War and Peace · Character
Princess Lise Bolkónskaya
Also known as Princess Elizabeth, Princess Lise, Princess Bolkónskaya
- Major
- First seen · Book 1 · Ch. 1
Lise arrives with the brightness of a room’s most charming conversation: sparkling eyes, an easy laugh, and a smile made distinctive by the soft dark down on her upper lip. Beneath her graceful, sociable manner is a delicacy that makes her seem both captivating and a little exposed.
- Gender
- female
- First appears
- Book 1 · Ch. 1
- Books
- 1
Lise, the little princess, moves through society with playful charm, but the polished ease she shows others conceals a loneliness within her marriage to Prince Andrei. Pregnant and living at Bald Hills among his family, she finds the reserved household and Andrei’s absence increasingly difficult to bear. She dies in childbirth, leaving Andrei with their son, Nikolai, and a memory that returns to him with tenderness and pain. Her brief life leaves an impression of brightness caught within a world that offers her little room to breathe.
Description
Lise is petite and plump, her face rosy and pretty, with sparkling eyes and a short upper lip adorned by a fine, dark down. Her lips are softly full, her mouth often half-open in an animated smile that reveals glittering teeth. She wears refined Empire-waist dresses, including a dainty gray gown trimmed with lace and gathered beneath the breast by a broad ribbon. Graceful in movement and quick to laugh, she carries herself with the polished liveliness of a young aristocratic woman.
Connections
Family & partnersFriends & mentorsRivals
Prince Andrew Bolkónskihusband and wife
Andrew returns to Bald Hills while Lise is in labor. He kisses her and calls her 'my darling'; she dies shortly after giving birth, leaving him overcome with grief and guilt.
Princess Mary Bolkónskayasisters-in-law
The two women greet each other with exuberant affection and quickly become close. Mary is protective of Lise and defends her to Andrew, while Lise seeks Mary's company and support during her isolation and pregnancy.
- PN
Prince Nicholas Andréevich Bolkónskifather-in-law and daughter-in-law
Lise is intimidated by the old prince's severity and sits silently and nervously during dinner. He makes brusque remarks about her pregnancy and advises her to walk, while agreeing to arrange an accoucheur for her.
- AK
Anatole Kuráginsocial acquaintances
Lise welcomes Anatole into the family gathering and playfully draws him into invented shared reminiscences; no deeper attachment is established.
- AP
Anna Pávlovna Schérersocial acquaintance and intermediary
Anna Pávlovna speaks privately with Lise about the proposed Anatole–Mary match and asks her to write about her father’s reaction.
- MB
Mademoiselle Bouriennehousehold companions
Lise and Bourienne join in helping Mary dress for Anatole’s arrival and participate in the household’s lively social exchange.
Story so far
BOOK 1War and Peace
Appearances
Meet Princess Lise Bolkónskaya in Bookworm
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