Josephine Hawkes

**Josephine Hawkes** is a character in the webtoon ***Purple Hyacinth***. She is the wife of Stefan Hawkes and the mother to Rafael Hawkes and William Hawkes.

## Appearance

Josephine has pale skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes, traits which she shares with both her sons. In a photo in episode 118, Josephine is shown to be nearly as tall as her husband, wearing an elegant dress with her hair done up in a bun.

Ever since becoming bedridden, Josephine wears her hair down and wears mostly nightgowns. In her first physical appearance, her health has deteriorated significantly, as her skin and hair are a sickly pale color, her body is emaciated, and her eyes have no pupils and a sort of white film over them.

## Personality

Based on William, Stefan, Dakan and Tristan, when she was healthy, Josephine was a gentle and kind woman. She is remembered as being a loving mother to her sons. Tristan recalls that Josephine was able to soften her husband’s heart.

## Background

Josephine is implied to come from a wealthy noble family, based on how her husband was furious when their eldest son got engaged to a woman from the South Shore. At some point, Josephine got married to Stefan Hawkes, and the couple had two sons, Rafael and William, respectively.

On the same day as the Allendale Train Station Tragedy, her eldest son ran away. Josephine was heartbroken at Rafael’s departure. Not long after, she became ill with an unknown sickness. The disease left her bedridden, and made her unable to recognize her other son, William, mistaking him for Rafael. In Weary William, Stefan revealed that her doctor said that her condition had deteriorated once more, and that she had only 2-3 months left to live.

## Relationships

### Stefan Hawkes

Stefan is Josephine’s husband. The two are implied to have had an arranged marriage, but the two genuinely fell in love over time. Tristan Sinclair notes that Josephine was often able to soften Stefan’s heart. When she fell ill, Stefan hired the best doctor in all of Ardhalis to treat his wife, and when Will asks about his mother’s condition, Stefan visibly softens. Stefan is shown to be greatly saddened that Josephine is dying, yet there is nothing more he can do. When he and William arrive and the Sinclair’s New Year’s Eve party, he states he is glad that, since his retirement, he has had more time to himself and to spend with Josephine, and that neither he nor William can stay long, as they must return to her side as soon as possible.

### Rafael Hawkes

Rafael is Josephine’s oldest son. Josephine’s relationship with her eldest son is mostly unknown. It is unclear what Josephine thought about Rafael’s engagement to Thalia, an actress from the South Shore. However, she was shown to be devastated by her son’s departure, missing him dearly. In Weary William, Josephine calls out for Rafael, and even mistakes William for the former. This hints that Josephine greatly favored Rafael over William. However, in all his appearances, Rafael never once’s mentions his mother. This points to the two having a good, but shallow relationship.

### William Hawkes

William is Josephine’s youngest son. William is shown to love his mother dearly. He is seen to be visibly distraught about her deteriorating health, often spacing out and going silent, even making several mistakes in a report, very much unlike him. It is clear that it is Josephine’s worsening condition that led him to spend more time at the Hawkes’s manor.

When he learns that Josephine has only 2-3 months left to live, he is in denial, and becomes upset, stating that he is not ready to let her go. Stefan notes that William has always been his mother’s son. Will often visits her, even staying with her for the entire night at one point. Josephine once expressed sadness at not being able to see Will get married, to see him so happy before she died. Unfortunately, her illness causes Josephine to mistake Will for Rafael, which makes her preference for Rafael become rather clear.

Will forces himself to keep pretending for Josephine’s sake, as thinking that Rafael has returned makes her very happy. He has expressed frustration at the fact that Josephine doesn’t truly see him, no matter his efforts. It seems that Josephine has been using Will as an emotional crutch and as Rafael’s replacement. This causes Will much emotional pain, as he genuinely loves his mother and wants her to acknowledge him.

## Family Tree

* With Images
* Text Only