Count Andrenyi Character Analysis in Murder on the Orient Express

A Hungarian man of around thirty, the Count met and married Helena Goldenberg, known afterward as Countess Andrenyi, while doing diplomatic work in Washington, D.C. Aware of his wife’s direct connection to the Armstrong family, he’s especially protective of her and squares off against Poirot to try to keep him from questioning her. Count Andrenyi stabs Ratchett in his wife’s stead.

Count Andrenyi Character Timeline in Murder on the Orient Express

The timeline below shows where the character Count Andrenyi appears in Murder on the Orient Express. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

National Identity and International Connections Theme Icon

Deception and Genre Expectations Theme Icon

The Hungarian nobles Count and Countess Andrenyi are next, but only the Count appears. The Count is described as... (full context)

Detective Methods and Inner Lives Theme Icon

The Count says both he and his wife were in their rooms for much of the night,... (full context)

The Countess appears as asked and confirms her husband’s account that she had been asleep. Poirot asks... (full context)

The Countess becomes suspicious when Poirot asks about her dressing gown but reveals that hers is a... (full context)

Next, Poirot searches the Count and Countess’s luggage, which is tricky due to their diplomatic status. They waive it in... (full context)

Poirot and M. Bouc go to the dining car to confront the Count and Countess with this new information. Poirot first offers her the monogrammed handkerchief, which the... (full context)

The Countess gives an impassioned excuse that Ratchett had destroyed the three people “I loved best and... (full context)

The Count admits his complicity in the deception, saying that the alteration of the passport and luggage... (full context)

...as elements expressly designed to confuse him. He speculates that it may have belonged to Countess Andrenyi. (full context)

...the person most likely to have killed Ratchett had no part it in it, namely Countess Andrenyi. The Count Andrenyi took her “place” and stabbed Ratchett. Poirot further identifies Hildegarde Schmidt... (full context)