TV-Series
Description
Margaret Burton is one of the two main protagonists in the anime Madlax. She is a 19-year-old student at an elite college in the peaceful European country of Nafrece, where she comes from a wealthy aristocratic family. She has blue eyes and medium-length brown hair.
Twelve years before the story begins, Margaret survived a plane crash over the war-torn country of Gazth-Sonika. As a result of this incident, she lost all memories of her life prior to the crash, remembering only the word Madlax and possessing a mysterious picture book that she believes was given to her by her father. This book, later revealed to be Secondari, is one of three ancient Holy Books tied to a supernatural power known as the Gift.
Margaret's personality on the surface is that of a clumsy, absent-minded, and naive young woman who is extremely trusting of others, even those she has just met. She often appears sleepy and is heavily reliant on her devoted maid Elenore Baker for daily care and protection. However, this demeanor is a result of the psychological trauma that fractured her identity. Her core motivation throughout the series is to uncover the truth about her lost past and to understand the meaning of the picture book and the word Madlax.
Her role in the story is central, as she is revealed to be the original bearer of the Gift, a reality-altering ability. Years earlier, after being forced to shoot her own father to protect herself from him under the influence of the villain Friday Monday, Margaret could not bear the guilt of patricide. To escape this trauma, she used her Gift to split herself into three distinct personae: the innocent Margaret (who retained the Gift but lost all memories), Madlax (who took on the sin and became a mercenary in Gazth-Sonika), and Laetitia (who kept the memories of the event). The plot revolves around these three fragments being drawn back together through the machinations of the criminal organization Enfant, which seeks to use Margaret's power and the Holy Books to plunge the world into war.
Key relationships shape her development. Elenore Baker is her protective maid who serves as a steady guardian in her everyday life. Madlax is her second persona, and their eventual meeting forces Margaret to confront her suppressed past. Carrossea Doon, an operative of Enfant, is drawn to protect Margaret, and it is later revealed that he was also a survivor of the plane crash and died long ago, holding on only through sheer will to guard her. Vanessa Rene, Margaret's former tutor, acts as a link between the peaceful world of Nafrece and the conflict in Gazth-Sonika. Friday Monday, the head of Enfant, is her primary antagonist, who manipulates her to regain his own power and complete his ritual.
As the story progresses, Margaret develops from a passive, helpless girl into someone who actively seeks the truth. After her memories are restored, she must accept the terrible reality of her past and her role in causing the war. She ultimately undergoes a final transformation by fusing her three personae back together to undo the ritual and save the world, demonstrating a profound growth in agency and inner strength.
Her notable ability is the Gift, a supernatural power that allows her to alter reality. She is also tied to Secondari, a Holy Book that enables specific rituals, including the restoration of memories. Margaret is the key to the apocalyptic ritual that Friday Monday attempts to complete, making her the central figure around which the entire conflict of the series revolves.
Twelve years before the story begins, Margaret survived a plane crash over the war-torn country of Gazth-Sonika. As a result of this incident, she lost all memories of her life prior to the crash, remembering only the word Madlax and possessing a mysterious picture book that she believes was given to her by her father. This book, later revealed to be Secondari, is one of three ancient Holy Books tied to a supernatural power known as the Gift.
Margaret's personality on the surface is that of a clumsy, absent-minded, and naive young woman who is extremely trusting of others, even those she has just met. She often appears sleepy and is heavily reliant on her devoted maid Elenore Baker for daily care and protection. However, this demeanor is a result of the psychological trauma that fractured her identity. Her core motivation throughout the series is to uncover the truth about her lost past and to understand the meaning of the picture book and the word Madlax.
Her role in the story is central, as she is revealed to be the original bearer of the Gift, a reality-altering ability. Years earlier, after being forced to shoot her own father to protect herself from him under the influence of the villain Friday Monday, Margaret could not bear the guilt of patricide. To escape this trauma, she used her Gift to split herself into three distinct personae: the innocent Margaret (who retained the Gift but lost all memories), Madlax (who took on the sin and became a mercenary in Gazth-Sonika), and Laetitia (who kept the memories of the event). The plot revolves around these three fragments being drawn back together through the machinations of the criminal organization Enfant, which seeks to use Margaret's power and the Holy Books to plunge the world into war.
Key relationships shape her development. Elenore Baker is her protective maid who serves as a steady guardian in her everyday life. Madlax is her second persona, and their eventual meeting forces Margaret to confront her suppressed past. Carrossea Doon, an operative of Enfant, is drawn to protect Margaret, and it is later revealed that he was also a survivor of the plane crash and died long ago, holding on only through sheer will to guard her. Vanessa Rene, Margaret's former tutor, acts as a link between the peaceful world of Nafrece and the conflict in Gazth-Sonika. Friday Monday, the head of Enfant, is her primary antagonist, who manipulates her to regain his own power and complete his ritual.
As the story progresses, Margaret develops from a passive, helpless girl into someone who actively seeks the truth. After her memories are restored, she must accept the terrible reality of her past and her role in causing the war. She ultimately undergoes a final transformation by fusing her three personae back together to undo the ritual and save the world, demonstrating a profound growth in agency and inner strength.
Her notable ability is the Gift, a supernatural power that allows her to alter reality. She is also tied to Secondari, a Holy Book that enables specific rituals, including the restoration of memories. Margaret is the key to the apocalyptic ritual that Friday Monday attempts to complete, making her the central figure around which the entire conflict of the series revolves.