Ethel Rogers, generally referred to as Mrs. Rogers is one of ten anti-heroic protagonists of the critically acclaimed Agatha Christie novel And Then There Were None.
The Soldier Island maid and wife of fellow antagonist Thomas Rogers, Ethel, like all of the residents of the island, was accused by the mysterious and allusive U.N. Owen of contributing to the death of another person. It is eventually revealed that this accusation was true. However due to the way the murder was carried out, Ethel cannot be prosecuted or punished for her actions.
Years later, Ethel and her husband were employed by the mysterious absent Mr and Mrs Owen. They were ordered to attend to the eight guests at their newly purchased residence on Soldier Island. For over a week, the couple attended to their duties, unaware that they had been lured into a trap, which would see them and everybody else, receive their long over due comeuppance.
She is portrayed by Anna Maxwell Martin in the 2015 miniseries.
Appearance[]
Mrs. Rogers is described as a pale-ghost like woman. Her main attire is a servants outfit.
Personality[]
| “ | We're damned, Thomas. We're damned. We're going to Hell! | „ |
| ~ Ethel to Thomas in the BBC miniseries, episode 1 |
Ethel Roger's is a very efficient maid. She and her husband were able to take care of the entire house by themselves for two days before the other guests arrived. When the eight others finally showed, Ethel not only cooked all of the meals, which by all accounts were scrumptious but also saw to the needs of Emily Brent and Vera Claythorne (the two female guests) without issue. Despite this, the others noted that she appeared fragile and on edge. Ethel startled easily and went into full on shock when the accusation was spoken. This indicates that she is troubled by her past and is her way of coping with her conscience.
And Then There Were None[]
Past[]
| “ | Thomas and Ethel Rogers, that on the 6th May 1929, you brought about the death of Jennifer Brady. | „ |
| ~ The gramophone accusation. And Then There Were None. |
Nothing is known about Ethel Roger's early life. At some point, however she found employment as a domestic servant and married a man named Thomas Rogers. Thomas, who was also a domestic servant was the dominant partner in the relationship.
In 1929, Thomas and Ethel had found employment with an elderly lady named Jennifer Brady. Although wealthy, Jennifer was a fragile old spinster, with a weak heart. Initially, Thomas and Ethel did everything for Jennifer making sure that she was comfortable and looked after. That all changed, however, when, through means unspecified, Thomas and Ethel found out that Jennifer intended to bequeath a portion of her fortune to them. Despite her poor health, Thomas could not wait for her to pass naturally and hatched a plan.
On 6th May 1929, Thomas Roger's ran through a heavy storm to fetch help. Unfortunately, despite his best efforts, the doctor arrived too late and Jennifer Brady was pronounced dead at the scene. A subsequent investigation determined that Jennifer had died as a result of her heart condition. Ethel corroborated her husbands claims that he ran through the storm and the Rogers were cleared of any blame.
However, Jennifer's doctor had his suspicions. Having treaded Miss Brady for years, he was fully aware of her condition and knew that as long as she took her medication, she should have been alright. Upon learning that Thomas and Ethel had come into money following Miss Brady's he became convinced that foul play was involved.
Unbeknownst to everybody, including the man himself, these suspicions were accurate. Upon learning about the inheritance, Thomas pressured Ethel into helping him kill Jennifer Brady. The couple simply withheld her medicine causing the elderly woman to suffer a fatal attack. Thomas then covered it up by pretending to go fetch help, whilst forcing Ethel to lie for him.
Despite this, there was no proof to convict either Thomas or Ethel of the crime. Although the GP later confided in one of his patients, his suspicions remained exactly that. Nevertheless, Ethel was deeply traumatised by what they had done. Despite their success, Jennifer's death did nothing to improve the Rogers' lot in life and by the mid 1930s, they were still domestic servants.
Soldier Island[]
It later emerged however that Ethel had been employed under false pretenses. Her employer, U. N. Owen, had a hidden agenda. A murderous vigilante, Mr. Owen, had, in fact, lured nine murderers whose guilt could never be proven to a remote location, in order for them to receive their comeuppance. Ethel was later revealed to be guilty of this accusation and would ultimately become one of the first victims of Mr. Owen's crusade.
Mrs. Rogers has featured in a number of theatrical and televised adaptations of And Then There Were None. In the 1945 movie, Ethel was played by the late Queenie Leonard. For the 2015 mini-series, she was portrayed by Anna Maxwell Martin.
She, along with her husband, Thomas, was hired by Mr. Owen as house servants. She is described as a pale-faced, ghost like woman with shifty light eyes, who is frightened quite easily. Despite her respectability and efficiency, she helped her domineering husband, Thomas, kill their elderly employer Jennifer Brady by withholding her medicine, so they could inherit her money.
Since she was mostly manipulated by her husband in the crime, Wargrave decides she is one of the least guilty of the ten guests, and by his planned order of death, she is in the first group to die. In addition, she would receive the gentlest possible death and be spared the mental strain reserved for the later victims.
After she faints upon hearing her crime repeated to her, she is given brandy, carried up to bed and given a sedative by Dr. Edward George Armstrong. It is later revealed that Wargrave has slipped in chloral hydrate, a sleeping agent, into the brandy after Thomas placed the brandy on the table. This, combined with Armstrong's sedative, led to her death by overdose. She dies consistently with the poem's second verse: "One overslept himself and then there were eight."
Wargrave later confesses that she and Rogers were the first victims he discovered, learning of their crime from a doctor who treated their employer and guessed their motive, but was unable to prove it.
Differences between the adaptations[]
Although largely consistent with her novel counterpart, there are some differences between Ethel's appearance in the book and the BBC miniseries.
- In the book, it is merely stated that Thomas dominated Ethel. In the TV series, Thomas was physically abusive towards Ethel and was shown smacking her several times.
- Jennifer Brady's death was shown in the TV series along with Ethel's immediate regret. Following Jennifer's demise, after being smothered by Thomas, Ethel declared that they were damned and would now be going to Hell for their sins. The evil butlers only response was to smack his distraught wife hard across the face.
- Following the gramophone recording, Ethel fainted immediately in the book and Thomas attended to her. In the show, Ethel went into shock and gave a cry of horror which was heard by everybody. Thomas, far from being concerned marched into the room and choked her into unconsciousness.
- Due to the brandy already being drugged by the time Thomas and Dr Armstrong took her downstairs, Mrs. Rogers was already sleeping like a light i.e. dead. In the show, after Armstrong left, Ethel sat up and looking at her husband said "I told you" to her husband. This earnt her a scolding from her evil husband.
- Unlike in the book, where Ethel was poisoned in the sitting room, Wargrave came down to visit Ethel during the night, whilst her husband was still working. It is not revealed what the vigilante did, but it is implied that he gave her a sedative laced drink, which put her to sleep, permanently.
Trivia[]
- Ethel Rogers had arguably the most merciful death of any of the characters in And Then There Were None. Whilst the others died in some brutal fashion, she simply went to sleep and never woke up.
- This was intentional on Wargrave's part as he made sure that the people he judged to be more cold and ruthless killers died far more brutally. Those of lesser guilt, like Ethel did not suffer anywhere near as much.
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 Villains(Non-Poirot & Non-Marple) | |
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Tommy and Tuppence Beresford And Then There Were None Other Mystery Stories Adaptational, Homage & Non-Canonical | |