# Griselda Tully — William—An Englishman character guide > Griselda Tully in William—An Englishman by Cicely Hamilton. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Griselda Watkins, Griselda **First appearance:** 0000-i ## Snapshot A suffragette of quick tongue and quicker nerve, she marries William and carries her militancy straight into a honeymoon interrupted by invasion. ## Who they are Griselda Watkins has braved official ridicule before, so when she and William are seized in the Ardennes and paraded before a grinning German captain, she meets it with silence rather than the glib speeches William expects. Her courage is the harder kind—wordless, watchful, holding steady while her husband trembles. She matters because William's love for her is the first thing that makes him want to be a man rather than a cipher, and because her ordeal sharpens his hatred of the enemy into purpose. ## Relationships ### [William Tully](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/william_an_englishman_se/characters/william_tully) _family_ Griselda is William's wife, and their relationship is central to the story, marked by deep affection and shared political awakening. ### [The German](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/william_an_englishman_se/characters/the_german) _rivalry_ Griselda despises the German for his cruelty toward her husband and his role in their wartime suffering. ### [Heinz](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/william_an_englishman_se/characters/heinz) _rivalry_ Griselda confronts Heinz with fierce defiance, seeing him as the embodiment of oppression and violence. ### [Madame Peys](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/william_an_englishman_se/characters/madame_peys) _friendship_ Madame Peys is a kind Belgian woman who shelters Griselda and becomes a maternal figure and ally. ### [Faraday](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/william_an_englishman_se/characters/faraday) _friendship_ Faraday respects and supports Griselda as a fellow activist and friend, sharing her commitment to peace. ### [William Tully](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/william_an_englishman_se/characters/william_tully) _family_ Griselda is William's wife, and their relationship is central to the story, marked by deep affection and shared political awakening. ### [William Tully](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/william_an_englishman_se/characters/william_tully) _family_ Griselda is William's wife, and their relationship is central to the story, marked by deep affection and shared political awakening. ### [Madame Peys](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/william_an_englishman_se/characters/madame_peys) _friendship_ Madame Peys is a kind Belgian woman who shelters Griselda and becomes a maternal figure and ally. ### [The German](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/william_an_englishman_se/characters/the_german) _rivalry_ Griselda despises the German for his cruelty toward her husband and his role in their wartime suffering. ### [Heinz](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/william_an_englishman_se/characters/heinz) _rivalry_ Griselda confronts Heinz with fierce defiance, seeing him as the embodiment of oppression and violence. ### [Heinz](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/william_an_englishman_se/characters/heinz) _rivalry_ Griselda confronts Heinz with fierce defiance, seeing him as the embodiment of oppression and violence. ## In the story ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/william_an_englishman_se/chapters/i) A passionate suffragette who window-smashes, charms William with her oratory, and accepts his marriage proposal. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/william_an_englishman_se/chapters/ii) Portrayed as William's ideal mate, a suffragette who protests at a Cabinet Minister's audience, dressed in pale blue with safety-pins securing her blouse. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/william_an_englishman_se/chapters/iii) Marries William and eagerly accepts Madame Amberg's cottage for their honeymoon; she is moved by the valley's beauty but feels a subtle disquiet. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/william_an_englishman_se/chapters/iv) Griselda is tired and irritated by Madame Peys's note, comments on the soldiers as 'playing at murder,' and looks forward to returning to London. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/william_an_englishman_se/chapters/v) Griselda is uneasy about the grave and the empty farm, and she and William decide not to inform the authorities. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/william_an_englishman_se/chapters/vi) Seized by a second soldier after trying to defend William; her suffragette instincts flare. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/william_an_englishman_se/chapters/vii) Fascinated and horrified by the execution, she is restrained by William from crying out, showing her emotional turmoil. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/william_an_englishman_se/chapters/viii) Present during the execution and subsequent interrogation, described as staring and white-faced; shares in William's humiliation at the hands of the German officers. ### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/william_an_englishman_se/chapters/ix) Griselda is taken away from William by German guards; her fate is unknown to him. ### [X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/william_an_englishman_se/chapters/x) Terrified during the flight, found traumatized after assault, reunited with William. ### [XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/william_an_englishman_se/chapters/xi) Injured and feverish, Griselda is delirious, reliving her suffrage activism, and is eventually carried by two strangers. ### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/william_an_englishman_se/chapters/xii) Found dead, her body is washed and laid out; William views her and recalls their wedding. ### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/william_an_englishman_se/chapters/xiv) Her death is the catalyst for William's rage and desire to avenge her; he remembers their honeymoon and her absence in Paris. ### [XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/william_an_englishman_se/chapters/xv) Her absence pervades the chapter; William mourns her death and cannot bear the reminders of their life together. ### [XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/william_an_englishman_se/chapters/xvi) Deceased; William thinks of her watching over him after his enlistment. ### [XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/william_an_englishman_se/chapters/xvii) Her memory fades over time, but William's sense of loss and betrayal remains. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/william_an_englishman_se/characters/griselda_tully - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/william_an_englishman_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/william_an_englishman_se/characters