# Marionetta Celestina O'Carroll — Nightmare Abbey character guide

> Marionetta Celestina O'Carroll in Nightmare Abbey by Thomas Love Peacock.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Marionetta, Miss O'Carroll, divine Marionetta, the real Marionetta

**First appearance:** 0003-ii

## Snapshot

A blooming, capricious cousin whose April-sky moods and coquettish tactics keep Scythrop in a perpetual fever of love and despair.

## Who they are

Marionetta arrives at the Abbey a compound of O'Carroll vivacity and Glowry dolor, sparkling with music and light conversation but little moral sympathy. She lures Scythrop deliberately, then alters her tactics to coldness the moment she perceives his conquest, tormenting him with coquetry toward Mr. Listless. Her caprice and his romantic posturing collide in the tower scene, making her the engine of the novel's central romantic comedy.

## In the story

### [Nightmare Abbey](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nightmare_abbey_se/chapters/nightmare-abbey)

Scythrop's lively and coquettish cousin, whose arrival and flirtations torment Scythrop.

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

Arrives as an orphan niece; uses her beauty and coquetry to captivate Scythrop, then turns cold; later seeks him out in the tower, leading to a dramatic scene.

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

Told by Mrs. Hilary that propriety demands her departure, but shares a tender moment with Scythrop before he intervenes.

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

Torments Scythrop with coquetry and indifference, sings at the piano, and inspects the new novel.

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

Sings a song about a grey friar and playfully teases Mr. Listless, while also encouraging Scythrop's attention.

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

Participates in the conversation, playfully comparing the Severn and Wye rivers to the similarity between Macedon and Monmouth.

### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nightmare_abbey_se/chapters/viii)

Observes Scythrop's perturbation and seeks Mr. Flosky to uncover the secret, showing her concern and diminishing influence over Scythrop.

### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nightmare_abbey_se/chapters/ix)

Depressed by Scythrop's distance; alternates between playfulness and tears; feigns indifference, then reconciles, but later becomes angry at Scythrop's hesitation and locks herself away.

### [Chapter X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nightmare_abbey_se/chapters/x)

Her coquetry and emotional manipulation keep Scythrop in a state of flux; her love ebbs and flows inversely to his.

### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nightmare_abbey_se/chapters/xii)

Screams and flees with Mrs. Hilary upon seeing the apparition.

### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nightmare_abbey_se/chapters/xiii)

Faints upon seeing Scythrop with Stella; later renounces him.

### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nightmare_abbey_se/chapters/xiv)

Has left Nightmare Abbey with Mr. and Mrs. Hilary, said nothing before departing.

### [XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nightmare_abbey_se/chapters/xv)

Writes a letter renouncing Scythrop and announcing her marriage to Mr. Listless.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nightmare_abbey_se/characters/marionetta_celestina_ocaroll
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nightmare_abbey_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nightmare_abbey_se/characters