# Rosamond — Short Fiction character guide > Rosamond in Short Fiction by George MacDonald. **Role:** major **Also known as:** dear Rosamond **First appearance:** 0000-a-double-story ## Snapshot A young woman whose beauty and grief draw suitors and sorrows alike, she anchors one of MacDonald's starkest tales of love, loss, and what the dead may still claim. ## Who they are Rosamond moves through her story as a woman whose inner life matters more than her circumstances, courted and cherished yet shadowed by a loss she cannot set down. Her loyalty to what she has loved puts her at odds with the ordinary consolations offered by those around her, and that stubborn fidelity is the quiet engine of the tale. Readers meet her at the point where devotion and grief begin to pull in opposite directions, and the story's early arc turns on which she will follow. ## Relationships ### [The Princess](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_21_se/characters/the_princess) _friendship_ Rosamond and the Princess are close friends or companions, possibly within a court or shared setting. ### [The Princess](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_21_se/characters/the_princess) _friendship_ Rosamond and the Princess are close friends or companions, possibly within a court or shared setting. ### [The Princess](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_21_se/characters/the_princess) _friendship_ Rosamond and the Princess are close friends or companions, possibly within a court or shared setting. ## In the story ### [A Double Story](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_21_se/chapters/a-double-story) A spoiled princess taken by the wise woman to be humbled and taught through suffering. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_21_se/chapters/i) The spoiled princess, prone to destructive rages and cruelty to animals. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_21_se/chapters/ii) The princess is kidnapped by the wise woman, struggles and screams, but eventually falls asleep. She is terrified and misunderstands the wise woman's intentions. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_21_se/chapters/iii) The princess experiences fear, loneliness, and a growing longing for her parents. She struggles with her temper but eventually seeks the wise woman's help and receives comfort. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_21_se/chapters/iv) The princess, suspicious and disobedient, refuses to follow the wise woman's instructions and suffers terrifying nights as a result. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_21_se/chapters/v) The princess is confronted by the wise woman for her laziness and disobedience. She breaks a mirror, refuses to clean, and later escapes through a painting into a pastoral scene, only to face hunger and regret. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_21_se/chapters/vi) Arrives starving and faints near the shepherd's cottage; mistaken for Agnes but taken in by the shepherdess. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_21_se/chapters/vii) The princess is mentioned in contrast to Agnes, described as a puppet of her moods, unlike Agnes's calm self-satisfaction. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_21_se/chapters/viii) Mentioned in comparison: the wise woman had given Rosamond a terrible lesson, but Agnes is now worse than the princess ever was. ### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_21_se/chapters/ix) The princess, initially stubborn and ungrateful, begins to learn humility and obedience under the shepherdess's care and the dog Prince's discipline. ### [Agnes in the Palace](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_21_se/chapters/x) The lost princess, whose picture Agnes recognizes from the wise woman's house. The king and queen are searching for her, and Agnes claims to know her whereabouts. ### [XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_21_se/chapters/xi) Relapses into bad temper after Prince leaves; is told to leave the shepherd's cottage; ignores the wise woman's warning and falls; is carried through the night and then left to decide whether to seek help. ### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_21_se/chapters/xii) Undergoes two moral trials, failing both due to anger and jealousy; later flees through a wood and returns to the wise woman for further instruction. ### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_21_se/chapters/xiii) Continues her moral trial in the forest, learning about gentleness and the nature of true ownership. ### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_21_se/chapters/xiv) Returns to the palace in rags, is mocked by a sentry, but persists and is eventually recognized by the king and queen after the wise woman's intervention. ### [Cross Purposes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_21_se/chapters/cross-purposes) Her presence and actions inadvertently fuel the confusion of the chapter. ### [The Broken Swords](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_21_se/chapters/the-broken-swords) The other sister present at the farewell, sharing in the sorrow and fear for her brother's future. ### [II: The Fairy Fleet](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_21_se/chapters/ii-the-fairy-fleet) The little girl stolen by the fairies at birth; she pleads with Colin to rescue her and is seen crying as the fleet departs. ### [The Wax and the Awl](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_21_se/chapters/xii-the-wax-and-the-awl) Colin's child, who is rescued from the fairies and returned home. ### [The Gifts of the Child Christ](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_21_se/chapters/the-gifts-of-the-child-christ) A child who experiences the wonder of the Christ child's gifts, symbolizing purity and joy. ### [IV: Where Is She?](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_21_se/chapters/iv-where-is-she) The princess is identified as Rosamond in the context of the story; she is the baby at the center of the chapter's events. ### [V: What Is to Be Done?](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_21_se/chapters/v-what-is-to-be-done) The light princess whose weightlessness causes her parents distress; she is heard laughing in the background. ### [She Laughs Too Much](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_21_se/chapters/vi-she-laughs-too-much) Mentioned as the princess's name; she is the subject of the chapter. ### [XV: Look at the Rain!](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_21_se/chapters/xv-look-at-the-rain) The old nurse who joyfully recognizes the princess has found her gravity. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_21_se/characters/rosamond - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_21_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_21_se/characters