# Lilia Theobald — Where Angels Fear to Tread character guide > Lilia Theobald in Where Angels Fear to Tread by E. M. Forster. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Lilia, Poor Lilia, Lilia Theobald **First appearance:** 0000-i ## Snapshot A restless English widow who escapes her controlling in-laws by falling for a young Italian on a wall, and pays for her one reckless bid for happiness. ## Who they are Lilia is the Herritons' sister-in-law, shipped off to Italy to recover from her husband's death and promptly seduced by Monteriano's warmth and a handsome stranger. Impulsive, gauche, and starved of affection, she mistakes passion for freedom and marries Gino against every family expectation. Her brief, defiant happiness sets the plot in motion and becomes the wound the Herritons spend the rest of the novel trying to dress. ## Relationships ### [Gino Carella](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/where_angels_fear_to_tread_se/characters/gino_carella) _romantic_ Gino and Lilia have a passionate but ill-fated marriage, driven by physical attraction and cultural misunderstanding, ending in Lilia's unhappiness. ### [Philip Herriton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/where_angels_fear_to_tread_se/characters/philip_herriton) _family_ Lilia is Philip's sister-in-law, and their relationship is strained by Philip's condescending interference in her life and marriage. ### [Caroline Abbott](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/where_angels_fear_to_tread_se/characters/caroline_abbott) _friendship_ Caroline is Lilia's sympathetic friend and confidante, offering support during Lilia's troubled marriage in Italy. ### [Mrs. Herriton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/where_angels_fear_to_tread_se/characters/mrs_herriton) _family_ Lilia is Mrs. Herriton's daughter-in-law, a relationship defined by Mrs. Herriton's contempt and Lilia's resentment of her control. ### [Irma](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/where_angels_fear_to_tread_se/characters/irma) _family_ Irma is Lilia's daughter, but their bond is weak due to Lilia's abandonment and Irma's upbringing by the Herritons. ### [Harriet Herriton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/where_angels_fear_to_tread_se/characters/harriet_herriton) _family_ Harriet is Lilia's sister-in-law, and their relationship is marked by Harriet's open disdain and Lilia's defiance. ### [Gino Carella](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/where_angels_fear_to_tread_se/characters/gino_carella) _romantic_ Gino and Lilia have a passionate but ill-fated marriage, driven by physical attraction and cultural misunderstanding, ending in Lilia's unhappiness. ### [Philip Herriton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/where_angels_fear_to_tread_se/characters/philip_herriton) _family_ Lilia is Philip's sister-in-law, and their relationship is strained by Philip's condescending interference in her life and marriage. ### [Philip Herriton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/where_angels_fear_to_tread_se/characters/philip_herriton) _family_ Lilia is Philip's sister-in-law, and their relationship is strained by Philip's condescending interference in her life and marriage. ### [Mrs. Herriton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/where_angels_fear_to_tread_se/characters/mrs_herriton) _family_ Lilia is Mrs. Herriton's daughter-in-law, a relationship defined by Mrs. Herriton's contempt and Lilia's resentment of her control. ### [Gino Carella](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/where_angels_fear_to_tread_se/characters/gino_carella) _romantic_ Gino and Lilia have a passionate but ill-fated marriage, driven by physical attraction and cultural misunderstanding, ending in Lilia's unhappiness. ### [Harriet Herriton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/where_angels_fear_to_tread_se/characters/harriet_herriton) _family_ Harriet is Lilia's sister-in-law, and their relationship is marked by Harriet's open disdain and Lilia's defiance. ## In the story ### [Chapter I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/where_angels_fear_to_tread_se/chapters/i) Lilia is the widow who embarks on a trip to Italy and becomes engaged to an Italian man, causing family conflict. ### [Chapter II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/where_angels_fear_to_tread_se/chapters/ii) Defends her engagement to Gino; accuses Philip and the Herritons of controlling her life. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/where_angels_fear_to_tread_se/chapters/iii) Lilia feels increasingly isolated in Monteriano, attempts to host English tea parties, and misjudges Gino's intelligence and authority, treating him as a boy and a fool. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/where_angels_fear_to_tread_se/chapters/iv) Lilia is depicted as increasingly miserable and powerless, trapped in a marriage where she has lost all autonomy. She writes desperate letters, suffers from Gino's infidelity, and ultimately takes a solitary walk to escape her confinement. ### [Chapter V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/where_angels_fear_to_tread_se/chapters/v) Lilia is discussed in retrospect; Miss Abbott recounts how Lilia fell in love with Gino and married him, and how she may have mismanaged him. Lilia is portrayed as having kept the power of enjoying herself with sincerity. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/where_angels_fear_to_tread_se/chapters/vi) Lilia is mentioned indirectly: her blouse is seen hanging on the olive trees, and the baby is referred to as Lilia's baby. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/where_angels_fear_to_tread_se/characters/lilia_theobald - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/where_angels_fear_to_tread_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/where_angels_fear_to_tread_se/characters