Romola · Character

Monna Brigida

Romola's plump, fifty-five-year-old cousin, torn between her rouge and her conscience, who submits to being good the way she submits to growing old — reluctantly and with complaints.

supporting

Also known as Brigida, Monna

First appearance: v the blind scholar and his daughter

As a supporting figure in Romola, Monna Brigida is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Monna Brigida accompanies Romola to San Marco, showing her loyalty and support, while also expressing her own pragmatic views on family grudges.

In the storyXIII: The Shadow of NemesisOpen this moment free

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Monna Brigida is the surviving thread of Romola's family, a vain but warm-hearted woman who fusses over her complexion and her soul in equal measure. Under Savonarola's Florence she wavers between Piagnone austerity and her old love of finery, and Romola's gentle teasing about her good-natured face lands where flattery never could. Her small vanities and real affection keep Romola tethered to ordinary human tenderness as the city turns severe.

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See Monna Brigida in v the blind scholar and his daughter

Character Web

25 connections

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Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Main characters and associates
Political opponents of Savonarola
Supporting cast and background characters

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

Romola’s repeated reading of the printed Trial marks the emotional and psychological peak because it forces he…

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In the story

Monna Brigida appears across 7 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

XIII: The Shadow of Nemesis
Monna Brigida accompanies Romola to San Marco, showing her loyalty and support, while also expressing her own pragmatic views on family grudges.
XV: The Dying Message
Accompanies Romola to San Marco and waits outside the chapter-house.
XLIX: The Pyramid of Vanities
Romola's cousin, whom she is to fetch so they can watch the events from a reserved window.
LI: Monna Brigida's Conversion
Monna Brigida undergoes a forced conversion, giving up her rouge, false hair, and embroidered biretta under pressure from the Piagnoni boys, and resolves to become a Piagnone.
LVIII: A Final Understanding
Accompanies Romola and goes out to gather news about the council's decision.
LXX: Meeting Again
Welcomes Romola and the children into her home, though with some reluctance.
Epilogue
Asleep in the room, having aged with soft white hair, no longer finding fault with Tessa.

Chapter companion notes

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See Monna Brigida in v the blind scholar and his daughter

See Monna Brigida in XIII: The Shadow of Nemesis