# Marguerite — Poetry character guide

> Marguerite in Poetry by Henry van Dyke Jr..

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** May, Dear Marguerite, dear Marguerite, hers, herself

**First appearance:** 0001-the-parting-and-the-coming-guest

## Snapshot

The blue-gray-eyed friend of youth, gaily wise and innocently loved, who returns in a moonlit dream to collaborate on Heine and unsettle the boundary between memory and death.

## Who they are

Marguerite is the poet's comrade of old times, seated on a pillared porch and in a dusky parlor, teasing him about his long absence and finishing his translations. The tension is whether she is truly present or a shade, a doubt the speaker hides lest his happiness dissolve. Her gentle authority over the night's talk makes her the collection's warmest study of friendship, grief, and the cunning ways we avoid asking whether the dead have returned.

## Relationships

### [John King](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_10_se/characters/john_king)

_romantic_

John King and Marguerite share a frequent, emotionally charged bond that suggests romantic or intimate involvement.

### [Aldrich](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_10_se/characters/aldrich)

_friendship_

Aldrich and Marguerite share a loyal, supportive friendship, possibly with protective undertones.

## In the story

### [To My Lady Graygown: With a Handful of Verses](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_10_se/chapters/to-my-lady-graygown-with-a-handful-of-verses)

The beloved addressed as 'dear heart' and 'my flower; my song,' who is the recipient of the verses.

### [The Echo in the Heart](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_10_se/chapters/the-echo-in-the-heart)

The beloved whose lightest tone wakes an echo in the speaker's heart.

### [New Year's Eve](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_10_se/chapters/new-year-s-eve)

The deceased childhood friend who appears alive in the dream, engaging in warm conversation and collaborative translation.

### [The Hermit Thrush](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_10_se/chapters/the-hermit-thrush)

Implied beloved addressed as 'my belovèd' and invited to share the moment.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_10_se/characters/marguerite
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_10_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_10_se/characters