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/madame_bovary_se/chapters/part-ii-viii) Flirtatious and distracted by Rodolphe's advances; her mind drifts to memories of Léon and the Viscount, showing her susceptibility to romantic fantasy. ### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/madame_bovary_se/chapters/part-ii-ix) Embraces her affair with Rodolphe with passionate intensity, seeing it as the fulfillment of her romantic dreams and a triumphant revenge on her dull life. ### [The Fears and Follies of Adultery](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/madame_bovary_se/chapters/part-ii-x) Consumed by fear of discovery, she lies to Binet and is embarrassed by Rodolphe's casual mockery of Charles. Her love is becoming sentimental and demanding (requesting a wedding ring), yet she is also aware of Rodolphe's growing indifference. ### [XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/madame_bovary_se/chapters/part-ii-xi) Experiences a violent revulsion against Charles, seeing his failure as confirmation of his mediocrity and her own tragic self-deception. She revels in thoughts of adultery. ### [The Deepening Affair and Plans for Escape](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/madame_bovary_se/chapters/part-ii-xii) Her passion for Rodolphe becomes all-consuming, fueling her disgust for Charles. She plans an elaborate escape, orders travel items from Lheureux, and lives in vivid romantic fantasies. ### [The Letter and the Abyss](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/madame_bovary_se/chapters/part-ii-xiii) Receives Rodolphe's devastating letter, contemplates suicide from the attic window, and collapses upon seeing him depart. ### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/madame_bovary_se/chapters/part-ii-xiv) Convalescing, experiences a fervent but fleeting religious conversion, then lapses into boredom and capriciousness, showing disdain for her former life. ### [The Opera](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/madame_bovary_se/chapters/part-ii-xv) Deeply transported by the opera's romantic illusions, projecting her desires onto Lagardy. Her encounter with Léon reawakens past emotions and dissatisfaction. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/madame_bovary_se/chapters/part-iii-i) Staying at the Croix-Rouge in Rouen. She engages in melancholic, philosophical talk with Léon, hinting at her dissatisfaction and past suffering, while being receptive to his advances. ### [The Death of Charles's Father & Financial Maneuvers](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/madame_bovary_se/chapters/part-iii-ii) Feels repulsion towards Charles, is bored and contemptuous of domestic life, and is preoccupied with memories of her time with Léon. She manipulates Charles to get the power of attorney and plans a trip to Rouen. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/madame_bovary_se/chapters/part-iii-iii) Deeply immersed in a romantic fantasy with Léon, finding transcendent beauty in nature. Her mood is shattered by the boatman's anecdote, hinting at her past with Rodolphe. She is anxiously focused on securing a power of attorney from Léon. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/madame_bovary_se/chapters/part-iii-iv) Manipulates Charles into allowing weekly town trips under the guise of piano lessons to meet Léon; feigns musical passion; begins accruing debt with Lheureux for home furnishings. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/madame_bovary_se/chapters/part-iii-v) Travels to Rouen for her weekly tryst with Léon, experiencing a mix of melancholy, impatience, and ecstatic passion. Her elaborate fantasies and deceptions are central to the chapter. ### [Chapter VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/madame_bovary_se/chapters/part-iii-vi) Consumed by a desperate, theatrical passion for Léon that has turned to weariness and habit. She is financially reckless, pawning her father's wedding gift, and escapes into extravagant romantic fantasies while neglecting her home and family. ### [The Desperate Search](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/madame_bovary_se/chapters/part-iii-vii) In a state of frantic desperation and humiliation, she attempts to beg or proposition Binet for money, then waits hopelessly for Léon before deciding to seek out Rodolphe. ### [The Final Desperation](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/madame_bovary_se/chapters/part-iii-viii) In a state of psychological and financial collapse; her final, failed appeal to Rodolphe leads directly to her suicide by arsenic. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/madame_bovary_se/characters/emma_bovary - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/madame_bovary_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/madame_bovary_se/characters