Mrs. Stringham Character Analysis in The Wings of the Dove

Mrs. Stringham is Milly’s friend who Milly met in Boston, and the two travel through Europe together. Mrs. Stringham is selflessly and unyieldingly devoted to Milly, and she does anything she can to try and help Milly heal from her illness. That includes encouraging Merton to seduce Milly even after she knows that Merton and Kate are engaged, suggesting that Kate and Merton’s plan to have Merton seduce Milly may not be quite as sordid as it may at first seem, as even those closest to Milly, like Mrs. Stringham, seem to approve of it. Mrs. Stringham also serves as a foil to Maud. While Maud acts as Kate’s guardian, Mrs. Stringham looks after Milly. The novel then juxtaposes the two characters to show how sharply Mrs. Stringham’s selflessness contrasts with Maud’s self-serving behavior.

Mrs. Stringham Quotes in The Wings of the Dove

The The Wings of the Dove quotes below are all either spoken by Mrs. Stringham or refer to Mrs. Stringham. 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:

Class Hierarchy in English Society Theme Icon

When Milly smiled it was a public event – when she didn’t it was a chapter of history.

Related Characters: Mrs. Stringham, Milly, Maud

Page Number and Citation: 94

Explanation and Analysis:

It was the air she wanted and the world she would now exclusively choose; the quiet chambers, nobly overwhelming, rich but slightly veiled, opened out round her and made her presently say ‘If I could lose myself here!’ There were people, people in plenty, but, admirably, no personal question. It was immense, outside, the personal question; but she had blissfully left it outside,

Related Characters: Kate, Milly, Sir Strett, Mrs. Stringham, Merton

Page Number and Citation: 225

Explanation and Analysis:

He had thought, no doubt, from the day he was born, much more than he had acted; except indeed that he remembered thoughts – a few of them – which at the moment of their coming to him had thrilled him almost like adventures.

Related Characters: Merton, Sir Strett, Milly, Kate, Mrs. Stringham

Page Number and Citation: 463

Explanation and Analysis:

Mrs. Stringham Character Timeline in The Wings of the Dove

The timeline below shows where the character Mrs. Stringham appears in The Wings of the Dove. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Milly Theale and Mrs. Stringham first meet in Boston while Milly is visiting the city from New York. Mrs. Stringham... (full context)

...or so after Milly returns to New York from Boston, she sends a message to Mrs. Stringham asking her to come on a trip to Europe. Mrs. Stringham immediately accepts. The two... (full context)

As Milly and Mrs. Stringham travel, they stop in Brünig. There, Mrs. Stringham sees Milly perched on a cliff and... (full context)

Secrecy, Deception, and Misunderstanding Theme Icon

As Milly and Mrs. Stringham travel in the Alps, Milly seems to become ill and lies down. As she’s lying... (full context)

In the Alps, while lying down, Milly talks with Mrs. Stringham cryptically about an illness she may or may not have. She tells Mrs. Stringham that... (full context)

Mrs. Stringham then recalls a man, Merton, whom Milly recently met while he was traveling through the... (full context)

Milly is amazed that only two days later, she and Mrs. Stringham are dining at Maud’s house. Milly feels almost as if Mrs. Stringham is her fairy... (full context)

Mrs. Stringham had been initially reluctant to reach out to Maud because she was sure that Maud... (full context)

Moral Ambiguity and Responsibility Theme Icon

...her part, Kate doesn’t understand why Maud has taken an interest in her former classmate, Mrs. Stringham . To Kate, Mrs. Stringham seems listless and boring. When Kate says that to Milly,... (full context)

The next day, Milly talks with Mrs. Stringham . Mrs. Stringham says that when she was with Maud, it “came out” that Maud... (full context)

Mrs. Stringham asks Milly if she’s heard about Merton from Kate. Milly says no and asks why... (full context)

...try and prevent any further development of a relationship between Kate and Merton. Milly tells Mrs. Stringham about the conversation immediately after. Mrs. Stringham asks if Merton is really so awful as... (full context)

Mrs. Stringham asks if Milly told Marian that she (Milly) knows Merton. Milly says no and explains... (full context)

A few days later, Lord Mark goes to see Milly and Mrs. Stringham at the hotel where they’re staying. He tells Milly that Maud would like to see... (full context)

...leading medical professional in London, if not the world. But, Milly says, she doesn’t want Mrs. Stringham to worry unnecessarily, so Kate must not tell anyone about the visit. Kate agrees to... (full context)

...Milly at her hotel once more before she leaves. Milly says that he will meet Mrs. Stringham then, an idea that no longer bothers Milly. At the end of the visit, Milly... (full context)

Milly and Mrs. Stringham go to dine with Maud and Kate before Milly and Mrs. Stringham leave London. During... (full context)

...phrase seems to hang in the air. At the hotel the next morning, Milly tells Mrs. Stringham that Sir Strett is going to come to visit her at 11:00 in the morning.... (full context)

When Kate, Merton, and Milly arrive at the hotel, Mrs. Stringham is surprised. Milly almost feels bad for Mrs. Stringham for her ignorance about why Kate... (full context)

...at Maud’s house. Merton has surmised that he and Kate can’t possibly use Milly and Mrs. Stringham to meet clandestinely and then ask the two women to keep his and Kate’s meetings... (full context)

...to play. He believes that Kate will always be, on some level, under Maud’s control. Mrs. Stringham then arrives at the party and regrettably announces that Milly can’t come because she has... (full context)

...in London. Merton is amazed that Maud has asked such a question in front of Mrs. Stringham . Mrs. Stringham speaks up before Merton can answer and tells Merton that he knows... (full context)

...Kate says that perhaps Milly is not very ill. After all, Kate says, Milly and Mrs. Stringham had been about to leave London, but they seem to have decided to stay because... (full context)

...group, and Kate speaks with Lord Mark. As Merton is preparing to leave the party, Mrs. Stringham gives him a look that seems to suggest that she would like to speak to... (full context)

...Milly’s money to do so. Merton responds that one small problem is that Milly and Mrs. Stringham plan to leave London soon. (full context)

...and if she does leave, Maud and Kate will go with her wherever she and Mrs. Stringham go and invite Merton to join. Merton is surprised Maud is as forthright as she... (full context)

...much. He’s in love with Kate and is very fond of Maud, Milly, and even Mrs. Stringham . He doesn’t want to do anything to upset any of them or to cause... (full context)

...feelings for him. Merton asks Milly what she’ll do next, and Milly says she and Mrs. Stringham are still planning to go abroad. They got hung up by a few last-minute details,... (full context)

...hotel for lunch. After Merton and Kate leave the hotel that day, Milly speaks with Mrs. Stringham , who has just seen Sir Strett. Mrs. Stringham tells Milly that she thinks Kate... (full context)

Milly tells Mrs. Stringham not to worry about her, and Mrs. Stringham says she won’t. Still, they both seem... (full context)

After Milly and Mrs. Stringham finish talking, Mrs. Stringham knows she has to get out of the hotel because she... (full context)

Mrs. Stringham continues to talk to Maud about Strett’s diagnosis of Milly. She explains that Strett said... (full context)

Maud tells Mrs. Stringham that she will try to help and deliver Merton to Milly. As Maud talks, though,... (full context)

...she is set to leave London. During the appointment, Milly tells Strett that she and Mrs. Stringham are headed to Venice. Strett says this is fortuitous, as he’s going to spend his... (full context)

Milly and Mrs. Stringham travel to Venice along with Maud and Kate. Milly and Mrs. Stringham are accompanied by... (full context)

...for a day or even an hour alone, so she stays home one afternoon while Mrs. Stringham , Maud, and Kate go out. Milly relishes the time alone at her rented palace.... (full context)

...which he doesn’t like. He had had lunch at Milly’s house earlier, accompanied by Maud, Mrs. Stringham , and Kate. During that lunch, Milly and Merton had spent some time alone. Despite... (full context)

...exchanges apprehensive looks before leaving the house. At the Piazza San Marco, while Maud and Mrs. Stringham are in a shop, Merton and Kate talk. Merton tells Kate that he wants to... (full context)

...to his room at night. Kate doesn’t answer directly, but when she sees Maud and Mrs. Stringham leaving the shop, she asks Merton to take his arm out of hers, so Maud... (full context)

That night, Mrs. Stringham , Maud, Merton, and Kate are at Milly’s palace for dinner. Before dining, Mrs. Stringham... (full context)

...and Merton watch her from a distance. Strett is there too, and Merton says that Mrs. Stringham wants him to talk to the doctor. Merton also says that Mrs. Stringham contends that... (full context)

...and Maud return to London, and Merton stays behind in Venice along with Milly and Mrs. Stringham . (full context)

...result, Merton feels completely alone in the city. On the third day of his isolation, Mrs. Stringham comes to his hotel. (full context)

At Merton’s hotel, Mrs. Stringham tells Merton that Milly has not spoken to her for the past three days, and... (full context)

Mrs. Stringham says that she has sent for Sir Strett, but he can’t make it to Venice... (full context)

Merton and Mrs. Stringham discuss why Lord Mark would have told Milly that Merton is engaged to Kate. They... (full context)

Mrs. Stringham asks Merton again if he’ll deny that he’s engaged to Kate if Strett says the... (full context)

...talk with Kate. Kate tells him that she and Maud still regularly receive letters from Mrs. Stringham . Merton asks if Kate has heard about Lord Mark, and Kate seems puzzled. Merton... (full context)

The Wings of the Dove

Mrs. Stringham Character Analysis

Mrs. Stringham Quotes in The Wings of the Dove

Book 3, Chapter 1 Quotes

Book 5, Chapter 7 Quotes

Book 9, Chapter 4 Quotes

Mrs. Stringham Character Timeline in The Wings of the Dove