# Bertha Dorset — The House of Mirth character guide > Bertha Dorset in The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton. **Role:** supporting **Also known as:** Bertha, Mrs. Bertha Dorset, Bertha Dorset **First appearance:** 0004-iv ## Snapshot A beautiful, bored socialite who wields her yacht and her charm like weapons, collecting admirers and discarding anyone who outshines her. ## Who they are Bertha Dorset rules her set through a mixture of languor and ruthless calculation, keeping her husband in the dark and her rivals off balance. She resents Lily's triumphs, particularly the attention of the Crown Princess and of Selden, and her hospitality always comes with invisible strings. Her talent for arranging appearances, and her willingness to sacrifice a guest's reputation to protect her own, drives the novel's central crisis. ## Relationships ### [Lily Bart](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_mirth_se/characters/lily_bart) _rivalry_ A venomous social rivalry where Bertha actively sabotages Lily out of jealousy and fear of exposure. ### [Lawrence Selden](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_mirth_se/characters/lawrence_selden) _romantic_ A past romantic affair that Bertha uses to manipulate Selden and threaten Lily's reputation. ### [Simon Rosedale](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_mirth_se/characters/simon_rosedale) _social_ An uneasy alliance of convenience between two social climbers who use each other for information and influence. ### [Percy Gryce](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_mirth_se/characters/percy_gryce) _social_ A manipulative social interaction where Bertha deliberately steals Percy's attention from Lily to ruin her prospects. ### [Carry Fisher](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_mirth_se/characters/carry_fisher) _social_ A transactional relationship where Carry manages Bertha's social appearances while both women manipulate each other. ### [Lily Bart](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_mirth_se/characters/lily_bart) _rivalry_ A venomous social rivalry where Bertha actively sabotages Lily out of jealousy and fear of exposure. ### [Lily Bart](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_mirth_se/characters/lily_bart) _rivalry_ A venomous social rivalry where Bertha actively sabotages Lily out of jealousy and fear of exposure. ### [Lawrence Selden](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_mirth_se/characters/lawrence_selden) _romantic_ A past romantic affair that Bertha uses to manipulate Selden and threaten Lily's reputation. ### [Percy Gryce](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_mirth_se/characters/percy_gryce) _social_ A manipulative social interaction where Bertha deliberately steals Percy's attention from Lily to ruin her prospects. ### [Simon Rosedale](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_mirth_se/characters/simon_rosedale) _social_ An uneasy alliance of convenience between two social climbers who use each other for information and influence. ### [Lawrence Selden](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_mirth_se/characters/lawrence_selden) _romantic_ A past romantic affair that Bertha uses to manipulate Selden and threaten Lily's reputation. ### [Simon Rosedale](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_mirth_se/characters/simon_rosedale) _social_ An uneasy alliance of convenience between two social climbers who use each other for information and influence. ## In the story ### [Chapter II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_mirth_se/chapters/ii) Boards the train at Garrisons, creating a scene as she insists on sitting with Lily and Percy Gryce. ### [Chapter V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_mirth_se/chapters/v) Appears at an unusual hour to claim Selden's attention; later flirts openly with another man at luncheon, observed by her husband. ### [Chapter VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_mirth_se/chapters/vii) Appears at luncheon and makes cutting remarks about Percy Gryce's departure and Lily's card-playing. ### [Chapter IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_mirth_se/chapters/ix) Bertha Dorset is the writer of the incriminating letters, which reveal her past affair with Lawrence Selden and threaten her social standing. ### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_mirth_se/chapters/xii) Renews friendship with Lily for mutual benefit; engaged in a sentimental experiment with Ned Silverton. ### [Book II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_mirth_se/chapters/book-ii) Antagonist who publicly accuses Lily of impropriety with her husband George, triggering Lily's social ruin. ### [Chapter I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_mirth_se/chapters/i) Bertha is jealous of Lily's success and is involved in an affair with Ned Silverton, using Lily to distract her husband. ### [Chapter II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_mirth_se/chapters/ii) Bertha confronts Lily with accusations and manipulative hints, revealing her fear and duplicity. ### [Chapter III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_mirth_se/chapters/iii) Appears defiant and isolated, refusing to cooperate with Lily's efforts to manage the situation, and seems absorbed in her own grievance. ### [Chapter IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_mirth_se/chapters/iv) Referenced as the one who turned Lily off the yacht and spread damaging rumors. ### [Chapter V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_mirth_se/chapters/v) Bertha's behavior is described as increasingly erratic, straining her marriage to George. ### [Chapter VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_mirth_se/chapters/vi) Actively working to undermine Lily by insinuating horrors about her to Mattie Gormer. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_mirth_se/chapters/vii) Bertha is the target of Rosedale's scheme; he suggests Lily can leverage the letters to force Bertha into a public reconciliation. ### [Chapter XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_mirth_se/chapters/xi) Bertha is the target of Lily's planned blackmail; Lily intends to use the letters to force her way back into society. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_mirth_se/characters/bertha_dorset - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_mirth_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_mirth_se/characters