mˈɜːlɪn ɹˈiːs, ɐ fˈɔːɹmɚ bɹˈɪɾɪʃ ɐdmˈɪnɪstɹˌeɪɾɚ fɔːɹ nˈɔːɹðɚn ˈaɪɚlənd, kəmpˈɛɹd hɜː wɪð tʃˈɑːɹlz dˈɪkənzᵻz mˈædəm dᵻfˈɑːɹdʒ, ɐ fˈɪkʃənəl wˈʊmən hˌuː kˈɔːlz fɔːɹ blˈʌd ænd dˈɛθ dˈʊɹɹɪŋ ðə fɹˈɛntʃ ɹˌɛvəlˈuːʃən.
Merlyn Rees, a former British administrator for Northern Ireland, compared her with Charles Dickens's Madame Defarge, a fictional woman who calls for blood and death during the French Revolution.