The Woman in White · Character

Madame Fosco

Once a lively Englishwoman, she now sits in icy silence beside her husband, her will surrendered so completely that her old friends barely recognize her.

supporting

Also known as Fosco, Countess Fosco

First appearance: II

As a supporting figure in The Woman in White, Madame Fosco is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Radically transformed by marriage, now silent and submissive, with a suppressed tigerish jealousy.

In the storyIIOpen this moment free

Disinherited by her brother for marrying an Italian count, Madame Fosco has become the mute, watchful shadow of her charismatic husband. Where she was once warm and impulsive, she is now unnervingly still, her devotion to Fosco absolute and her resentment of her family cold. Her transformation unsettles Marian, who remembers a different woman, and it hints at how thoroughly the Count remakes whatever he possesses.

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Character Web

16 connections

A slice of how Madame Fosco sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Family
Social
Other

Character groups

Core conspiracy figures
Protagonist

+11 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

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

Setup
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This excerpt marks the dramatic climax because the narrator experiences a psychological crisis of paralysis, u…

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Relationships

Count Fosco
family · ambivalent
Fosco is married to Madame Fosco, whom he dominates and controls, using her as a… How this plays out →
Sir Percival Glyde
social · ambivalent
Count Fosco
family · ambivalent
Fosco is married to Madame Fosco, whom he dominates and controls, using her as a… How this plays out →
Count Fosco
family · ambivalent
Fosco is married to Madame Fosco, whom he dominates and controls, using her as a… How this plays out →
Sir Percival Glyde
social · ambivalent
Sir Percival Glyde
social · ambivalent

Count Fosco
Fosco is married to Madame Fosco, whom he dominates and controls, using her as a compliant assistant in his schemes.
Sir Percival Glyde
Madame Fosco is a compliant associate of Sir Percival, assisting her husband in his plots against him.
Count Fosco
Fosco is married to Madame Fosco, whom he dominates and controls, using her as a compliant assistant in his schemes.
Count Fosco
Fosco is married to Madame Fosco, whom he dominates and controls, using her as a compliant assistant in his schemes.
Sir Percival Glyde
Madame Fosco is a compliant associate of Sir Percival, assisting her husband in his plots against him.
Sir Percival Glyde
Madame Fosco is a compliant associate of Sir Percival, assisting her husband in his plots against him.

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

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In the story

Madame Fosco appears across 13 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

II
Radically transformed by marriage, now silent and submissive, with a suppressed tigerish jealousy.
Chapter IV
Initially present as a potential witness but leaves the room after her husband's objection.
V
Declines to join the walk, staying to make cigarettes for the Count.
Chapter VI
Seen walking by the fishpond and informs Marian of the Count and Sir Percival's walk.
Chapter VII
Boldly confronts Sir Percival, declaring she will no longer stay in a house where ladies are mistreated.
Chapter VIII
The Count's wife; initially jealous but tamed by her husband, she spies on Marian and Laura, rustling her silk gown outside Laura's door.
I
Travels to London to bring back the nurse Mrs. Rubelle; assists in nursing Marian.
The Narrative of Hester Pinhorn, Cook in the Service of Count Fosco
Countess; English lady; hard and composed; manages funeral arrangements; appears less affected than the Count.
VI
Lures Mrs. Clements away from the lodgings, enabling Anne's abduction.
VII
Glides silently through the hall and later brings coffee at the Count's request.
The Story Continued by Isidor, Ottavio, Baldassare Fosco; Count of the Holy Roman Empire, Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Brazen Crown, Perpetual Arch-Master of the Rosicrucian Masons of Mesopotamia; Attached (In Honorary Capacities) to Societies Musical, Societies Medical, Societies Philosophical, and Societies General Benevolent, Throughout Europe; etc. etc. etc.
Fosco's wife; assists by copying and intercepting letters and traveling to London to arrange Anne's move.
The Count's Narrative
Fosco's wife, who carries out his instructions with devotion.
II
Identifies Fosco's body via an anonymous letter; buries him in Père la Chaise and publishes a biography of him.

Chapter companion notes

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See Madame Fosco in II