Character Relationship Map: The Miracle

Characters

• Teresa (played by Carroll Baker) — protagonist

  An orphan raised at the convent of Miraflores, Teresa is a lively postulant devoted to the Virgin Mary but drawn to Captain Michael Stuart. After leaving the convent and losing Michael, she travels wi...

• Capt. Michael Stuart (played by Roger Moore) — protagonist

  A British captain who falls in love with Teresa while recovering at the convent after the Battle of Salamanca. He asks her to leave religious life and marry him, but their paths separate. Years later,...

• Flaco (played by Walter Slezak) — supporting

  A member of Guido’s band of gypsies, Flaco is present when Teresa is rescued from the French and later hears her reject Christianity in anger. After Guido’s death, he chooses to protect Teresa when La...

• Guido (played by Vittorio Gassman) — supporting

  The handsome leader of a band of gypsies, Guido helps rescue Teresa from a French sergeant. He gives her Michael’s watch after she recognizes its tune, and Teresa later falls in love with him. On the...

• La Roca (played by Katina Paxinou) — supporting

  The mother of Guido and Carlitos, La Roca is devastated when Carlitos betrays his brother to the French and Guido is killed. After killing Carlitos in retaliation, she blames Teresa for the disaster a...

• Casimir - El Conde de Altimira (played by Dennis King) — supporting

  A wealthy count who finances Teresa’s career as a singer while pursuing her romantically. He commissions a portrait of her from Goya, but Teresa suddenly leaves Madrid, abandoning the portrait and lea...

• Córdoba (played by Gustavo Rojo) — supporting

  A bullfighter in Madrid with whom Teresa flirts while pursuing her singing career. During a bullfight, he is gored while smiling at her. His death strengthens Teresa’s belief that she brings misfortun...

• Mother Superior (played by Isobel Elsom) — supporting

  The head of the Miraflores convent, she offers its grounds as a hospital for British soldiers wounded after the Battle of Salamanca. When Michael returns seeking Teresa, the Mother Superior tells him...

• Carlitos (played by Carlos Rivas) — supporting

  Guido’s resentful brother, Carlitos is consumed by envy and jealousy. He betrays Guido to the French on the eve of Guido’s wedding, leading soldiers to the gypsy camp where Guido and other men are sho...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Carlitos → La Roca (Family Son Killed By Mother) — La Roca responds to Carlitos's betrayal of Guido by killing her own son.

  After the French captain gives Carlitos gold for betraying Guido, La Roca shoots Carlitos to avenge his betrayal.

• Guido → La Roca (Family Son And Mother) — Guido's death devastates La Roca and fuels her retaliation against Carlitos, whom she kills for betraying his brother.

  La Roca is identified as Guido and Carlitos's mother, and she is devastated when Guido is killed.

• Guido → Carlitos (Family Brothers And Betrayer) — Carlitos's envy leads him to guide the French soldiers to the gypsy camp, where Guido is shot.

  The plot identifies Carlitos as Guido's brother and says he betrays Guido to the French on the eve of Guido's wedding.

• Teresa → Córdoba (Romantic Flirtation) — Córdoba's death strengthens Teresa's fear that she brings misfortune to anyone who shows her affection.

  In Madrid, Teresa flirts with Córdoba, who is gored in the bullring while smiling at her.

• Teresa → Casimir - El Conde de Altimira (Romantic Patron And Pursuer) — Casimir supports Teresa as a singer while pursuing her romantically; her sudden departure leaves him despairing over the abandoned portrait.

  Casimir finances Teresa's singing career and pursues her. He commissions her portrait, but she leaves Madrid and abandons it.

• Teresa → Guido (Romantic Rescuer Turned Lover) — Guido first helps save Teresa, then becomes her beloved; his death after Carlitos's betrayal deepens her belief that affection for her brings tragedy.

  Guido's gypsy band saves Teresa from a French sergeant, and Teresa later falls in love with Guido.

• Teresa → Mother Superior (Professional Convent Superior And Postulant) — The Mother Superior oversees Teresa's convent life and informs Michael that Teresa has become a fully professed nun.

  Teresa is a postulant at the convent, and the Mother Superior later tells Michael that Teresa has taken her final vows.

• Teresa → Capt. Michael Stuart (Romantic Lovers Separated By Vocation) — Their mutual love repeatedly draws them together, but Teresa's religious vocation and fear that she brings misfortune ultimately lead her to choose separation.

  They fall in love after Michael recovers at the convent. Teresa later returns to religious life, while Michael accepts that he must let her go.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Capt. Michael Stuart → Mother Superior (Social Seeker And Bearer Of News) — The Mother Superior's account convinces Michael that Teresa has become a nun, although the apparent confirmation he sees is the Virgin Mary in disguise.

  When Michael returns to the convent looking for Teresa, the Mother Superior tells him that Teresa has taken her final vows.

• Guido → Flaco (Social Gypsy Band Associates) — Flaco belongs to Guido's band and, after Guido's death, takes responsibility for protecting Teresa.

  Flaco is described as a member of Guido's gypsy band and is present when the band rescues Teresa.

• Teresa → La Roca (Conflict Blamed And Banished) — La Roca directs her grief and anger at Teresa, forcing her to leave the gypsy camp.

  After Guido is killed and La Roca kills Carlitos, La Roca turns on Teresa, blames her for the disaster, and banishes her.

• Teresa → Carlitos (Conflict Blamed For His Betrayal) — Carlitos's betrayal causes the raid that kills Guido, and Teresa becomes entangled in the fallout when La Roca expels her from the camp.

  Carlitos betrays Guido to the French. After La Roca kills Carlitos, she blames Teresa for the disaster and banishes her.

• Teresa → Flaco (Alliance Protector And Companion) — Flaco remains Teresa's companion after Guido's death and accompanies her when she eventually heads back toward the convent.

  After La Roca banishes Teresa from the camp, Flaco decides to protect her and travels with her through Spain.

Story Analysis

Teresa struggles between earthly love and religious devotion, while loss and a miraculous return shape her path back to the convent.

Plot Progression

1. Love at the Convent — Teresa's life as a lively postulant changes when she meets the wounded Captain Michael Stuart. They fall in love, and Michael asks her to leave the convent and marry him.
2. The Empty Pedestal — Teresa leaves the convent, while the Virgin Mary's statue secretly takes her place. The statue's disappearance coincides with the beginning of a prolonged drought.
3. Loss Among the Gypsies — Rescued by Guido's band, Teresa learns that Michael's watch came from a dead Englishman and believes Michael is dead. Carlitos betrays Guido, whose death and La Roca's retaliation leave Teresa bereft.
4. A Singer's Return — Teresa becomes a celebrated singer, but loss reinforces her belief that she brings misfortune to those who love her. Reunited with Michael before Waterloo, she prays for his safety and chooses to retu...
5. The Miracle Restored — Michael survives the battle, while Teresa returns to Salamanca and enters the chapel. The statue returns to its pedestal, rain ends the drought, and the convent community joins in prayer.