Portrait of a Lady Summary

Henry James’s novel The Portrait of a Lady opens at Gardencourt, the country home of Mr. Touchett. Mr. Touchett and his son, Ralph, are having tea with his friend Lord Warburton when Mrs. Touchett returns home from America. She has their niece Isabel Archer with her. Isabel is a young woman recently orphaned. She has two older sisters, who are each married. Mrs. Touchett hopes that Isabel will learn sophistication and find a husband. Before Isabel’s arrival, Lord Warburton assures Mr. Touchett and Ralph that he is disinclined to marry—unless he meets a particularly interesting woman.

Warburton meets Isabel, finds her interesting, and falls in love. He invites her to visit him at home, where she meets his two sisters. She likes all three of them—finding Warburton kind and sensitive in addition to being wealthy and well placed, socially. Later, she hears from her friend, Henrietta Stackpole. Henrietta is an American journalist working in Europe. Isabel invites her to visit Gardencourt. Isabel receives a second letter from an American—Caspar Goodwood—who is in England because he wants to marry Isabel. Angry with him for following her across the Atlantic, she elects not to respond to his letter.

Warburton arrives to propose to Isabel, but though she is fond of him, she is not in a rush to marry. She wants to see the world first. She sends her rejection by way of a letter, vexing Warburton, as well as her aunt and uncle. Warburton visits and requests she explain her refusal; though she is kind, she does not change her mind about marrying him.Ralph, Henrietta, and Isabel visit London. Ralph discovers that he is attracted to Isabel, and Henrietta connects with Ralph’s acquaintance, Mr. Battling. Caspar shows up and asks Isabel to marry him again. She responds by promising to consider his suit if he is still interested in two years’ time, after she has had the chance to have some adventures of her own. Meanwhile, Ralph is called back home when he receives news that his father has fallen ill. He and Isabel go back to Gardencourt, leaving Henrietta in London. When Ralph and Isabel arrive, they find that Madame Merle, Mrs. Touchett’s friend, is staying on.

Ralph, who is also ill, gets his father to give Isabel half of his inheritance, though Mr. Touchett worries that such wealth will turn Isabel into a target for fortune hunters. Ralph assures his father that Isabel is too independent to be made a victim. After Mr. Touchett’s death, Ralph goes to the Mediterranean for his health, while Mrs. Touchett and Isabel go to Paris, where they meet up with Henrietta and Mr. Battling. Before going home, Isabel and Mrs. Touchett visit Ralph. Isabel holds the same opinion regarding her inheritance, but leaves with Ralph’s assurances.

Isabel and Mrs. Touchett continue to Florence, where they meet Madame Merle. Merle has told her friend Gilbert Osmond about Isabel and her wealth, and that she wants the two to marry. She also tells Isabel about Gilbert, and arranges a meeting between the two. Isabel goes to Gilbert’s house, where she meets his sister, the Countess Gemini, and Gilbert’s 15-year-old daughter, Pansy. The reader learns two important facts: Merle is contriving for Gilbert and Isabel to marry so that Pansy can get Isabel’s fortune and therefore secure a good marriage; the Countess knows about it, but does nothing to stop it despite her disapproval. Gilbert has social standing, but little wealth of his own due to his extravagant tastes.

Isabel knows that Ralph does not trust Madame Merle. He knows, too, of Gilbert’s financial woes. Mrs. Touchett begins to suspect Gilbert, but not Merle. Despite Mrs. Touchett’s and Ralph’s distrust, Isabel falls for Gilbert, drawn in by his social graces. She feels certain that he will bestow upon her the sophistication she sought in coming to Europe. Henrietta and Ralph continue to warn her, but after a year of traveling—and rejecting Caspar again—Isabel decides to marry Gilbert. Mrs. Touchett objects as well, believing now that Madame Merle is the puppet master behind the whole idea for Gilbert and Isabel to marry.

After four years, Isabel is miserable. She knows that Gilbert only wanted to marry her for her money. In addition to his selfish nature, he is controlling and cares not for her happiness. When Mrs. Touchett sends word that Ralph is dying and has asked her to visit Gardencourt, Gilbert refuses, so Isabel goes to the Countess. From her, she learns that Pansy is not the result of Gilbert’s marriage to his first, late wife, but rather that Pansy is the lovechild of Gilbert and Madame Merle, the result of a long affair.

Isabel goes to Gardencourt despite Gilbert’s displeasure. There, she confides in Ralph that he was right about Gilbert. They both agree that her inheritance has ruined her spirit and her happiness, and she wonders how to fix her situation.

After Ralph’s death, Isabel stays at Gardencourt for awhile. Both Caspar and Warburton press her to leave Gilbert, but she returns to him. She insists that breaking her marriage vows would make her as morally bankrupt as Madame Merle.