# Marchesa del Dongo — The Charterhouse of Parma character guide

> Marchesa del Dongo in The Charterhouse of Parma by Stendhal.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** the Marchesa, the good Marchesa, Marchesa del Dongo

**First appearance:** 0001-the-charterhouse-of-parma

## Snapshot

Fabrizio's devoted mother, a gentle woman whose love for her son survives every scandal and whose timidity keeps her from protecting him.

## Who they are

The Marchesa del Dongo adores Fabrizio with a tenderness that her husband's coldness only intensifies, yet she lacks the force of will to shield him from the family's disapproval. Her helpless affection is one of the novel's quiet griefs, a maternal love that can weep but not act. She gives the early chapters their emotional warmth and makes Fabrizio's departure feel like a genuine loss.

## Relationships

### [Fabrizio del Dongo](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_charterhouse_of_parma_se/characters/fabrizio_del_dongo)

_family_

A strained mother-son relationship; the Marchesa is cold and distant, favoring Fabrizio's older brother.

### [Fabrizio del Dongo](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_charterhouse_of_parma_se/characters/fabrizio_del_dongo)

_family_

A strained mother-son relationship; the Marchesa is cold and distant, favoring Fabrizio's older brother.

### [Fabrizio del Dongo](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_charterhouse_of_parma_se/characters/fabrizio_del_dongo)

_family_

A strained mother-son relationship; the Marchesa is cold and distant, favoring Fabrizio's older brother.

## In the story

### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_charterhouse_of_parma_se/chapters/i)

The Marchesa is horrified by Fabrizio's ignorance and his fanatical piety; she fears losing his affection to the Marchese and weeps copiously.

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

Writes Fabrizio a letter with advice from Borda; waits for him at the castle.

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

Visits Parma with her daughters each spring, but Fabrizio is not allowed to visit.

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

Escorted by Fabrizio to Lake Maggiore, meets him at Belgirate, and is busy with preparations for her elder daughter's wedding.

### [XXV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_charterhouse_of_parma_se/chapters/xxv)

Visits Fabrizio in Parma and is alarmed by his profound melancholy, suspecting slow poison.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_charterhouse_of_parma_se/characters/marchesa_del_dongo
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_charterhouse_of_parma_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_charterhouse_of_parma_se/characters