# Alfred de Hamal — Villette character guide

> Alfred de Hamal in Villette by Charlotte Brontë.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Colonel de Hamal, de Hamal, M. de Hamal, M. le Comte de Hamal

**First appearance:** 0010-xi-the-potresse-s-cabinet

## Snapshot

A foppish young colonel whose dandy elegance and pursuit of Ginevra Fanshawe make him a glittering surface Lucy distrusts from the first.

## Who they are

Colonel de Hamal moves through Villette society as a polished, self-regarding figure, his attentions fixed on the flighty Ginevra Fanshawe. His vanity and theatrical manner mark him as a man of appearances rather than substance, and his courtship becomes one of the pensionnat's running dramas. He matters because he embodies the kind of glittering, unreliable charm against which Lucy measures the deeper worth of other men.

## Relationships

### [Madame Beck](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/characters/madame_beck)

_social_

He is a foppish dandy and a frequent visitor to Madame Beck's school, tolerated for his social standing.

### [Ginevra Fanshawe](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/characters/ginevra_fanshawe)

_romantic_

He is Ginevra's secret lover and eventual husband, a shallow and effeminate match for her.

### [Ginevra Fanshawe](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/characters/ginevra_fanshawe)

_romantic_

He is Ginevra's secret lover and eventual husband, a shallow and effeminate match for her.

### [Madame Beck](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/characters/madame_beck)

_social_

He is a foppish dandy and a frequent visitor to Madame Beck's school, tolerated for his social standing.

## In the story

### [IX: Isidore](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/chapters/ix-isidore)

Mentioned as the colonel whom Ginevra prefers over Isidore, described as a 'beau fat' and 'joli fripon.'

### [The Cleopatra](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/chapters/xix-the-cleopatra)

Colonel; observed by Lucy in the gallery, admiring the Cleopatra painting with a dainty and affected manner.

### [XX: The Concert](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/chapters/xx-the-concert)

Present at the concert; exchanges a look with Ginevra that disturbs Dr. John.

### [The Happy Pair](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/chapters/xl-the-happy-pair)

Ginevra's husband; disguised himself as the nun to court her and orchestrated the elopement.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/characters/alfred_de_hamal
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/characters