# Mrs. Batch — Zuleika Dobson character guide

> Mrs. Batch in Zuleika Dobson by Max Beerbohm.

**Role:** supporting

**First appearance:** 0004-ii

## Snapshot

The Duke's landlady, a practical, observant woman who keeps his lodgings in order and takes a shrewd interest in his affairs.

## Who they are

Mrs. Batch presides over the Duke's rooms with the plain good sense of someone who has seen undergraduates come and go. Where the Duke is all pride and porcelain, she is domestic reality — a witness to his moods, his callers, and the strange turn his life takes once Zuleika reaches Oxford. Her grounded perspective matters because it lets the reader glimpse the great man off his pedestal, in slippers and temper.

## Relationships

### [Duke of Dorset](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuleika_dobson_se/characters/duke_of_dorset)

_professional_

Mrs. Batch is the Duke's landlady, who fusses over him with maternal concern and is scandalized by his behavior.

### [Clarence](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuleika_dobson_se/characters/clarence)

_professional_

Clarence and Mrs. Batch are fellow servants in the Duke's lodgings, working together with a shared concern for the household.

### [Katie](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuleika_dobson_se/characters/katie)

_professional_

Katie and Mrs. Batch work together as servants, with Mrs. Batch acting as a senior figure and confidante to Katie.

### [Clarence](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuleika_dobson_se/characters/clarence)

_professional_

Clarence and Mrs. Batch are fellow servants in the Duke's lodgings, working together with a shared concern for the household.

### [Duke of Dorset](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuleika_dobson_se/characters/duke_of_dorset)

_professional_

Mrs. Batch is the Duke's landlady, who fusses over him with maternal concern and is scandalized by his behavior.

### [Katie](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuleika_dobson_se/characters/katie)

_professional_

Katie and Mrs. Batch work together as servants, with Mrs. Batch acting as a senior figure and confidante to Katie.

### [Clarence](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuleika_dobson_se/characters/clarence)

_professional_

Clarence and Mrs. Batch are fellow servants in the Duke's lodgings, working together with a shared concern for the household.

### [Katie](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuleika_dobson_se/characters/katie)

_professional_

Katie and Mrs. Batch work together as servants, with Mrs. Batch acting as a senior figure and confidante to Katie.

## In the story

### [XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuleika_dobson_se/chapters/xviii)

Upset by the Duke's sudden departure, receives a cheque and a testimonial poem, and is stunned by his appearance.

### [XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuleika_dobson_se/chapters/xix)

Mentioned in the Duke's thoughts as he wonders if she cashed his cheque.

### [XX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuleika_dobson_se/chapters/xx)

Grieves the Duke's death with theatrical intensity, then discovers Mr. Noaks's suicide note and mourns him as well.

### [Chapter XXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuleika_dobson_se/chapters/xxii)

Supports Katie's accusations against Noaks and shames him.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuleika_dobson_se/characters/mrs_batch
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuleika_dobson_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuleika_dobson_se/characters