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Julia Flyte
Lady Marchmain, the Marchioness of Brideshead, is the estranged wife of Lord Marchmain, and the mother of Brideshead, Julia, Sebastian, and Cordelia. She is a devout Catholic and is publicly known as an extremely virtuous woman whose husband has treated her cruelly. Lord Marchmain left Lady Marchmain after he went to fight in World War I and took an Italian mistress, named Cara. Although her husband will never return, Lady Marchmain refuses to get a divorce because of her strong Catholic principals. Lady Marchmain loves her children, but she is extremely controlling and feels the need to be control all aspects of their lives. Although she is motivated by love for them, and is never angry when they transgress, she makes them feel guilty if they upset her or go against her wishes. This causes her children (particularly Sebastian) to feel manipulated, and encourages him to rebel. Lady Marchmain cannot understand this behavior because she has only ever wanted to be good and saintly. She frequently compares Lord Marchmain and her sons to her older brothers, who were all killed during World War I. This makes Sebastian feel that he cannot live up to his uncles and, instead of inspiring him to behave, increases his self-hatred and self-destructive tendencies. Lady Marchmain goes so far as to use the people around her to spy on her children, so that she always knows what they are up to. While Sebastian is at university, she enlists a Catholic professor, Mr. Samgrass, to keep an eye on him and curtail his heavy drinking, and even tries to use Charles to gather information on her son. Charles realizes that he is being manipulated, however, and feels that, although Lady Marchmain does mean well, she is a danger to Sebastian’s wellbeing because she drives him to rebel against her in extreme ways. Lady Marchmain is very hurt by Sebastian’s rejection of her, and by Julia’s renunciation of the Church when she marries Rex Mottram, and views herself as a martyr. She dies of a terminal illness and refuses treatment because of her belief that extreme suffering brings one closer to Christ.
Lady Marchmain Quotes in Brideshead Revisited
The Brideshead Revisited quotes below are all either spoken by Lady Marchmain or refer to Lady Marchmain. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Part 1, Chapter 5 Quotes
She found Sebastian subdued, with all his host of friends reduced to one, myself. She accepted me as Sebastian’s friend and sought to make me hers also, and in doing so, unwittingly struck at the roots of our friendship. That is the single reproach I have to set against her abundant kindness to me.
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Lady Marchmain comes to visit Charles and Sebastian, and her presence in their lives has a lasting impact on their relationship. During his second year, Sebastian withdraws from social life at university and spends all his time with Charles, who is his closest friend. He is “subdued” after the high spirits of the previous year, because he has grown depressed and has lost his youthful enthusiasm for things. Lady Marchmain wants to get to know Sebastian and to understand and be involved in his life. She treats Charles as a friend because he is a friend of Sebastian’s. Although Lady Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore co
He claimed to love the past, but I always felt that he thought all the splendid company, living or dead, with whom he associated slightly absurd; it was Mr. Samgrass who was real, the rest were an insubstantial pageant. He was the Victorian tourist, solid and patronizing, for whose amusement these foreign things were paraded.
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Mr. Samgrass is a professor at Oxford whom Lady Marchmain hires to write a book about her brother, Ned, who was killed in World War I. She also uses him to spy on Sebastian. Although Mr. Samgrass claims to “love the past,” Charles feels that he does not really love it because he does not respect it. Mr. Samgrass specializes in the historical study of monarchs, and he carries this work into his everyday life because he is a social climber and always wants to be associated with wealthy and important people, like the Marchmains. Charles thinks Mr. Samgrass is Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetu
Mr. Samgrass’s deft editorship had assembled and arranged a curiously homogeneous little body of writing—poetry, letters, scraps of a journal, an unpublished essay or two, which all exhaled the same high-spirited, serious, chivalrous, other-worldly air and the letters from their contemporaries, written after their deaths, all in varying degrees of articulateness, told the same tale of men who were, in all the full flood of academic and athletic success, of popularity and the promise of great rewards ahead, seen somehow as set apart from their fellows, garlanded victims, devoted to the sacrifice.
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Lady Marchmain hires Mr. Samgrass to write a book about the life of her brother, Ned, who was killed as a young man in World War I. After Charles has spent Christmas at Brideshead, Lady Marchmain gives Charles a copy of this book to read. Charles suggests that Mr. Samgrass has edited the material which he collected for the book so that it has become “homogenous”—it all sounds the same. Mr. Samgrass is interested in flattering Lady Marchmain because she provides him with work. Charles suggests that Mr. Samgrass’s book idealizes Lady Marchmain’s brothers and does not make them seem Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate l
Part 2, Chapter 1 Quotes
“Well. I’m fond of him too, in a way, I suppose, only I wish he’d behave like anybody else. I’ve grown up with one family skeleton, you know papa. Not to be talked of before the servants, not to be talked of before us when we were children. If mummy is going to start making a skeleton out of Sebastian, it’s too much. If he wants to be always tight, why doesn’t he go to Kenya or somewhere where it doesn’t matter?”
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Julia complains to Charles about Sebastian’s alcoholism during one of his visits to Brideshead. Julia is embarrassed by Sebastian’s behavior and worries that he will create a public scandal which will reflect badly on her. Julia is very young and is quite self-absorbed. Although she cares about her brother, she cares about herself and her own public image more. Julia calls Lord Marchmain a “skeleton” because he is a family secret and is not allowed to be mentioned. He has left Lady Marchmain and gone abroad to live with another woman. The idea that Lady Marchmain will “make a skeleton Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis c
But as I drove away and turned back in the car to take what promised to be my last view of the house, I felt that I was leaving part of myself behind, and that wherever I went afterwards I should feel the lack of it, and search for it hopelessly, as ghosts are said to do, frequenting the spots where they buried material treasures without which they cannot pay their way to the nether world.
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After a disagreement with Lady Marchmain over the fact that Charles gave Sebastian money to buy alcohol, Charles leaves Brideshead for what he believes will be the last time. Charles has a strong emotional connection to Brideshead because it is a place where he has been happy and experienced pure love in his relationship with Sebastian. Charles feels that the loss of this love will leave him detached and alienated in the world, as he tries unsuccessfully to recapture it. This gradually comes true for Charles throughout the novel, as he is never able to find true love or a Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis i
Part 2, Chapter 2 Quotes
And Lady Marchmain saw this and added it to her new grief for Sebastian and her old grief for her husband and to the deadly sickness in her body, and took all these sorrows with her daily to church; it seemed her heart was transfixed with the swords of her dolors, a living heart to match the plaster and paint; what comfort she took home with her, God knows.
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Julia renounces her Catholicism so that she can marry Rex, who is divorced and therefore cannot become a Catholic. Lady Marchmain has a terminal disease and is very hurt by Julia’s behavior, which she views as just another thing for her to bear. Sebastian, too, has rejected Catholicism and has become estranged from his family in his descent into alcoholism. Lord Marchmain has left Lady Marchmain and taken a lover. Lady Marchmain is hurt by the rebellion of her family against her religious beliefs—she is so pious that she views their rejection of Catholicism as a personal slight. Despite Julia Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam
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Lady Marchmain Character Timeline in Brideshead Revisited
The timeline below shows where the character Lady Marchmain appears in Brideshead Revisited. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part 1, Chapter 1
...at him. The chapel was a wedding present from his father, Lord Marchmain, to his mother, Lady Marchmain.
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Part 1, Chapter 2
...from a strange family. Sebastian’s parents are wealthy Catholics but are separated. Lord Marchmain left Lady Marchmain when he went to fight in World War I, and never returned. Lady Marchmain is...
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...Brideshead, and knows nothing of the younger sister, Cordelia, except that her governess committed suicide. Lady Marchmain is a very beautiful, almost saintly woman, and Lord Marchmain is aristocratic and “Byronic” but...
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In Venice, Anthony says, Lady Marchmain made a show of being very pious and Lord Marchmain could not go out when...
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...and asks him if Anthony knows his family. Sebastian says no, but that Anthony and Lady Marchmain may have met in Venice. Charles tells Sebastian that he thinks Anthony is “devilish” and...
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Part 1, Chapter 4
...is pleased with the final product. He asks Sebastian if he should give it to Lady Marchmain , but Sebastian tells him to give it to Nanny. Although Charles has always loved...
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...be very cool and reserved, underneath he despises Lady Marchmain. Cara thinks Sebastian hates his mother, too, though Sebastian does not know it.
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Charles says that Lady Marchmain drove Lord Marchmain out of society, but Cara says that it is not possible for...
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Part 1, Chapter 5
...Sebastian seems miserable. He says that he has been given a talk by some of Lady Marchmain ’s friends, Mgr. Bell and Mr. Samgrass, and that, if he does not change his...
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Around Christmas, Lady Marchmain visits Oxford to see Mr. Samgrass, a professor at Oxford, and comes to visit Charles...
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...notice that he is overly-friendly with Lady Marchmain, Sebastian is annoyed that Charles likes his mother. Lady Marchmain invites Charles to Brideshead for Christmas, and Charles agrees to come. A few...
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Lady Marchmain asks them to lunch and does not seem angry at all. Her only complaint is...
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...Julia, will leave Brideshead the next day, but that he will stay to work on Lady Marchmain ’s book. Sebastian is out fox hunting with the others, and Charles waits with Mr....
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That night, before dinner, Lady Marchmain invites the party to attend chapel. Sebastian declines and goes to have a bath instead....
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Throughout his stay, Charles notices that Lady Marchmain organizes many “little talks” with him. He thinks she is trying to convert him to...
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...snaps at him to put it back. He accuses Charles of spying on him for Lady Marchmain and says that he will not go down for dinner. He admits he has been...
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...upstairs before anyone can stop her. When she returns, she announces that Sebastian is drunk. Lady Marchmain is shocked, but the subject is not discussed anymore over dinner. After they have eaten,...
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...with Mr. Ryder, and Charles says yes but that he wants to say goodbye to Lady Marchmain before they leave. Sebastian seems peeved and tells Charles that he will leave before him....
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Charles goes to find Lady Marchmain a few hours later. She is upset because Sebastian seemed so unhappy the night before....
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Lady Marchmain says she does not understand this—the men she knew as a young woman did not...
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On the train, Charles reads Lady Marchmain ’s book, which tells the story of her three older brothers, who were killed in...
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...Mr. Samgrass, who asks him about this. When Charles tells Sebastian, Sebastian says that his mother plans to make him live with Mgr. Bell. He says that Charles failed his mother’s...
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A few weeks later, Charles receives a letter from Lady Marchmain which says that she will come to Oxford soon and wants to speak to him...
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Lady Marchmain comes to see Charles again and gently berates him for lying to her. Charles insists...
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...the news, and he and Charles get extremely drunk together that night. The next day, Lady Marchmain takes Sebastian home, and Charles and Brideshead clear out his room. Charles is distraught and...
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Before his departure, Charles receives a letter from Lady Marchmain . She writes that Sebastian has gone to stay with his father and that, after...
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Part 2, Chapter 1
...into the Turkish mountains, and how they were nearly attacked by “a band” of brigands. Lady Marchmain thinks he means a musical band, and Cordelia desperately stifles giggles beside Charles. Everyone is...
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...delayed, and Mr. Samgrass tells an elaborate story which Charles knows is a lie. When Lady Marchmain greeted them at the house, Charles could tell that Mr. Samgrass felt guilty about something....
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...only been in the room a few minutes when Wilcox enters and tells Brideshead that Lady Marchmain wants to see him. Wilcox follows Brideshead upstairs, and Sebastian asks another servant for a...
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...there will be no drinks left around the house while Sebastian is there: these are Lady Marchmain ’s orders. He explains that Sebastian disappeared over Christmas and that Mr. Samgrass only found...
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Disappointed, Charles goes downstairs and finds Julia, who complains that her mother wants everyone “under surveillance.” She wishes that Sebastian could just behave normally and assures Charles...
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...does appear, he is quite composed and orders a glass of whisky. Wilcox looks at Lady Marchmain , who nods, and brings Sebastian a decanter with a small shot of whisky inside....
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After dinner, they go to the library as usual, and Lady Marchmain asks who will go out on the fox hunt the next day. Brideshead and Cordelia...
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...together for very long. Mr. Samgrass wanted to visit historical sites and was paid by Lady Marchmain so long as Sebastian was with him. This allowed Mr. Samgrass to travel in great...
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...tour without Sebastian. Sebastian knew that Mr. Samgrass could not have him arrested, or tell Lady Marchmain , without ruining his own holiday. Sebastian was going to run away for good, but...
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...to be able to talk about the trip, and says that he has only told Lady Marchmain about Sebastian’s escape at Christmas. He dislikes the strict rules on alcohol in the house,...
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Later that day, Lady Marchmain comes to see Charles. She finds it funny that everyone believes the hunt will cure...
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...little later, calls from a nearby village. When he returns, he is clearly drunk, and Lady Marchmain offers him drinks at dinner and tells him to help himself. They eat quickly and...
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Lady Marchmain asks Charles if he gave Sebastian money, and Charles admits that he did. Lady Marchmain...
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...asks Rex if he was mentioned at Brideshead after he left, and Rex says that Lady Marchmain felt guilty about what she said to Charles. Charles says that it doesn’t matter what...
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...Rex tells him that, in the end, Julia gave Mr. Samgrass away. Rex says that Lady Marchmain finally crumbled when she discovered that Cordelia gave Sebastian whisky every night. Rex also tells...
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Rex says that Lady Marchmain does not like him or think him a suitable husband for Julia, but he doesn’t...
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Part 2, Chapter 2
...qualities which have helped him make his fortune to woo Julia. He puts himself in Lady Marchmain ’s way, helps Brideshead out politically, and even pretends to like Catholicism. Although she is...
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...her and turns up at the house. Julia does not want to see him, but Lady Marchmain tells her that she must “be kind.” When she finally agrees, Rex proposes, and Julia...
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Lady Marchmain is disappointed and does not think Rex is an appropriate husband for Julia. Julia says...
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...he tells her that she must not do this. Julia then renounces her religion, and Lady Marchmain takes this very badly, almost as a personal slight.
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After a year of engagement, Lady Marchmain tells Julia that she cannot marry Rex and threatens to take her abroad. This is...
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...a “mixed” marriage. Rex says that, in this case, he will convert to Catholicism, and Lady Marchmain agrees to “have him instructed.” Rex says that this is unnecessary and that he will...
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The priest who instructs Rex reports back to Lady Marchmain that Rex has no natural flair for religion, and that he simply agrees with everything...
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However, three weeks before the ceremony, Brideshead tells Julia, Rex, and Lady Marchmain that the wedding cannot go ahead. Brideshead has discovered that Rex has been married before...
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...in a Protestant church. Lady Marchmain says she will stop him, and Julia tells her mother that it is too late: she is already Rex’s lover. Rex says that this is...
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...explains that Cordelia forgave her and agreed to be her bridesmaid. Everyone felt sorry for Lady Marchmain , who attended the wedding, but acted “like a martyr” throughout. Julia says that it...
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Part 2, Chapter 3
Julia hears that Charles is in England and calls him to say that her mother wants to see him. Lady Marchmain is dying and is too weak to see Charles...
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...university. Kurt tells him that Sebastian is very kind and asks if Charles knows Sebastian’s mother. He has heard she is rich, and says that she should give Sebastian more money....
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...his alcoholism. He is surprised to see Charles and listens patiently as Charles explains that Lady Marchmain is dying. Sebastian asks if Charles has met Kurt, and Charles says yes. Sebastian says...
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...is drunk the next day when Charles arrives. On Charles’s last day, they hear that Lady Marchmain has died, and Charles asks Sebastian if he plans to return to England. Sebastian thinks...
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...can bring people back to him with a “twitch upon the thread.” Charles says that Lady Marchmain read this to them on the first night that Sebastian got drunk at home.
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Cordelia says that she loved her mother but “not in the way she deserved.” She thinks that sometimes, when people were angry...
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